Chapter 2

My grandfather's voice sharpened with worry.

My grandparents, Walter and June Ellison, had raised me. Few people in the world understood me better.

"Mallory, you listen to me. Your grandmother and I are right here. Divorce him, come home, and let us take care of you."

I swallowed hard and promised I would.

Then I called Alden.

There was none of my old pleading in my voice now. Only a cold, exhausted calm.

"I had an abortion."

Silence.

For one foolish second, I thought he might ask whether I was okay.

Instead, he scoffed.

"Mallory, have you lost your mind? You used that same story six months ago to trick me into coming home for your birthday."

My throat tightened. "This time it's true."

He laughed without a trace of belief.

Behind him, the others were snickering too.

"Come on, Mrs. Van Alstyne," one of his friends called. "You're going to have to come up with something better than that."

The call ended.

The last thing I heard before he hung up was Alden's gentle voice, speaking to Sabine.

"Don't go back to your place for the next few days. I'll handle everything. You have me."

My hospital room fell quiet again.

I stared at the wall and blinked furiously, almost desperate to cry. Nothing came. My eyes were so dry they hurt.

A nurse came in to change my IV and shut the window. Thinking I might appreciate a distraction, she switched on the television.

A local news program filled the screen.

There was my face, enlarged beside a photograph of a racehorse.

Port Calloway's tabloids had never been known for their subtlety.

"RIDGEMONT HEIRESS MALLORY ABERNATHY BET ON LIKE A RACEHORSE: WHO WILL WALK AWAY THE WINNER?"

"DIVORCE WAGER SETTLES IN THREE DAYS: CAN THOSE WHO BET THEIR LIFE SAVINGS WIN A HOUSE?"

The nurse went scarlet, fumbled for the remote, and turned the television off. She finished changing my IV and practically fled.

I didn't react.

I'd made the news too many times already, usually after some dreadful public scene in which I confronted one of Alden's rumored lovers. More than once, those confrontations had turned into shouting matches or actual fights.

It had been humiliating.

At least it was over. Starting now, there would be no more scenes.

Three days.

That was when the betting pool closed and the winner would be announced. I had three days to end my marriage.

It was evening by the time I returned to our house. Alden hadn't called once since hanging up on me. There hadn't been a single message asking how I felt.

I opened the front door and heard a woman's voice coming from the living room.

Sabine was sitting on the sofa, sipping hot water with honey from Alden's personal mug.

I stopped in the entryway.

Alden was obsessive about cleanliness and boundaries. He'd shared a bed with me, but I'd never been allowed to touch certain belongings, much less drink from his cup.

I'd asked him about it once.

He'd pinched the bridge of his nose as if dealing with an unreasonable child.

"Mallory, I need you to respect my habits. You're my wife. What could you possibly be worried about?"

I'd had no answer, and I'd never raised it again.

Now I knew exactly what I'd been afraid of.

I had never been his exception.

But I didn't want to be anymore.

Sabine looked around the room, decorated almost entirely to my tastes.

"It's lovely," she said. "Your wife certainly knows how to make a home."

"Mm," Alden replied, uninterested. He changed the subject at once. "Stay here for the next few days. He won't find you here. I'll take care of the rest."

"Thank you, Alden."

A wave of weakness swept over me. My vision dimmed, and I reached for the vase beside the door to steady myself. It rattled.

Both of them turned.

Sabine remained seated, looking almost like the lady of the house.

"Hello, Mallory. I'm Sabine."

Alden frowned, then seemed to notice my face. He hurried toward me and reached out.

"Why are you so pale?"

I stepped away from his hand without answering.

I'd already told him what happened. He'd chosen not to believe me.

His empty hand hung in the air. Something uncertain crossed his face.

"Listen, Sabine's husband has been abusing her, so she's going to stay with us for a while. I hope you can..."

He positioned himself between us, as though he expected me to attack her.

I took a breath and smiled.

"Of course. I don't mind."

I looked at Sabine.

"Make yourself at home."