She folded into his arms like it was rehearsed. Like she’d practiced the fall. Adrian caught her instantly, clutching her as if she were made of fragile crystal.
“Elise—Elise, look at me!” he shouted, panic tearing through his voice as his hands flew to her face, her wrist. “Someone get the car! Now!”
I stayed exactly where I was.
Still on my knees.
Blood continued soaking through my trousers, warm and sticky against my skin. I didn’t even attempt to rise.
He lifted her carefully, reverently, like she was sacred. Like royalty. As he turned to leave, he glanced back at me, his stare sharp enough to cut.
“Don’t move,” he said coldly. “Not an inch. Don’t even breathe too hard. Sit there and think about what you’ve done.”
I said nothing.
“You don’t get a bed tonight,” he added.
Then the door slammed.
Quiet swallowed everything.
I remained where I was. Time slipped through my fingers. Ten minutes? Maybe more. My legs had gone completely numb. My head felt light, distant. When the door opened again, I didn’t look up right away.
Soft footsteps padded closer.
Then a child’s voice.
“Why are you sitting like that?” Noah asked.
I lifted my gaze. He held a small blue toy car—the kind with little doors that open. He looked freshly washed, tucked into neat pajamas, hair soft, face calm. Nothing in him showed fear. Nothing showed anger.
He crouched beside me, resting an elbow on his knee, as if observing something on the floor.
“My mommy’s really good at pretending, huh, bitch?” he said with a grin.
My mouth opened, but no sound came.
He chuckled, clearly pleased with himself.
“Dad always believes it. Every time.”
He nudged the toy car across the tiles, stood up, and began humming a tune I didn’t recognize. No guilt. No hesitation. Just humming like this was any ordinary day.
I watched him walk off without a single glance behind.
All I could do was sit there and whisper to myself.
Soon.
Soon this would be over. The divorce papers were already with my lawyer. Nothing left but waiting for the final stamp.
Then I would be free.
Then I would make them answer for everything.
---
He returned just before sunrise.
I heard the door before I saw him. His steps were slower now. No shouting. No slamming. Just the quiet footsteps of something finished destroying everything in its path.
Adrian didn’t look at me. He tossed a small bottle at my feet.
Painkillers. No label.
“Try not to murder anyone next time,” he muttered flatly.
He grabbed his keys again, hesitated at the doorway.
“My parents’ anniversary is this weekend. You’re still legally my wife. People will ask where you are. Bring Milo.”
I didn’t move.
“You heard me,” he added. “Wash him up. Pretend you’re normal. Smile when told.”
Then he left.
Back to the hospital.
Back to Elise.
---
Anniversary Day.
Adrian made me sit in the front passenger seat. I didn’t protest. I didn’t speak. He never once looked my way.
Behind us, Elise and Noah were curled together like something out of a picture book. She laughed softly, dragging her fingers through his hair. He rested against her shoulder like a cherished little prince.
I sat stiff in my cheap black dress. The cloth scratched my skin. The others had dressed since dawn—sequins, embroidery, jewelry that probably cost more than my life. Elise wore white.
Of course she did.
White, with pearls cascading down her back—pure and radiant, like a bride pretending to be a saint.
No one looked at me before we left.
Not even Noah.
We arrived just as the sun dipped low. Cameras were already flashing at the gates. The lights pierced my eyes before the doors even opened.
Adrian exited first. Straightened his jacket. Fixed his cuffs.
Then he opened Elise’s door himself.
She stepped out slowly, smiling for the lenses. Noah followed, hand in hers. The picture-perfect family.
I exited on the opposite side.
No one offered a hand.
My heels sank slightly into the gravel.
“Don’t speak unless someone addresses you,” Adrian said without turning.
I nodded.
He didn’t notice. He was already escorting Elise toward the entrance.
The ballroom glowed with gold. Crystal chandeliers. Champagne towers. A string quartet playing something expensive and forgettable.
Adrian lifted his glass before we even reached the steps.
“Everyone,” he announced, “this is Elise. The woman who will soon be everything to me.”
Applause thundered.
She dipped her head graciously.
“And this,” he added, ushering Noah forward, “is the future of our name.”
The grandparents praised Noah endlessly—clever, perfect, obedient. They kissed his forehead like he was royalty.
I stood near the coat racks at the very edge of the room. My dress didn’t even brush my ankles properly. I looked like part of the staff.
Someone asked Adrian’s mother who I was.
She answered without blinking.
“Oh, that’s just the former wife,” she said smoothly. “She couldn’t even raise a healthy child. Where’s that sick little boy she kept hidden all those years? Too ashamed to show him now?”
Elise lifted a hand to her chest in false concern.
“Milo is… improving,” she said gently. “Traveling would be too much for him.” Then she glanced at me with painted pity. “Poor thing.”
She kissed Adrian’s cheek as if I didn’t exist.
My hands tightened into fists.
I said nothing.
Then a silver tray crashed near the dessert table.
The sound rang through the hall. Everyone turned.
Adrian’s father laughed loudly.
“We are here to celebrate,” he boomed. “Not to feel sorry for accidents. If she wants to be useful”—he pointed directly at me—“then she can clean it.”
A few guests laughed.
Elise stepped forward again, sweetness dripping from her voice.
“She used to host so beautifully,” she said. “Maybe she can help pass the drinks, just until the staff catches up.”
Adrian stayed silent.
So I picked up the tray.
I moved through the room beside the servers, handing out champagne and napkins. One of the girls gave me a sympathetic look. No one else met my eyes.
Near the bar, someone whispered, “Is that the original wife? I thought she was locked away somewhere.”
Another murmured, “Didn’t she poison the place once? With a child’s ashes?”
I kept moving.
My hands didn’t shake.
They had already taken everything that mattered from me.
Let them think I was nothing.
Soon, they would all understand.
