Her Regret, His Peace

tract marriage, a deal to

was my own slow

orchestrated by her manipulative mother. My wife, Chloe Davis, was supp

her husband on paper, the man she blamed

other died. The one person I did it al

ng my lungs. Rain slicked the polished wood of my mother' s casket. It was

wife, wa

se she

pocket. It wasn' t her

when you' ll be home. She has guest

terly devoid of emotion. I stared at the

her I'

sir? Ms. Davis w

said, my own voice soun

r the faint sound of music and laughter in the

ssistant asked, a hint o

mothe

hloe in a hushed tone. I couldn' t make out Chloe' s response, but

iller. Ms. Davis was unaware. S

forgotten to mention. The call ended. I slid the phone back into my pocket, my ha

on. Not to the main house where Chloe lived, but to t

es. She looked up as I approached, her expres

ly. "I heard about your

id, cutting straight to the point. T

r full attention to me. "The contract is for three yea

f, her eyes ho

ad, Mrs. Davis. T

er voice smooth as silk. "A tragedy, but a natural one

was a power failure. The life support machine keeping my mother alive had shut down.

river was my

ook on my face. She pulled a check from the pocket of her apron. "This is the

More money than I had ever seen. It wasn' t a

, drowning in my mother' s medical bills. She needed a new heart, an

investment that her father forced on her. In return, I will cover all of your mother' s

o good to be

anipulated her family to get my hands on their wealth, trapping her in a marria

she did was cut

eered, tossing a five-dollar bill on the floor. "T

orn-out clothes, and endured the constant humiliation. She paraded a new boyfriend in front of m

ndition had worsened, and she was on a ventilator. I begged Chloe for mone

He was Liam' s cousin, a slimy, manipulative man who

laughed

nting with malice. "Kneel. Kneel and beg me lik

our mansion, in front of her and Jake, I

ng and taking pictures with Jake, before

drive to the hospital and

e she wasn' t completely heartless. I

d been an accident. A drunk driver had crashed into the powe

eeking of alcohol. She looked annoye

the long face?"

er... she

ed into her purse and pulled out a black, unl

and sharp. "If you' d found a way to get her better care sooner,

d the last piece o

r. I walked out, arranged my mother' s funeral, and sai

letter. It was from my mother. Her handwri

out the five dollars a day, about the kneeling, about the constant parade of men. He

with her ventilator settings right before the pow

illion-dollar check, I understood. This was the pri

n. It was Chloe. I l

ry, filled the silence of

et snacks! Jake is hungry! Did your mother' s fu

mother was dead. I had chosen not to

tter smile touching my lips

as paid. I