The Final Score: When The Wife Walks Away

e ye

ng I had been C

as our an

smoothing down the emerald silk of my dress. The fabric felt coo

on in this fortress who looked at me with

, Mrs. Santos?"

w about

vy winter coats, was a duffel bag. Inside, there was a passpo

n't done yet

, her brow furrow

y. "If I leave before zero, I'm the villain. I'm the wife who walked a

zed, slicing thr

Santos is waitin

steadyi

put on m

ce was br

he stars we couldn't see through the city's haze. A private chef had prepared

iling, holding two gl

. The tailored black wool emphasized the bread

embered why I fell in love with hi

and handed

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to

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tween our famil

d, the wine tasting lik

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cket pocket and pulled

iversary,

id, hopeful little j

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, his ph

distinct, pierci

froze in

t," I

time I had ever g

rprised, his eyebro

be an em

said, my voice steady. "Tonight is thre

esit

r the screen, caught

he flipped t

he said. "Toni

box toward me across

en

ted t

ngs glittered unde

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tterl

beautiful

f your eyes," he sa

n at the terrace doo

to stop someone, voi

ugh! I need

st onto th

t over pajamas, her hair wil

lapel was the Sa

supposed to belong to the Underbo

mediately, his ch

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table. Wine sloshed onto the white tab

utching her chest. "The fire... I keep s

psed into

her tight, anchoring

lipping instantly into doctor mo

velvet box stil

grandmother's broo

idn't h

troking

r voice against the expensive fabric. "I didn't know wh

him, tears stream

ted. She looked at

ffled. "Is th

ouched the diamonds w

y. Like the ones I

at her tear

looked

d at the

ars pierced," Ariana lied, her vo

di

knew

a wife who was 'tough.' He saw a problem he c

ht. "These might be too heavy for Car

he box fr

ed my fingers

ding her the box. "To help you

e diamonds to her ears, her

lake! You sav

too

inst the stone floor, the s

the powder r

f them lo

oom and locked the door

myself in

ess looked lik

otebook I kept hid

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ed my

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