Chapter 12 - An Unexpected Knock
Saturday morning began with the rare, beautiful luxury of uninterrupted sleep until 7:30 a.m.
I was sitting at the kitchen island in a comfortable oversized sweater, nursing a cup of black coffee while Emma slept peacefully in her bassinet nearby, when the doorbell chimed.
I frowned, glancing at the wall monitor.
Standing on my front porch, looking remarkably small and defeated, was Linda.
She wasn't wearing her usual designer wool coat or diamond brooch. Instead, she wore a simple, faded windbreaker, her hair unstyled and graying at the temples. Without Ryan to prop up her social illusions, the formidable matriarch looked like an ordinary, aging woman who had run out of people to manipulate.
I walked over to the heavy wooden door, unlocked the deadbolt, and opened it a few inches, leaving the security chain in place.
“What do you want, Linda?” I asked, my voice completely devoid of emotion.
Linda looked up, her eyes red-rimmed and hollow. “Claire... may I speak to you? Just for a moment. I know I have no right, but... Ryan is facing serious prison time.”
“Ryan brought this on himself the moment he decided to forge my signature and watch you pour ice water over my postpartum body,” I replied steadily. “You both made your bed. Why are you here?”
“I’m here because he asked about you,” Linda whispered, a tear finally spilling over her lower lid. “He realizes now what he threw away. He lost his wife, his home, his career... everything.”
“He didn't lose it, Linda,” I corrected her, my gaze hardening. “He gambled it away on entitlement and cruelty. And he lost. Now please leave my property before I call the local precinct to enforce the restraining order.”
May you like
Linda flinched as if she had been physically struck. She looked down at the welcome mat, nodded slowly, and turned around, walking down the steps without another word.
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