My Husband's Blindness, My Sweet Revenge

ance waited alone in her Manhattan penthouse. Then her phone buzzed: Alexander, her husband,

. Vance, not a victim. Her mother's demands reinforced this role, making Evelyn, a brilliant mind, f

d from his study, speaking to Scarlett, Evelyn placed her wedding ring on his pillow, mo

ap

eflecting the neon lights of the city in distorted, broken puddles. From the forty-fifth floor of

ath, a small fog that appeared and vanished with the rhythm of her lungs. She watched a single droplet trac

ing with a life that wasn't hers until

ather strap was slightly too loose, a gift from Alexander

with the exact blend of herbs Alexander preferred, was now just a congealed centerpiece of was

third wedding

er. The silence in the penthouse was oppressive. It was a museum of minimalist luxury-white lea

land. The sound was harsh, vibrati

amiliar, sickening flip it always did when Alexander was late. It w

ication from a local gossip co

al with childhood sweetheart Scarlett Sharp. Sour

lexander was tall, his broad shoulders hunched forward in a posture of extreme care. He was holding a woman's hand

He looked present. He

not

nymore. It was an old bruise that someone kept pressing on. She stared at the photo, dissecting it. He

The electronic chirp echoed

n. She adjusted her glasses, pushing them up the bridge of her nose. This was the armor

torm with him-damp wool, ozone, and beneath it all

ndone. He didn't look at the dining table. He didn't look at the dead ca

d. Her voice was soft, barely

s head slightly, acknowledging her presence for the first time.

said. His voice was rough, c

e. It is always an emergency with her, Alex. Last week it was a migraine. T

nto the room, bypassing her as if she were a p

bored. You know the deal. She has a conditi

He didn't see the food. He didn't see the wine tha

ch his back. Is that

n around. You are Mrs. Vance. You have the name, the hous

tepped inside, closing i

allway. The silence rushed

other text. This time from

r deal tomorrow. Don't be usel

t the words. Do

rmaceutical empire and the Vance corporate machine. She had been the placeholder spouse so Alexander could

daughter perfectly. She had hidden her degrees.

were thick-rimmed, hiding the shape of her eyes. The cardigan swallow

s this

Harvard Medical at sixteen. She wasn't the Oracle who could diagnose

she was tired of ha

ngling sensation of heat, and spread up her arms to her chest. It wa

had their money. Alexander had his

g but a cold dinn

steps were silent on the plush carpet. She didn

ht for her-beige, cream, pale pink. Colors that faded into the background. She reached to

smelled like old

't pack the clothes hanging in the

ng. She punched in the code-her birthday, which Al

She took out a small velvet pouch containing a jade pendant-the only thing she truly owned, the

ese items in

, a pair of sapphire earrings, and a tennis bracelet. Anniversa

ft the

rom her bag. Her fingers flew across the screen. She wa

ettlement

er: Evel

t: Alexan

r right to alimony. She waived her claim to the penthous

study down the hall. The walls were t

tle-a tone Evelyn had never heard directed at her. I

s didn't pause.

allway hummed to life. The so

lway, retrieved the single sheet of wa

e white paper against the dark grey silk looked l

heavy. It was a beautiful ring, flawless and col

it. It resisted for a moment, sticking to

re the ring had been. It

per. It sat perfectly in the center

She didn't look back at the room. She didn't look at the

ame wasn't over yet. Leaving the building would o

, past the master bedroom, and op

as cold, sterile, and smelled

it. The click of the lock was