Aethelgard's Divorce

s study again. The sun was streaming through the tall windows,

inesslike. "I trust you understan

oat tight. I had

. His breakfast is always the same: two hard-boiled eggs and a slice of dry wheat toast. His work schedule is erratic, but you must ensure he eats three meals a day, even if you have to leave them outsid

ear. I was a high-end housekeeper,

learned that the sound of the vacuum cleaner sent him into a spiral of agitation, so I cleaned only when he was locked in his studio. I lea

. I was a ghost in his life, a silent, efficient presence ensuring his world ran smoothly. In return, he barely acknowledged my existence. We lived in the same massive hou

I set up a drafting table in the room I had claimed as my own, the one in the guest wing. In the quiet hours of the night, after my duti

, as I was walking past, I saw the door was slightly ajar. I peeked inside. He was sitting at his desk, staring intently at his computer sc

e kitchen late one night. He was staring

ked softly, trying

body tensing. "The.

ed. The nearest all-night st

"No. It has to be the organic kind from th

me. "I could make you some hot chocolate. With

n unreadable. After a long mom

, and a flicker of something, maybe surprise, crossed his face. He didn't say thank you, but he didn't retreat to his studio either. He stood there, in the kitchen with me, and drank t

e second anniversary of our marriage approached, Mr

e afternoon. "Liam is the last of the Hayes line. It

with Liam felt like a fantasy. He flinched if I accidentally brushed past him in a hallway. He could

as a disaster. I found him in the library,

"Your grandfather has been talking

his face paling. "No," he said, the word sharp and final. "Don't

I pressed, feeling a desperate need to m

at. That's not part of the deal. The deal was that you would mana

business arrangement, and my body was now considered a required asset for a transaction he refused to complete. The surface of our lives remained calm, a perfectly managed routi