I knew what to do. The first thing I did was unfreeze the joint marital account.
Two hundred thousand. Same amount he'd made me feel guilty over, and I spent it without owing a thing.
Once I'd made sure my mother would stay in the hospital and take her treatment without worrying, I went home.
I'd barely pushed the door open when I saw a pair of red high heels sitting in the entryway.
"You're back!"
I looked up at the sound. Stephanie was in my nightgown, sipping red wine.
Fergus had a habit of collecting good bottles.
But every time I thought about trying a little, he'd say,
"What would you even taste? Don't waste my good wine!"
When she saw me ignore her, blank-faced,
Stephanie's expression cracked a little.
"Mrs. Sawyer. I gave up that title once, back when I thought Fergus was too poor to bother with. I never imagined he'd make something of himself and still keep me in his heart."
"All those years you slaved away, and what did it get you? A husband who doesn't love you, a kid who can't stand you. Rita, how did you let yourself turn into… well, this sorry state?"
She looked me up and down with disgust,
as if she had no fear at all of Fergus hearing any of it.
It wasn't until I heard the car pulling into the yard that I understood.
"Ah—I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Rita, I didn't mean to put on your things, and I don't want to be any Mrs. Sawyer, I… I just feel like I owe Fergus so much, I only wanted to help him…"
"Please don't be angry, I… I'll leave right now! Right now!"
Fergus walked in just in time to see Stephanie sprawled on the floor,
wine soaked into her clothes, broken glass all around her.
"Rita! How can you be so vicious? I don't even recognize you anymore!"
"If Stephanie hadn't taken Nate out to play, she wouldn't have gotten caught in the rain. I just let her shower and change here, and this is how you repay her kindness?"
Only then did I notice the cold medicine Fergus had gone out to buy, so worried she'd catch a chill.
I was pale from the miscarriage.
He acted like he couldn't see it at all.
"Are you blind? She staged the whole thing herself. It has nothing to do with me."
His face darkened.
He got Stephanie settled, then crossed the room in two strides and grabbed my wrist.
"Apologize to Stephanie!"
"I told you! I didn't do it. Fergus, why can't you take my side? Just once!"
I hadn't meant to cry, but the moment I spoke the tears came anyway, and I couldn't stop them.
Something in him tightened, and his grip loosened without his meaning it to.
"I just don't want to watch you throw your weight around. Should Stephanie be treated this unfairly, all because of our relationship?"
He softened his voice, as if he wanted me to agree with him.
To my ears it was nothing but a mockery.
"I'll say it one more time. I didn't push—"
"Mom did push her! I heard them fighting from upstairs, I saw Mom push Aunt Stephanie!"
I hadn't finished when Nate came running down the stairs.
"Nate was up there listening the whole time. He knows exactly what happened!"
"Just because Stephanie lets him eat junk food and play games all day, he wants to swap out his own mother. He's out of his mind!"
"Good, then. Now Rita can stop holding out any hope for the two of them at all!"
I listened to the scrolling comments, and it went from shock to a pain in my chest,
and even my voice shook.
"Nathaniel Sawyer. Your whole life, the one thing I told you more than anything was that a person has to be honest!"
"You like her that much? Enough to frame your own mother?"
Every word I got out sent a fresh ache through my heart.
Seeing my reddened eyes, Nate pressed his lips together, and guilt flickered behind them.
But when he opened his mouth again, he still told Fergus firmly,
"Mom pushed her. Aunt Stephanie didn't… didn't do anything wrong."
"Children don't lie. Rita, apologize to Stephanie, now!"
Fergus stepped forward and pushed Nate into Stephanie's arms,
as if afraid I might hurt the boy over what he'd said.
I laughed, cold, done holding out any hope for this father and son.
"Fergus, let's get a divorce!"
