Seven Years, Half the Truth

Right before my wedding, I suddenly discovered that Rhett Calder had been making a mysterious transfer every month. The recipient was his first love, Colette Branson. For seven years, it had been seventy thousand dollars a month, more regular than my period. I put the statements in front of him and demanded an explanation. He was busy working and didn't even look up. "Colette once had an abortion for me. This is my way of making it up to her. "Don't worry. Money's the only thing I'll ever give her." I cried. I made a scene. My friends all tried to talk me down. "It's only seventy thousand. Rhett's so rich he'd think seventy thousand was too cheap to even buy you a handbag. "The first step to being a rich man's wife is learning to be gracious." Thinking about our wedding next month and all our years together, I gave in, until I discovered that our housekeeper had been making a kid's lunch every day and delivering it to Rhett's office. I confronted her, but she just stared at me, stunned. "Ms. Prescott, isn't that your child? "He's five or six already. He calls Mr. Calder 'Dad.'"