5
It was Howard.
A jolt went through me. I couldn’t let him find out my plan. Before he could ask another question, I went on the offensive.
I threw the photo at him, my eyes welling with tears. “What is this? Explain this to me! Howard Hawthorne, how could you do this to me?”
4/5
12:36
12.46
Chapter 1
His eyes flickered with guilt for a split second before his usual calm, authoritative mask settled back int place. “It’s just an old photograph, Eleanor. Don’t make a scene. It’s ancient history. Not worth mentioning.”
Seeing my tear–filled eyes, he softened his tone. “If you must have an explanation, fine. Serena’s daughte had a rare form of autism back then. Her therapist said that interacting with her peers could help. I only too the boys to go skiing with them because I felt sorry for the child. That’s all. There was nothing between Sere na and me.”
He was still lying to me.
If there was nothing between them, why hide the photo in a secret compartment of his safe?
A sharp pain lanced through my heart. I fought back the tears. “I want a divorce.”
Howard’s eyes widened in shock. “What did you say?”
I zipped up the suitcase, my heart cold and empty. “I said, a divorce. I’ll take the gold bars, you can hav everything else. It’s a fair deal.”
He was so angry he used my full name. “Eleanor Hawthorne, have you lost your mind? I’m giving you one more chance. Take back what you just said.”
No more chances.
I laughed, a hollow, bitter sound. “I’m not the crazy one here. That missing girl you’re all so frantically search ing for, that’s the girl in the picture, isn’t it? And you wanted me to adopt her? Howard, what is wrong with you? Are you even human? Since you want her as a daughter so badly, I’ll step aside. I’ll make way for her. Isı ‘t that what you want?”
He panicked, grabbing me in a fierce, possessive embrace, just like when we were young. He snatched the photo from my hand, threw it on the floor, and ground it under his heel, as if that would prove his point. “See‘ I don’t care about this old picture. Stop this nonsense, Eleanor. Be good.”
I shoved him away with all my might and slapped him across the face, hard.
I was done being good.
“Eleanor, get back here!”
I dragged the suitcase filled with one hundred gold bars and ran like my life depended on it.
5/5
