Fifteen Years, Then A Photo

airytale. The high school sweethearts who made it, th

umber. It was a picture of his assistant's ha

ge of poison. She sent photos of them in our bed and a video of him pr

g of her perfume. He was buying her a condo and planning their fu

She sent a picture of him on one kn

nverted our entire fortune into untraceable bearer bond

her, I flew to Portugal. When he came home, he found an empty mansion, divor

pte

chest. We were sixteen, crammed into the back

, fumbling with the clasp of my bra like h

for him. He went beet red, even in the f

nny. It w

The boy who couldn' t unhook a bra becam

weethearts who made it. Eliana and Dustin Powell. A br

e was p

it w

rived on a Tuesday.

t a pictur

shade of pink, resting on a man' s thigh

recognized instantly. I' d bought them for

delicate gold bracelet wit

air leave

et. I' d se

d flashed it at the company' s summer party, her smile a l

frantic, painful rh

uldn'

it

against the wall. To call him and demand an expl

idn

wn. I stared at the photo until the details blurred, un

The boy in the back of the Ford? The

courthouse. The building was old a

k' s office, my step

n for a name change," I told

perched on the end of her

sons," I said

bag. I was Eliana Powell, wife of a billionair

? Is this related t

was a necessary one. This wasn' t about danger.

did you ha

ngue. "Hope Tillman." Tillman was my mother' s ma

ent. "And you are curren

n his name. It was a point of pride once. Now, it w

weeks. You' ll have to post

I said. "Please b

ud thud. Each stamp felt like a

' t yet see, but one I would build

new passport. A new life. Far away from here. Portugal. The Alga

It came in a plain white envelope. Hope

se. A reminder of the ghost I

was at a charity gala, looking i

ut his success. He smiled

and I' d placed on his finger a decade ago. "My big

auded. The rep

thing that ever

s meant nothing. They were just sounds, empty air. T

storm, and I was the

an hour away. Not a fancy place, just a small, dusty shop run by a

s matching band on the velvet

as if the ring was still there, b

peering at the rings. "These a

aid. "Melt them. Together. I

his expression unreadable. "Are yo

my voice unwaveri

listening to the hum of the polishing wheel and the

eturned with a smal

It was ugly. Deformed. All the perfect circles and pol

s per

d hidden the small box in my closet. He brou

l wife," he said

same cloying, fruity p

I just stood there,

it. A faint red mark on his neck, just abo

," Dustin? I wanted to ask. Did you en

g. The time for q

ist from behind, pulling me agai

e touch of his hands on my

him away. "I' m