Elenore woke up at 5:00 AM. The sun hadn't risen yet. The house was gray and silent.
She moved quickly. She went downstairs to the study. The cleaning crew wouldn't arrive for another hour.
The stack of papers was still in the "Completed" tray.
Her hands trembled as she sifted through them. NDA. NDA. Vendor Contract.
Petition for Dissolution of Marriage.
There it was. Cedrick's signature, sharp and angular, in blue ink at the bottom.
She pulled it out. She folded it carefully and slid it into the hidden lining of her purse. Then, she took a picture of it with her phone and uploaded it to an encrypted cloud server. Insurance.
She went to the kitchen. She needed coffee, but she settled for water.
Cedrick walked in at 7:00 AM. He was drinking a green smoothie that looked like sludge.
Morning, he said, not looking up from his tablet.
Good morning, Elenore said. She felt a strange buzzing in her veins. The power dynamic had shifted, and he didn't even know it.
He put down the glass. "We need to discuss living arrangements."
Elenore tensed. "What do you mean?"
Security concerns have increased, Cedrick said. "The paparazzi are getting aggressive about the rumors. I'm moving Julianna and Penny into the estate."
Elenore gripped the edge of the granite counter. "Here? In my home?"
It's my estate, Elenore. You are a guest here. His voice was calm, factual. "They will take the Master Wing. It's the most secure. You will move to the Guest Quarters in the East Wing."
The East Wing? Elenore laughed incredulously. "That's the servants' area. The rooms are the size of closets."
It's temporary, Cedrick said. "Until the media heat dies down. An assistant living in the main house raises too many questions for the press. A reclusive, distant aunt is just family drama-easily dismissed. You will be the distant relative. The aunt. Stick to the script."
And what am I supposed to be? The nanny?
No, Cedrick stood up. "You are to be invisible. They arrive at noon. Have your things moved by then."
He checked his watch. "I have a board meeting."
He walked out.
Elenore stood in the empty kitchen. The humiliation should have crushed her. But she felt the weight of the folded paper in her purse.
Let them come, she whispered.
She went upstairs. She packed two suitcases. She left the diamond necklaces, the designer bags, the silk scarves he had bought her for photo ops. She took only her clothes, her laptop, and her books.
The staff watched her. The maids looked down, ashamed on her behalf. The butler helped her carry the boxes to the small, dusty room in the East Wing.
At noon, a convoy of three black SUVs rolled up the long driveway.
Elenore watched from the narrow window of her new room.
The first car door opened. Julianna stepped out. She was wearing a white sundress and a wide-brimmed hat. She looked like she belonged on a magazine cover. She looked like the Lady of the Manor.
Then, the child. Penny. She ran out onto the gravel, chasing a butterfly.
Cedrick stepped out of the second car. He picked Penny up and swung her around. He was laughing.
Julianna pointed up at the Master Bedroom balcony-Elenore's old balcony-and said something. Cedrick nodded.
A moving truck pulled up behind the SUVs. Men in uniforms started unloading furniture. White, modern furniture.
Then, Elenore saw them bring out her paintings. The oil landscapes she had painted herself. They were being carried out to the garage, presumably for storage or trash.
Elenore turned away from the window. The war had entered her home.
She sat on the narrow twin bed. She touched her purse.
Soon, she thought. Soon.
