The Unwanted Wife's Genius Comeback

nne

m h

line for a long time

y in Boston to our penthouse in Manhattan-the marital home I s

ving room caught the words i

vy wood of the apartment doo

t my ribs, a chaotic rhythm of lon

arlisle - hockey ro

ace was a permanent fixture on

kind of player fans called a "wall," the kind

n the sofa, a soft smile I ra

wasn't on

ixed on

as giggling as she tried to balanc

wasn't

nd my half-sister, knelt beside her, her perfect

hirped, her voi

ith a warmth I'd been starving for. "

ected the two of them,

of the entryway, an i

ait, and I, the woman of the hou

the handle o

finally drew

oked up

anished fro

d, the word fla

er cashmere sweater and blond waves. She offered me a flawless

es finally

d instantly, replaced by the

a sing

ey

welcome for my fli

inguishing the las

mile onto my face.

from Boston - a limited-edition musical snow globe from Atelier No. 9 in Beacon Hill, only 100 made

rought you

"I don't want it now. Dayna and I a

up a crayon drawing and held it up to Dayn

air, then dropped a

ze on me, a mixture of

, but his attention was already on his tablet on the ar

't even

ne in particular. "They wer

toward the bedroom, m

d shut, sealing off the sound of t

ase and looked at

er face lighting

I'd waited th

t it, it just

d to the affection Day

ring at the pale, tir

in her eye

mportant day,

uld do someth

out, Dayna was gett

a professionally warm goodbye. "Blake, I'll hea

clung to her leg.

. "Be good, sweetie. I'll

a silent understanding

he door, his voice low. "Drive

cern I had nev

heavy silence fell

thread. "Blake, I thought... I thought we were goin

row furrowed. He didn't look up. "Can't tonight. Coaches

o apology i

ust a fact, an inconvenie

the old scar above his eyebrow that

eariness was

ely hear it myself. It trembled. "I just...

ooked up fro

annoyance, then genuine confusion, a

moment

d for

en that today

didn'