“I was your friend first,” Bea snapped, her temper roaring to a peak in the blink of an eye. Milo got to keepeverything. He couldn’t have her friend, too. Bea already had to share Eliana’s attention with the red-headed bitch. Maybe Eliana just didn’t know how ruthless Milo was . . .
“I don’t have anywhere to go,” she pleaded. “He’s taking everything from me. I’m going to be homeless, Elly.”
“You know that’s not true.” Eliana rolled her eyes,shocking Bea to the core. “We’ve been to the bank together dozens of times. You know that I know that you've got more than enough to liveverycomfortably for at least a year or two. And he said you’re keeping the store. And besides,youmade this choice. You know what they say about lying with dogs.”
That uncharacteristic line landed like a slap, and for a long moment, Bea simply stared. Processing.
Howdareshe? Who was she to judge? The words were right there on Bea’s tongue. To tell Eliana exactly who thedogwas. She wanted to spill, just to knock that smug look off her face. Eliana thought she was so high and mighty with Jesse hanging on her every word—Bea wondered how she would feel knowing everything he was getting up to behind her back.
But then a familiar face appeared above Eliana’s shoulder, eyes going wide as Jesse saw who stood on their doorstep. There was panic in his expression. Clear, unadulterated panic.
“What’s—” He cleared his throat. “What’s going on? Elly?”
“I was asking Bea to leave, considering what she’s done to Milo. I am sorry that it has to end like this, but cheating is a hard line for me. I can’t move past this,” Eliana answered, her tone final.
For a moment, time stood still in the wake of her words. The conviction in her voice lingered in the air, the horror in Jesse’s expression frozen in place, and the cogs clanking to life in Bea’s mind. This could be her ticket out—if she played her cards right.
So Bea did what she always did. She gritted her teeth, held her tongue, and gave the performance that was expected of her.
“I understand,” she sniffled. Then she cast one lastlingering glance at Jesse before turning and walking in the direction of the bus station, beneath the brilliant colors of the setting autumn sun.
They may have gotten the best of her that day, but she’d win out in the end.
No matter what it took.
23
MARTYRDOM
This is starting to drag. Leave his cheating ass already.
It’s not that simple. Leaving takes time and money. She’s got no credit, no savings, and like a month of work history. If she leaves now, she could lose the girls.
No judge would take her daughters away. That’s ridiculous. Besides, she’s entitled to alimony.
Alimony is not guaranteed. And the judge absolutely could opt to give Josh custody if she has no means to support them.
Custody?? What about the work fraud? She could probably put him in prison!
Ah, yes, prison alimony.Very sustainable.
Walking back into Richard Mitchell’s office felt different the second time around. The wealth of the room felt less intimidating and more accommodating. Eliana no longer felt like a clueless, floundering girl as she settled into the plush leather chair—but rather a woman on a journey to rediscovering herself.
And this time, she wasn’t alone. Sitting to her left was Milo, one long leg bent at an angle as he rested an ankle on his knee. It was a relaxed pose, but he held his body tense as he eyed the lawyer across the behemoth of a desk.
And to Eliana’s right sat Clem, whose gaze was also locked on Richard, though it appeared she had differing motivations. Clem almost always wore her hair loose and wild, but on this day, it was pulled into a severe bun, her glasses perched on her nose. Even her makeup was applied with a heavier hand than normal, sharpening the angles of her face and shadowing her eyes with a smoky cat-eye.
If Eliana didn’t know better, she’d say that Clem was in disguise. But it couldn’t be for the lawyer’s sake. She had just appeared in town barely an hour ago, asking if Eliana was able to meet for an urgent matter.
Eliana’s brows rose as she turned back to Richard, noticing the way he was sizing up her friend in response, Milo and her all but forgotten.
“This is Clem, the friend I told you about.” Eliana introduced, breaking the silence. “And this is Milo, my friend, employer, and neighbor. Oh—and the husband of the woman who Jesse is actively sleeping with.”
“Soon to be ex-husband,” Milo clarified.
“Okay.” Richard blinked, turning back to Eliana. “That’s a lot of labels.” He scratched his chin, glancing once more at Clem before asking, “So, why are Clem and Milo joining us today?”
“Because Milo is much more knowledgeable than I am in these matters and has insights that I may not think to consider, and Clem brought new information for us to review. She got pulled in at the last minute.”
