LOGINMiriam was quiet for a moment. Then she picked up the phone and looked at the message again. “He says he won’t be coming home tonight.” Emily said nothing for a second. “You don’t have to be sad about that, Miriam.” “I’m not sad.” She set the phone down. “I just don’t know what’s going on in my marriage anymore.” She exhaled slowly. “I feel like I made the wrong choice.” “Don’t beat yourself up right now.” Emily’s voice was gentle. “I think you’re just overthinking it.” Miriam didn’t respond. Emily moved closer and drew her in. Miriam leaned into her without resistance, her head finding Emily’s shoulder. They sat like that for a moment, the room quiet around them. “You know what,” she said. “I’m spending the night.” Miriam looked up at her. “You don’t have to be alone tonight.” She said, trying to cheer her up. Miriam pulled the face. Emily pointed immediately. “Don’t make that face.” Miriam kept it going anyway. “I hate that face,” Emily said, already smiling. “You
Miriam sat on the floor for a while before reaching for her phone. She found Emily's name and pressed the call button. It rang twice before Emily answered."Hey, what's up?""Can you come over?"There was a pause. "Are you okay?""Just come please."Emily arrived in twenty minutes. Rosie met her at the door and led her upstairs without asking any questions.She knocked once and pushed the door open. Miriam was sitting at the edge of the bed, still wearing her robe, with her phone resting on her lap. Emily stepped inside and stopped, her eyes immediately drawn to Miriam's neck. “Miriam,” she said as she crossed the room. “What happened to your neck?” Miriam looked up at her. “Did Damien do that to you?”She didn’t respond, and that was enough.. Emily sat beside her. “You told me he was treating you well,” she said, her voice careful and measured. “So what’s all of this?” “I haven’t been completely honest with you,” she admitted. Emily studied her for a long moment before slowly n
She lay awake long after he fell asleep.The room was quiet. His breathing was even beside her, completely undisturbed.Ashley.She repeated the name in her mind, trying to figure out who she is, but she couldn't. She stared at the ceiling.She wasn’t naive about the kind of man she had married. She had known from the beginning that Damien Rhodes was not simple. But this was different. This sat somewhere specific in her chest and wouldn’t move.I have given you everything, she thought. You have had all of me.She turned onto her side, away from him.She could handle a lot of things. She had proven that. But cheating isn't something she could let slide. She didn’t know if she had the capacity to look past it the way she had looked past everything else.She closed her eyes and dozed off.His movement through the room pulled her out of the thin sleep she had finally found.She sat up slowly.He was already dressed, with his tie half done, moving around the room as part of his usual morn
She was on her second glass of wine when she heard his car pull into the driveway. She had been sitting at the head of the bed for the past twenty minutes, legs crossed and a wine glass in hand. Damien had texted her during her drive home, "Stepping out for a bit. Back in thirty minutes." After reading the message, she set her phone down and drove the rest of the way with a thought forming quietly in the back of her mind. By the time she pulled into the gate, she already knew what she wanted to do. She headed straight to the wine bar, picked a bottle with a good bite, and went upstairs. She took a shower, found the lingerie she had bought over a year ago from a store in town but had never worn, and poured herself a glass of wine. For once, she hadn’t overthought things. Now, sitting there on her second glass, she listened to the sound of his footsteps on the stairs. The door opened, and Damien stepped inside. He saw her and stopped, words caught in his throat. Whatever he had in
Susan’s voice floated in from the hallway. “Sir, should I set the table?” Thomas looked up. “Yes please. Go ahead.” He turned to Miriam. “You’ll eat before you leave.” “Of course, Daddy,” she said. They moved to the dining room a few minutes later. Miriam took her usual chair without thinking — the one she had sat in for years, same position, same table. Then she looked at the empty chairs around it and the memories came quietly. How many dinners had she sat at this table, food getting cold in front of her while Margaret held court? She had also learned to eat quickly at this table. Miriam dug in and took a few bites. Then she set her fork down. “Dad, I think I want to eat with Susan today.” Thomas looked up. She stood up, picked up her plate, and walked to the kitchen before anyone could respond. Margaret said nothing. Just watched her go. Susan was at the counter, wiping down the spot she had just finished cooking on. She turned when she heard the door. “Baby what a
She sat in the car for a moment after she parked.The Wellington house looked the same. Same gate, same driveway, same manicured hedges that Margaret insisted on keeping perfect. Nothing had changed from the outside.She took a breath and got out.The housekeeper met her at the door.“Miss Miriam.” Her face lit up immediately. “Welcome back.”“Thank you.” Miriam smiled. “It’s good to see you again.”“Your father is upstairs. Should I let him know you’re here?”“Give me a minute.” Miriam stepped inside.The sitting room was empty. She moved through the hallway, past the dining room, and followed the familiar smell of something warm all the way to the kitchen.Susan was at the counter, back turned, humming something low under her breath.She turned when she heard footsteps.The moment she saw Miriam her whole face changed.“My baby.”She crossed the kitchen in three steps and pulled her into a tight hug.Miriam held on.“I’ve been waiting for the day you will walk back through that door
They had been at it for almost two hours.Papers spread across the coffee table, Emily’s laptop open beside Miriam’s, two empty cups of tea that Rosie had quietly replaced without being asked.Miriam had called her earlier that morning to tell her to come over, that she wanted to sit down properly
They pulled up to Malcolm Rhodes’ mansion just before noon.Miriam looked through the window and said nothing for a moment.It was massive. More than she had expected — all stone and clean lines, perfectly maintained grounds stretching out on either side of the driveway. It made the Wellington hous
She heard his car pull in before she heard the door.She stayed where she was — laptop open, eyes on the screen, working through the notes she had been putting together since morning.The bedroom door swung open.She didn’t turn.“You’re so mad at me that you can’t greet your husband when he comes
Night came quietly.Miriam brushed her teeth, moisturised, and went through her evening routine like every other night. Then she picked up her pillow and headed down the hall.The first guest room door was locked.She tried the next one.Locked.She went through every door on that floor. All of the







