“We’re divorced. What’s left for me to be upset about?”
Tina’s hand froze in midair, wine decanter paused between them. She stared at Kelly, stunned. “You’re divorced?”
“Just this afternoon,” Kelly said, her voice cool.
Tina set the decanter down, nodding like it all made sense. “Honestly, Patricia’s always been too proud for that kind of humiliation. If I’d known it would make you so happy, maybe I should’ve pushed for it sooner.”
Kelly took a sip of her wine, a crooked smile on her lips. “Right? If I’d known it was this simple, I wouldn’t have wasted all those years stuck with a useless man.”
“But now that I’m finally free, you might want to be careful,” Kelly said, her tone suddenly serious.
Tina perked up, instantly alert. “What are you saying?”
Kelly’s smile only grew. “Do I really need to spell it out? Everyone knows the Martins‘ dirty laundry.”
After Patricia’s parents died, the family business should have been hers. But her uncles swooped in and tore it apart, and Tina and her husband were right there with them. The only thing Patricia had left was a trust fund–one she couldn’t even touch until she turned twenty–six. She was still a few months shy.
If the Parsons family hadn’t taken her in at fifteen, Patricia probably wouldn’t have survived at all. The Martins had no intention of letting her live. Marrying Theo was just her way of finding some protection.
Now, with the divorce final, that protection was gone. What was stopping the Martins from finishing what they started?
Kelly spun her wineglass between her fingers. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“When a wolf comes back, it’s never to say thanks. It’s for revenge. We’ve both seen how these family dramas end.”
Tina kept a faint, polite smile on her lips, but inside, her nerves were shot.
Patricia couldn’t be allowed to stay–not with the Parsons family behind her, and not with those sharp instincts she’d honed growing up. She was trouble.
“So, you’re being so generous with advice because you want me to do your dirty work?” Tina’s voice was light, but her eyes were sharp.
Kelly just shrugged, acting innocent. “She’s not a threat to me anymore. Why would I bother? I never liked Patricia, but as long as she’s not hanging onto Theo, I’m fine to let her go.”
“In fact, I’d even give her a nice payout and send her off, no hard feelings.” Kelly looked Tina up and down, her smile unreadable. “But you… well.”
“When a wolf cub breaks out of its cage and runs free, it’s not the cage keeper who should be worried.”
1/2
15:41
Chapter 43
It was almost midnight by the time Tina got home from the wine bar.
Emerson was still awake. The company had been dealing with some nasty tax issues lately, and he was drowning in stress. He’d just gotten back from a business dinner and was sprawled on the couch, eyes closed, trying to sober up.
“I just got back from seeing Kelly,” Tina said, dropping onto the sofa across from him.
Emerson rubbed his forehead, peeking at her through tired eyes. “Didn’t you say you hadn’t seen her in forever?”
“Exactly. That’s why I was surprised.”
“But tonight, she told me something that really shocked me.”
He loosened his tie, curiosity piqued. “What?”
“Patricia and Theo are divorced.”
Emerson’s eyes flew open. “No way.”
“She wouldn’t lie about this. You know how it’s been–ever since Patricia married Theo, Kelly basically cut me off. Tonight, out of the blue, she invites me for drinks, looking like she just won the jackpot. If that’s not a sign, I don’t know what is.”
