Selene handed him the pen.
Felicity’s eyes widened with anticipation, hope flickering across her face.
As soon as she saw Harrison sign the divorce papers, a secret thrill shot through her.
“Selene, you’re just being dramatic! If I had a husband like Harrison, I’d be grinning in my sleep every night!”
Selene shot Felicity a half–smile, half–sneer. “Look at you, practically drooling with impatience.”
Harrison tossed the signed divorce agreement at Selene.
“Fine, make your scene. But why take it out on Felicity?”
He didn’t want to deal with Selene any longer, so he lowered his voice and spoke to Daph. “If you ever want to come home, you can call me anytime.”
Daph tilted her face up to look at him, silent, only tightening her grip on Selene’s
hand.
Harrison’s gaze toward Selene was cold and unfeeling.
“Daph is my daughter. She’s always welcome here. But as for you… coming back won’t be so easy.”
He sat there like a judge on his throne, looking down on her from above.
This was his warning to Selene: she was making a grave mistake, one she’d pay dearly.
Selene smiled. “Even if the road ahead is a sheer cliff, I won’t look back after leaving the Vaughn family.”
A fleeting emotion crossed Harrison’s eyes, gone before anyone could name it.
for
“Thirty days from now, I’ll see you at city hall,” Selene said, a weight lifting from her chest.
She took Daph’s hand and walked toward the front door.
After slipping on her shoes, Selene turned for one last look at Dames.
“Dames, I won’t be coming back.”
7/2
22:25
Chapter Ap
Dames snapped at her. “Just go already! All you do is make Dad angry! I hate you!”
Once Selene and Daph had left, Felicity wasted no time whining to Harrison. “Selene is such a drama queen. Housewives, honestly–they’re the worst. No skills, no career. Without the Vaughn family, she’s got nothing.”
She looked at Harrison, trying to seem sincere. “If I ever went through a divorce, I’d leave with nothing but the clothes on my back. Even if love was over, I wouldn’t drag it out or make things difficult.”
She sneaked a glance at Harrison’s face.
But his expression barely changed.
“She just wants me to beg her to stay.” Harrison scoffed. “But who does she think she is?”
Felicity couldn’t hide her satisfied little smirk. Seven years of marriage, and Harrison had never once let himself care.
Two days later-
Dames walked into the study. “Dad, why can’t I get Mom on the phone?”
Harrison sat behind his desk, eyes on his computer, not bothering to look up.
Dames scratched his head, uneasy. “When Mom left, she didn’t help me finish my art project. It’s due tomorrow. What am I supposed to do?”
Harrison answered coolly, “Do it yourself.”
“Dad,” Dames asked, almost timid, “can I invite Flick over to help me with the project?”
Harrison’s voice drifted from behind the monitor. “Do what you want.”
“Yes!” Dames whooped, dashing from the study. So what if Mom wasn’t around? He still had Flick.
Half an hour later, Felicity arrived.
She sat with Dames in his room, helping him with the project. Before long, Dames‘ face was red with frustration.
“It’s just plastic straws! How hard can it be to build a space fortress? Why can’t you do it?!”
22:26
Chapter 13
Felicity sat on the floor, staring helplessly at the scattered straws in front of her. She had no idea where to start.
“A space fortress is way too complicated. There’s no way you’ll finish this tonight.”
Dames wailed, “Mom already finished most of it! You just have to keep building on top!”
“…”
Felicity wanted to admit she was clueless, but pride kept her silent. No way would she confess to being less capable than Selene.
She tried to coax Dames. “Let’s do something easier, okay? How about we make a cell phone out of straws? Look, I found a picture online.”
She pulled up her phone to show him.
“That’s way too easy!” Dames protested.
“Simple is fine. We can just get the assignment over with,” Felicity said, eager to be done.
Felicity hadn’t done homework since middle school; crafting kindergarten art projects felt childish and dull.
“Dames, let’s just throw something together so I can take you out for a spin later.”
3/3
