Maddy’s expression wasn’t polished the way it usually was. It was tight. Defensive. Furious.
“You don’t get to walk back into this house and start making demands,” Maddy snapped.
Muriel tilted her head slightly. “Did I?” Her gaze flicked briefly toward us then back to Maddy. “You do realize the house is community property, don’t you?”
The temperature dropped ten degrees.
Archie’s fingers tightened around mine.
“Community property,” Maddy scoffed.
“Yes,” Muriel said with a soft and vicious laugh. “You might be wearing a ring now, but he isstillmarried to me. He chose me first and I can make that divorce take the rest of your life.” Something utterly dark and vicious slid through her expression. “In fact, I should do just that. I wouldn’t want you to get toocomfortable considering you thought you had a revolving door to my marriage anyway.”
My mother actually laughed. “You don’t get to pretend you won something. You got pregnant. That’s not a victory. That’s leverage.”
The words cracked like a gunshot.
Archie went rigid.
Muriel’s composure faltered for half a second — not grief.
Rage.
“You don’t get to rewrite history,” Muriel said quietly. “Edward and I were together.”
“You were convenient,” Maddy shot back. “Eddie wanted to get even with me, he fucked you. Just because you don’t understand birth control, don’t try and romanticize it.”
Archie shifted slightly in front of me — subtle, instinctive — but enough that his body blocked part of my view. Shielding.
I felt something ugly twist low in my stomach.
Because I knew this story.
Maddy and Eddie had been together before Muriel.
Then Muriel got pregnant.
Then Archie was born.
And suddenly Maddy wasn’t the one standing next to Eddie anymore.
“You couldn’t hold him,” Muriel said softly. “You never could. You still can’t. That’s why you keep circling.”
“Circling?” Maddy stepped closer. “Youtrappedhim.”
Muriel’s smile sharpened. “Hestayed.”
The air felt brittle.
Jeremy stood near the doorway, posture tight but composed.
“Ms. Curtis. Mrs. Standish,” he said evenly. “Perhaps we can?—”
“Stay out of this, Jeremy,” Maddy snapped. “You shouldn’t have let her in in the first place.”
Jeremy did not react — but I saw the flicker of disapproval.
Muriel’s gaze dropped to our joined hands.
