Chapter 12: The Visit They Weren’t Expecting
Three days later, Rachel showed up at the new house.
She stood on the porch in a coat that was too thin for the weather, shifting from foot to foot. When I opened the door, she looked past me into the warm living room like she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
“Elena,” she said. “Can we talk?”
I didn’t invite her inside.
“There’s nothing to talk about,” I replied calmly. “You made your choice when you told me to sleep in the garage while I was seven months pregnant.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “We didn’t know… We didn’t know you were working on something so important. We thought—”
“You thought I was nothing,” I finished for her. “You thought Daniel’s death meant I was useless. You forgot everything he did for you. And you treated his widow and his child like garbage.”
Rachel opened her mouth, then closed it.
I stepped back and closed the door gently but firmly.
Through the window, I watched her stand there for a long minute before she turned and walked back to her car.
May you like
I didn’t feel guilty.
I felt free.
