Chapter 3
Not long after Ethan left, the doorbell rang.
Grace went to open it, and then hurried back. "She's here again."
I knew exactly who it was.
Annie stood right in the middle of the living room, dressed in a soft yellow dress.
Her belly looked perfectly normal now, as if nothing had ever happened.
She bounced back quickly after the surgery.
When she saw me, her eyes instantly turned red. "Anna, do you have any idea what you've done?"
I sat down on the couch and poured myself a glass of water. "I do."
She bit her lip. "That was a life."
"If you want to look at it that way," I said, taking a sip of water, "I lost a life, too. I lost my baby after carrying for seven months."
Annie's face stiffened for a second, but she quickly slipped back into that pitiful act. "But you can't take away my right to be a mother just because you went through something terrible."
"Your right to be a mother?" I set my glass down. "Let me make one thing clear.
"You were carrying my husband's baby, and we're still married. What do you think that makes you? Do I really need to explain it?"
She had nothing to say.
A few seconds later, she broke into a smile out of nowhere.
That smile carried the same arrogance she'd shown on the phone, but now there was a sharp edge to it, a hint of something cutting I hadn't noticed before.
"Anna, I'm not here to fight with you today," Annie said, pulling a card from her bag and setting it on the coffee table. "Andrew told me to return this to you.
"He said that the coffee cup set you smashed the other day was bought at an auction for 240,000 dollars.
"There's 300,000 dollars on this card. The extra 60 grand is my way of saying sorry."
She stood up and straightened her dress. "Andrew said if you need anything, go to him directly. Don't give me a hard time anymore."
She walked to the door and then glanced back at me. "Oh, and he wanted me to tell you that he won't come home tonight."
The door closed behind her.
Grace stared at the bank card lying on the coffee table, her face livid.
I picked up the card, snapped it clean in half, and threw it straight into the trash.
*****
That night, Andrew didn't come home, just like Annie said.
He didn't show up the next day either.
On the third day, his secretary called and said he was away on a business trip and wouldn't be back for about a week.
I checked his schedule.
He wasn't on a business trip. He was in Metropolis, staying at the apartment he'd bought for Annie.
When I put my phone down, my hands didn't shake, and I was breathing steadily.
During Andrew's third year locked up, my landlord kicked me out and I ended up crashing under an overpass for a week.
I didn't cry back then, so what was the point of crying now?
On the fourth day, Michael showed up.
He was Andrew's business partner, and one of his comrades from the old days—the guys who built everything with him.
He walked in with a big grin, carrying some gifts. "Mrs. Grant, it's been a long time."
I asked Grace to pour him some coffee.
He sat down on the couch, crossed his legs, and made small talk for ten minutes before finally getting to the point. "Mrs. Grant, Andrew's been under a lot of stress lately, so try not to take it too personally.
"You know how guys are. Sometimes we just mess up.
"But trust me, you're still the one in Andrew's heart. I can vouch for that."
I held my cup steady. "Mr. Hanley, at the last company party, who did you call 'Mrs. Grant' in front of everyone?"
His smile froze for a second. "Well, I was wasted that night."
"Wasted, huh?" I nodded. "Well, next time you're sober, make sure you remember that it's me sitting right here who deserves that title."
His smile dropped for good. He got up, looking embarrassed. "You're right, Mrs. Grant. That was on me. I've already talked to the guys, and it won't happen again."
He reached the door, paused, and hesitated. "Mrs. Grant, I know I probably shouldn't say this, but Andrew asked me to pass along a message.
"He wants you to lay low and stop causing trouble for Annie.
"He said he'll give you whatever you want, as long as you stay away from Annie."
"Whatever I want?" I echoed. "Michael, go back and tell Andrew I don't want anything from him. All I want is for him to sign that agreement."
*****
After Michael left, I sat there on the couch, not moving for a long time.
Grace was standing off to the side, and finally couldn't help herself. "Anna, maybe we should drop it. Is it really worth all this?"
"Grace," I cut her off. "Do you remember the year Andrew got out of prison?"
Grace fell silent.
I went on, "He went to work at a construction site, and on his very first day, his hands were rubbed raw and bleeding. When he got home, he couldn't even afford proper disinfectant. He just rinsed them with salt water instead.
"I told him I'd go out and earn money to support us, but he refused to let me.
"He said, 'Anna, you waited ten years for me while I was locked up. Now it's my turn to take care of you.'
"Back then, I really thought marrying him was worth it."
I stood up. "So now you're telling me to let it go? What he owes me can't be erased so easily."