Chapter 6 - THE GATHERING STORM
Saturday was spent in meticulous preparation.
I hired a catering crew,
ordering the finest foods and the most expensive champagne.
I wanted the setting to be perfect,
a gilded stage for the final act.
Marcus was in high spirits,
believing that his two lives were finally merging into one seamless existence.
“It’s good that you’re embracing Vanessa and the baby,”
he said,
as we watched the caterers set up.
“It shows what a big heart you have.”
“My heart has its limits,
Marcus,”
I said,
arranging a bowl of lilies.
“But my memory is infinite.”
He laughed,
missing the edge in my voice.
“You’re always so poetic when you’re stressed.”
That evening,
my lawyer called.
“The paperwork is finalized,
Adeline.”
“The freeze on the accounts will happen at midnight tonight.”
“The lawsuit for embezzlement is ready to be served.”
“And the divorce papers?”
“In the folder,
as requested.”
I felt a sense of profound calm.
The storm was no longer a threat;
it was my instrument.
I went to bed early,
leaving Marcus to his "emails."
I knew he was texting her,
telling her how well everything was going.
I could almost see their messages.
She suspects nothing.
Soon we’ll have everything.
I closed my eyes and slept better than I had in months.
I woke up on Sunday morning to a bright,
clear sky.
A perfect day for a reckoning.
I dressed in a sharp,
white suit—the color of a fresh start.
I put on my father’s watch,
the gold heavy on my wrist.
I was no longer Adeline the wife.
I was Adeline Thorne.
The guests began to arrive at eleven.
A few close business associates,
people I wanted to witness the "transition."
And finally,
Vanessa and the baby.
She arrived in a dress I had gifted her last year,
looking radiant and smug.
Marcus rushed to greet her,
taking the baby with a pride he couldn't hide.
I stood at the top of the stairs,
watching the scene below.
The silver gift bag was sitting on the sideboard,
waiting.
May you like
But it wasn't for the baby.
It was for them.
