Karma. Justice. Revenge.
Right now, it all felt the same.
She walked back to the parking lot and right past her car. Well. His car. He could ... he could have it.
She laughed. She laughed, and she simply continued on by it. She would head back to town on foot, and she would do it with her head held high. He could have all his stuff back. Everything. As long as she didn’t have to deal with him anymore.
About a mile into the walk, her resolve started to falter slightly. But it was a grand gesture, so she was doing it.
“Soraya!”
Her head whipped around, and she saw Nora stopped in the middle of the road in her navy-blue Camry, looking at her incredulously. “What are you doing?”
“I’m walking away from an explosion. Triumphantly.”
“Where’s your car? Do you mean a literal explosion?”
“No. Better. Better.” She ran into the middle of the road and leaned into Nora’s window. “David is ... He wasfucking the pastor’s wife. Everyone just saw it.”
She could scarcely remember having ever said that word in her life, but it was fitting to her now.
“Oh my God, get in the car,” Nora said. “I need the whole story.” Soraya rounded to the passenger side and got in. “I’m working this morning, you weirdo. What would you have done if I hadn’t driven by?”
“I would’ve walked all the way back to town. Angrily. But I would’ve done it.”
“Okay. Explain to me about the car later. First, I need to hear about how everyone saw your husband and the pastor’s wife.”
She recounted the entire story in great detail, and by the time she was finished, Nora was crying with laughter.
“I’m so sorry. I sadly, unbelievably, know how traumatizing it is to have seen a video of your husband having sex with another woman.”
Soraya blinked. “It ... it wasn’t? I think because I knew. I knew he was doing this. Well, not with her, and I certainly didn’t know he was taking a video of it, but he took pictures of his ... his junk, so it makes sense. He sabotaged himself. He did it to himself. And he’s been so angry at me. So bitter at me. But I didn’t do this. He did. I just feel ... It was magic, Nora. I saw him before the service, and I told him:Everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all.The scripture from my spell.”
They were silent for a few minutes. “Nothing came of mine.”
“Have you talked to him?” she asked. Meaning Ben.
Nora shook her head. “I don’t have anything to say that isn’t an incoherent ramble about betrayal and bad dirty talk. If he saw that he called me on accident, he hasn’t acknowledged it.” She let out a slow breath. “My marriage is over. I really didn’t want it to be.”
“I get it. But I don’t want to be married to that man either. I suspect you don’t want to be married to a man who treats you this way.”
“No. It’s an illusion, I think. That anyone is actually decent.”
“Maybe it is. But I feel ... a lot more powerful than I ever have before.”
“You probably shouldn’t have given him your car, though.”
“He said he was going to take it back. He was trying to take everything from me. Everything, so that he was my only option. He lost everything today.” Her heart twisted, just slightly. Because their sons were going to hear about this, and thank God, thank God they hadn’t been in there. Not for that. Hearing about it would be bad enough. But actually seeing their own father ...
At least they’d see him clearly.
She wasn’t on the schedule to work today, but she opted to go into the apothecary for a while. Alexandra’s daughter was cheerfully making coffee, and Daisy was sitting there with an old-fashioned ledger in front of her.
Aggie was sitting at her table where she did her readings, and Soraya approached, even though she had typically kept her distance from this part of the store.
“Just so you know,” Soraya said, “it worked.”
Aggie looked at her, her clear blue gaze sharp. “Of course it did. We’re all magic, Soraya. It just needs to be claimed.”
