All Chapters of Her Three Ex-Husbands and Me: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

A week into my probation, I had pretty much gotten a feel for how things worked in Vivienne Witt's house. I was up at 6:30 AM to make breakfast. It was my job to wake Blair at 7:00 AM, drop her off at kindergarten by 7:40 AM, and pick her up at 4:00 PM. Vivienne's schedule was all over the place. Sometimes, she would work late into the night, so I would set aside her portion and leave a sticky note. "Two minutes on high in the microwave." Blair and I became close in no time. By day three, Blair climbed on my back for piggyback rides. On the fifth day, she dragged me over to look at her recent drawing of a stick figure with the body of a potato. A week later, she tugged my shirt before we headed out. "Troy, you're way better than the other guys before." That afternoon, a white Porsche was parked on the driveway of the estate when we were back from a school run. Blair took cover behind me. "The freeloading one is back. He always brings me chocolate, so he has an excu

It was a Tuesday when my trial period reached day thirty-two. Cassandra was moved from the general ward to the ICU. "Without a matching donor, she might not make it through the month." I sat outside the ICU, my clammy hands clutching the phone. Maximus' business card was tucked inside a fold of my wallet. I stared at the number for a long time without making the call. My mind drifted back to the file Vivienne had handed me and what she had said in the study. "I'm looking into your mother's case." It was 11:00 PM when I got back to the Witt residence. The living room lights remained lit. Vivienne lounged on the sofa, a cup of cold tea sitting in front of her. "Was your mom transferred to the ICU?" "How did you know?" "I couldn't reach you on the phone, so I phoned the hospital ward." Amid my daze, she stood up. "I've already had someone check for a compatible donor nationwide. We should have the results in three days at the earliest.""What about the expense

Footsteps echoed down the hallway. Two uniformed police officers, led by a middle-aged man wearing his police ID, walked up to Maximus and produced their credentials. "Maximus Rogan? We received a report alleging that you falsified medical documents and unlawfully coerced another person. We need you to come with us."Maximus dropped his jaw slightly, his head snapping toward Vivienne. She slipped her phone back into her pocket, not making eye contact with Maximus throughout. In the end, Maximus turned to me, his lips quivering as if he had something to say, but no words escaped his lips. When the police escorted him out, Maximus paused right beside me and murmured, "You win, Troy." I paid him no heed, my eyes fixating on the unlit door of the resuscitation room. Vivienne approached and stood by me. She didn't embrace or talk to me. She stood there with me in silence for ages. A nurse emerged from the resuscitation room carrying a sealed bag containing Cassandra's belongings.

"Grandma." Blair crouched by the grave, carefully setting the candies down one by one. "Troy said you had a sweet tooth. These are for you. I'll bring you more next time." Standing half a step behind me, Vivienne reached out and squeezed the back of my neck. I laid the half-eaten sandwich, still wrapped in cling film, on the grave. Though mold specks crept in from the edges, I placed it down anyway. "Mom," I choked, my voice raspy beyond recognition. "You told me not to lose my spine, so I will keep my head up." The breeze rustled through the poplar leaves with a crisp sound. I caught Vivienne sniffling right behind me. It was evening when we finally wrapped up the paperwork and made it back to the house. Blair was fast asleep in the back seat. After carrying Blair to her bedroom, Vivienne paused in the living room for a bit before heading to the kitchen. A pot of gumbo sat chilled on the fridge, a thin film of fat coating the surface. "I made this." Vivienne turned on th

Vivienne stood there in front of the refrigerator, her eyes lingering on the drawing. Blair squeezed past her legs and asked, her head tilting up. "Mommy, what did Tree Troy write?" Bending over, Vivienne carried Blair into her arms. "It says here… He's happy to be your tree forever." Blair hugged her around the neck, her legs dangling. "What about my dinosaur tail?" "It's still there. When you're all grown up—" "I still want Tree Troy in my life even when I'm all grown up." Vivienne fell silent. However, I could see from the doorway that she turned her face away, her shoulders quivering. The weather was beautiful when we stepped outside. The rain had passed, and the sky was bright blue, as if it was washed clean by the storm. I put on a new dark-gray T-shirt that Vivienne had sent over the other day, the tags still attached. "Wear something else." That was what Vivienne said in the hallway yesterday. "Cassandra wouldn't want you stuck in that T-shirt from Goodwill foreve