Chapter 3

That last sentence hit like a spark.

It wasn't much, but it stung.

Frank sat beside me, his little hands clenched tight, barely daring to breathe, afraid the tiniest sound would set me off.

He'd probably never seen me like this before, no tears, no tantrums, no yelling, but every word I said cut to the bone.

Leonard finally spoke, his voice low and tinged with impatience. "Beatrice, calm down for a second."

He told me to calm down.

I almost burst out laughing at those two words.

Frank got smacked. Leonard was caught cheating, and he was siding with his mistress. Yet he had the guts to tell me to calm down.

Leonard could negotiate deals like a pro, but when things blew up, all he ever spat out were the same tired phrases.

"I'm calm," I said. "If I weren't calm, you wouldn't be getting a phone call right now."

There was a heavy silence on the other end.

"How's Frank?" Leonard finally asked.

"Oh, so you actually care?" I shot back.

I looked up, my tone even icier. "His left cheek is swollen, his ear's red, and he came home sobbing.

"The first thing he asked me was if he'd done something wrong, and why Kelly hit him. Does that make you feel good?"

Leonard went quiet again.

He was feeling guilty.

Too bad. It was too late for that.

I turned over the damp towel on Frank's cheek, my voice growing colder with every word, each syllable sinking like a stone.

I said, "I'm only going to say this once. You have five minutes to get Kelly here and apologize to Frank."

Frank's head snapped up, staring at me in shock.

Leonard let out a heavy breath on the other end.

"Beatrice, don't go too far," he said.

He said I went too far.

That was rich, coming from him.

I let out a cold, quick laugh. "Leonard, she hit your son, not some random kid off the street.

"You've been keeping a mistress while we're married, and I didn't blow up in your face right then and there.

"I was sparing you the embarrassment. And now you're telling me I'm going too far?"

I stood up and walked over to the window.

My face in the glass looked so pale that it was almost bloodless.

I said, "Five minutes. This isn't a request. It's a warning."

"If Kelly doesn't come here and apologize," I paused, staring out at the sky as dusk settled in, "Then you can forget about being CEO. Got it?"

Leonard went dead silent.

It was so quiet that I couldn't hear him breathing.

That line hit him right in his weak spot.

When Frank got hurt, he barely batted an eye. But if Kelly felt wronged, he'd feel bad for her.

The CEO position at Full Health Pharmaceuticals was the only thing he cared about.

All that glory and power wouldn't exist without that position.

I never said anything before, but it didn't mean I couldn't take it all away.

Did he think I kept quiet all these years because I didn't know how to fight back?

After a long pause, Leonard's voice dropped, sounding a lot less sure of himself.

"Are you threatening me?" he asked.

"Yeah, you could say that." I kept my voice light, almost casual. "Got a problem with that?"

"Beatrice." He called my name, his voice dropping, all heavy and serious. "You'd better think this through."

"I've thought it through," I said.

I didn't miss a beat.

I pressed, "But you, you'd better decide. Either get Kelly here to bow and apologize, or go down with her. Five minutes, or I'll decide for you."

With that, I hung up.

The living room went dead silent.

The clock's second hand kept ticking, each tick sounding louder in the hush.

Frank looked up at me, his little face pressed against the towel, his eyes wide and round.

"Mom," he whispered.

"Yeah?" I replied.

"Is Daddy coming?" he asked.

I set my phone back on the coffee table, screen up, the time clear for all to see.

"It doesn't matter whether he shows up or not," I said.

I gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "What matters is, from now on, anyone who hurts you is going to pay for it."

Frank didn't get it. He stared at me for a moment and whispered, "Mom, you're so cool today."

I looked down and fixed the towel on his cheek.

"I should've done this a long time ago," I said.

All these years, every time I backed down, he pushed further. I gave them respect, and they took my silence for weakness.

Well, that slap ripped off the last bit of pretense.

There was no more pretending.

I picked up my phone and started the timer.

I gave them five minutes.

The numbers started counting down.

One second was gone, then two seconds, and three seconds.

I sat back down on the couch, sitting upright and tense, one hand gripping Frank's, the other placed firmly on my knee.

The living room lights were on, lighting up every corner, leaving nothing hidden. Outside, the wind let out a low, lonely howl against the window.

Frank leaned against me, his breathing slowly settling. But the red mark on his cheek stayed stubbornly there, a warning that nobody was getting off easy for what happened tonight.

The five-minute countdown had started.

I was ready to see whether Leonard would swallow his pride or keep pretending nothing happened.