The Perfect Wife Walked Away
"If you fail, and believe me, you will... you don't just come back as my wife. You sign away your parental rights. You leave Camilla and the baby with me. And you disappear from their life. Completely."
It was brutal stakes. Winner takes all. Loser gets nothing.
I didn't blink. I didn't let my hand shake.
"Deal," I said.
David smiled. It was a terrifying thing to see — all teeth and triumph. He thought he had already won. He thought he had just ensured his victory by raising the price of my failure.
"Good luck, Alice," he said, straightening his tie. "You’re going to need it."
He turned and walked away, his stride confident, his back straight. He didn't look back.