Chapter 4

Shane probably thought I'd break down, beg him to stay, or throw our fifteen years of marriage in his face.

I folded the last coat.

Shane said, "Serena, drop the act."

I zipped up her suitcase. "Step aside."

He blocked the door. "If you walk out now, don't come crawling back."

Carla stood beside me. "Trust me, my mom won't be the one regretting this."

Rosemary shouted from the living room, "Go ahead and leave, but don't take anything that belongs to the Preston family."

I set the keys on the dining table.

Maya started rummaging through her suitcase. "Who knows if you've taken anything that belongs to Shane?"

I didn't stop her.

Maya dug out an old metal box and opened it, revealing a stack of utility bills, Carla's childhood medical records, and a few copies of bankbooks.

Maya glanced at them, didn't understand, and tossed them back.

"How pathetic," she said.

Carla reached out to take them back.

But Vanessa was faster. She bent down and picked up a utility bill. When she saw the amount, her expression changed.

I snatched it from her hand. "Ms. Bradley, don't touch other people's things."

Vanessa said softly, "Serena, you've had it rough all these years."

I replied, "Don't bother feeling sorry for me."

Shane said impatiently, "Serena, this is your last chance. If Carla apologizes, I'll let it slide tonight."

I asked Carla, "Are you going to apologize?"

Carla replied, "No."

Shane tossed a card onto the coffee table. "Fine, get lost. But don't come asking me for money ever again."

I stared at the card, suddenly finding the whole thing ridiculous.

Fifteen years of marriage, and Shane still acted like he was doing us a favor by throwing money our way.

I said, "Keep that card. Maybe you can use it to buy trophies for someone else's kid."

Shane's face darkened.

I grabbed the suitcase and walked out.

Just before the elevator doors closed, I heard Rosemary say, "Shane, don't stop her. Let her go. She'll realize how tough it is out there and come crawling back in a couple of days."

Maya sneered. "With that dead weight in tow, where could she possibly go?"

Carla stood in the corner of the elevator, hugging her cracked trophy.

As the elevator descended, she suddenly asked, "Mom, where are we going?"

I replied, "To the shop."

"The bakery?"

"Yeah."

Carla hugged the trophy even tighter and said, "I have class tomorrow."

"I'll take you," I said.

"What about the tutoring fees?"

"Don't worry, I've got it."

"And the house?"

"We'll have one."

Carla looked at her for a moment. "Mom, is there something you're not telling me?"

The elevator doors slid open.

I dragged the suitcases out. "We'll talk about it after your exams are over."

Downstairs, the security guard, Charlie Murray, was swatting at mosquitoes by the gate. When he saw us pulling our suitcase out, he paused in surprise.

"Serena, where are you headed so late?" he asked.

I replied, "Just something at the shop."

Charlie glanced upstairs, then at the trophy Carla was holding. "Carla won an award today, right? I came across the video online. That kid's really impressive."

Carla said softly, "Thank you, Mr. Murray."

Charlie pulled an umbrella out of the drawer. "Looks like it's about to rain. Take this."

A black sedan was parked at the entrance.

The window rolled down halfway, and a man in a dark shirt looked at me.

He didn't get out, just said, "Mrs. Clark, parking by the curb like that, you'll get a ticket."

I stopped in my tracks.

Carla looked up at me.

I said to the man, "I'm good. I'll walk tonight."

The man nodded, rolled up the window, and drove off.

Carla asked, "Mom, who was that?"

I replied, "Someone I used to know, that's all."

Carla frowned. "He called you Mrs. Clark. That's not how friends talk."

Serena opened the umbrella Charlie had given her, and the rain started to fall, drumming against the fabric.

"Carla, let's head back to the shop first," I said.

When we got to the shop, the roller shutter was already halfway down.

Lily Fraser, one of the staff, was squatting by the door, eating her dinner. When she saw me, she nearly dropped her fork.

"Serena, why are you here with a suitcase?" she asked.

She spotted Carla and immediately hid her boxed meal behind her back. "Carla's here too? Did Shane lose it again?"

Carla said, "He kicked us out."

Lily slapped her fork down on the box. "I always knew that guy was trouble. Serena, how blind were you to fall for him back then?"

I replied, "I wasn't blind, just young and naive."

Lily scoffed. "Being young doesn't mean you have to settle for garbage like him. He goes to his ex's kid's parent-teacher meeting and makes you and Carla take the fall?

"Why doesn't he become a social worker or something, always sticking his nose in other people's business?"

Carla finally cracked a smile.

I pushed the suitcase into the back kitchen. "We'll crash in the break room tonight."

Lily immediately said, "I'll grab a clean blanket."

Just as she turned around, the shop door was pushed open.

Maya strutted in, her high heels clicking on the floor, with two Preston family relatives trailing behind her.

She held up her phone, filming as she said, "Check this out, everyone. This is my sister-in-law's shop. She made her kid wish her own dad dead today, got kicked out, and she's still acting all arrogant."

Lily rushed over and blocked the camera. "Why don't you go film your own family, huh? Get out!"