His Heartless Plan, Her Bitter End

ance of a grieving husband and felt a profound, bottomless disappointment. My mother was in surgery, her life hangi

I said, my voice

re he masked it with confusion. "What are you talking ab

aze unwavering. "Across the s

th to deny it again, but a nurse came in, her expression grim.

ble. The kind, loving woman who had brought me soup because she was wor

grief was a physical force, hollowing me out completely. David

shoving him away with a stren

. "Sarah, honey, I know you're in pain. We'll get through

ung open and Emily sashayed in, carrying a ridiculously expensive bouquet of lilie

heard about your mother. It's just tragic. David has been beside himself wi

itional flower for funerals. The

shook as I picked it up. It was a photo of her and David, taken years ago, laughing together on a yacht. The caption read

ven here, in the shadow of my mother'

ned with anger. "Emily, what the hell is this?" he hiss

ng my grief or our marriage. It was because she was being slop

vely. "I'm just showing support! E

lked in. A man and a woman, both dressed in designer clot

pletely ignoring me. She looked me up and down with open

clip. He peeled off a few hundred-dollar bil

n. "For your trouble. Should be enough to cover a fun

loss. The humiliation was suffocating. I was nothing to them. I was

he shock solidified into a core of ice. I sl

hat a security camera in a high-end gallery can pick up. Even the sound. I'm sure the police will be very interested in

ant smirk vanished. David stared at me, his eyes wide with disbelief

ious, Sarah. You hit your head. You don't know what you're say

lost everything. My mother, my husband, my child that would never be. I

d to me being compliant, emotional, and easy to

on and sign the papers for the apartment sale to cover these new bills. If you don't, I'll ma

t. But all I heard was the despera