Chapter 3 - The Morning After
In the mansion,
the aftermath was grim.
Spencer woke up to a house with no water.
The smell of the spoiled food had seeped into the curtains.
Evelyn was screaming at the maid,
who had already quit.
Penelope was sitting on the floor,
clutching her stomach.
She was worried about the baby.
Or perhaps she was worried about the money.
Spencer tried to call his bank.
His cards were declined.
He tried to call his partners.
They didn't pick up.
The news of the wedding disaster had spread quickly.
In high society,
failure is a disease.
No one wanted to be infected.
A knock came at the door.
It wasn't me.
It was a man in a dark suit.
He handed Spencer a stack of papers.
The eviction notice was clear.
They had six hours to vacate.
Spencer laughed,
a high,
hysterical sound.
"This is my house!"
he yelled.
The man didn't blink.
"The owner,
Ms. Laura Vance,
begs to differ."
The name hit him like a physical blow.
He had never heard me use my maiden name in business.
He thought I was just "Laura."
The realization began to sink in.
The woman he had discarded was the source of everything he owned.
He looked at the golden bracelets on his mother’s wrists.
He looked at the expensive suit he was wearing.
It was all hers.
Every bit of it.
He ran to the phone to call me.
May you like
I didn't answer.
I was busy.
