, a triumphant gleam in her

to cry, to beg for forgiveness, to plead with him not to leave her.

time was

r and calm. She looked at his furious face, at Chloe' s fei

er voice steady. "Le

g in the air, elect

faltering, replaced by sheer d

y. I agree to

was not how the scene was supposed to play out. She picked up the broken neckl

power, the threat of leaving. Now, she had taken that power away from him

orrow. You' ll be out of my life for good." He still believed she was

ft the house, heading for the emergency

h was trembling slightly. She twisted the wedding ring off her f

wasn't a family heirloom as he' d claimed. She' d overheard his mother talking once. Ryan had bought it o

dation of deceit and self-deception. She had ignored so many

ship. She thought of the vows they' d exchanged, his

rinter. She wrote down the date, her name, his name. She wrote that she agreed to an immed

squarely in the center of the kitch

house was quiet. She saw the calendar on the wall, a cir

en finding last-minute "work emergencies" to get out of gatherings.

ow. Not for her, but for her mother, who still tried so ha

ne. He looked tired and stressed. He saw her and sto