Chapter 2

Richard didn't show up even when Claire finished the signing. He sent his secretary instead, a young man with gold-rimmed glasses and the practiced expression of someone paid to be courteous.

"Mr. Lane said you're welcome to stay in the house as long as you need. The car, too. There's no rush to move out."

"That won't be necessary." Claire set her suitcase by the front door. "I'm leaving today."

The secretary glanced at the suitcase, and then at Leo. A flicker of hesitation crossed his face.

"And the young Mr.Lane—"

"Leo comes with me." Her tone was calm, almost casual. "Custody can be settled in court."

The secretary's composure slipped. He hadn't expected that. Three years inside these walls, and Claire was talking about court dates in front of him.

"Ms. Lane," he said carefully, "Mr. Lane's legal team is—"

"Tell them to reach out to my attorney." Claire didn't let him finish. "They'll have a formal notice within three days."

She picked up the suitcase, took Leo's hand, and walked out of the house she had lived in for three years without once looking back.

Behind her, Margaret stood in the doorway, eyes shining, mouth pressed shut around whatever it was she couldn't bring herself to say.

Leo glanced back and waved at Margaret. "Bye, Margaret." Then he turned around and trotted to catch up with his mother.

"Mommy." He tilted his face up to hers. "Where are we going?"

"A hotel, for now."

"And then?"

"And then Mommy goes back to work."

Leo blinked. "Work? What kind of work?"

Claire looked down at him, and the corner of her mouth curved. "Do you remember what Mommy used to do?"

"Yeah. You worked with money."

This startled a laugh out of Claire. "That's right. I played with money."

"But you haven't played with it in three years."

"Some things," Claire said, "you don't forget just because you step away from them. Like riding a bike."

Leo considered this. "I don't know how to ride a bike."

"All right, like learning a poem by heart. Even if it fades, the moment you read it again, it all comes back."

"Mommy, are you saying you're starting over?"

Claire stopped. She set down the suitcase and crouched so that she and Leo were face to face, eye to eye.

"Leo," she said, "Mommy made a mistake."

"What kind of mistake?"

"Mommy thought that if I made myself smaller, it would make the people around me more comfortable." She stroked his face and said, "But Mommy was wrong. The power doesn't go away when you hide it. It just goes inward. It waits."

She stood and took his hand. "I'm done waiting."

Leo looked up at her and smiled. "Okay, I'll cheer you on, Mommy."