The Gilded Betrayal

ng room after Ethan' s abrupt departur

new what they were thinking. Their son, alway

eir silent judgment, no ache fro

e against them would have war

of our marriage, a play where I was beginning to real

a temporary reprieve from their direct criticism,

than has been called away, perhaps you can enlig

there was a new note of i

ing dinner was pre

e on china seemed to ech

the rich flavors ta

ing. Eleanor was ju

plates were cleared, she fix

delighted at the prospect. But you must understand, th

y" was a subtle, cruel

apparently just called his mother, wa

telling us about the possibili

tight with annoyance. "Sarah and I will decide when the ti

Eleanor' s silent fu

her voice dripping with false swe

thing that surpr

to hear over the phone, "I think your parents are right. Perhaps it is t

lence fell o

r end of the line, was

ion and a touch of concern. "Are you sure? We talked

leanor' s astonished gaze. "A baby woul

well on her way to providing one, isn't

news, Sarah," Ethan stammered. "

rown off by my sudden

heir frosty demeanor had melted, r

!" Arthur boomed. "A c

blur of their excited chatte

ter that night, after

all about? Are you r

oice soft, deceptive. "I a

han anything. But with y

i

hread of suspicion in his voic

a small, sati

ied. They treated me with a newfound warmth

was sending a car), his phone, which he'd accidentally left on t

otification from Chl

d over the pho

I

ked like a hotel room. The caption: "Missing y

supposedly dealing with

dn't break any further, splint

alm rage

it take him to realize his phone was missing and call it

phone on the nightstand. Let

was long. Ethan called th

arling? Mom and Dad

They're already plann

nervous sound

ervice drop-off point near our buil

urgent business.

it again – that faint, lingering sce

you?" I asked, my vo

f something – guilt? – in h

put out." He touched his nose, a littl

hausted," I sai

kes it all better." He op

seat of his Bentley, my eye

rand of blonde ha

high-end lingerie s

cal thing, a crushin

," I said, my voice barely a wh

a mask of confusion. "Oh, that. Yes, a lit

ch a prolific,

warm on my arm. "Are you oka

ouch as if burned. "I

, suffocating. I wanted to sc

, silent, a cold, hard kn

The point o

o reconciliation

nding. A very public, ve

me? Li

city blurring past, my reflec

be shattered. And I would b