"How long have you and Stewart been married?"
I asked the question as casually as I could manage.
"Almost five years now."
Alberta suddenly got the urge to pull up her wedding photos on her phone and show me.
"Look, this is from our wedding. Doesn't my husband look amazing in a suit?"
In the photo, Stewart wore a black suit, his arm linked with Alberta's, his eyes crinkling with a warm smile.
The red decorations in the background were garish, almost blinding.
I gave a stiff nod. "Very nice."
Alberta sighed. "We got together five years ago, but we never actually got our marriage license."
I forced the corners of my mouth upward. "Why not?"
But inside, my mind was racing, feeding me desperate reassurances.
It has to be because Stewart is just using her. They're just playing house.
He never intended to divorce me.
After all, he and I are legally husband and wife. How could he possibly get a marriage license with another woman?
But then Alberta let out another sigh.
"My husband, well, it's because his ex-wife's mother died and left behind a huge inheritance. If he officially married me, he'd lose his claim to it."
"Nothing you can do about it, right? Nobody's going to turn down that kind of money."
My fists clenched so tight my nails bit into my palms.
My mother had died, and apparently she'd left behind a fortune. All of it had gone to Stewart.
That was the reason he'd never filed for divorce.
My thoughts spiraled into chaos, but before I could collect myself, Alberta leaned in close, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.
"Between you and me, his ex-wife's mother wasn't even sick originally. But we were barely scraping by back then, couldn't even put food on the table. So to get that inheritance, my husband came up with a little plan..."
A wave of dread crashed over me. My head snapped up.
"What plan?"
Alberta's smile turned ugly.
"He swapped out her sleeping pills for something else. It wasn't long after that before the old woman passed. And just like that, the inheritance was his."
The words hit me like a bolt of lightning. Every sound around me went muffled, distant, as if the world had been plunged underwater.
No wonder...
In my second year of prison, my mother had suddenly fallen gravely ill and died.
I'd always believed it was because the news of my imprisonment had broken her.
I never imagined there was something else behind it entirely.
My eyes burned crimson. I nearly lost all reason, nearly charged into the school to grab Stewart by the collar and demand the truth.
Then Alberta's cheerful voice cut through my spiraling thoughts.
"Oh look, my husband's coming out."
She handed the child to me and grabbed a jacket, heading for the door.
"Wait here for me, okay? I'll bring Stewart right over."
Through the restaurant's glass window, I watched.
Alberta broke into a little jog, reaching Stewart and throwing herself into his arms with a playful pout.
Stewart caught her with a doting smile, his hands settling on her waist.
"Babe, why are you standing out in the cold waiting for me again? If you catch something, I'll never forgive myself."
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.
Watching the two of them, so sweet, so in love, all I felt was a bitter ache hollowing out my chest.
Stewart took her hand with a smile. "Today was crazy busy. Sorry I kept you waiting again. How about after dinner we go shopping?"
Alberta hugged his waist and tilted her face up, grinning.
"There's someone else here, honey. Don't let a stranger see us like this and think we're ridiculous."
"Oh, someone came looking for you, by the way."
"Who?"
Stewart's eyes were full of open adoration and tenderness as he tilted his head to look at Alberta.
"She said she's a junior from your college."
Alberta pointed in my direction.
"Look, right over there."
"What girl from school?"
Stewart leaned forward, curious, but the moment his eyes landed on me, he froze. The color drained from his face in an instant.
I smiled.
"Stewart, aren't you going to introduce me to your wife? Tell her who I am?"
