Chapter 45
It was a dog–eat–dog world–everyone out for themselves, no one coming out clean.
Since Patricia and Theo were officially divorced, she figured there was no harm in stirring the pot just a little. Let them all tear into each other for a change.
Patricia watched Tina leave, feeling lighter than she had in ages. She and Kelly were practically best friends, and honestly, if it hadn’t been for that connection, Ruby and Theo never would’ve happened in the first place.
Yesterday afternoon, Patricia and Theo had signed the divorce papers. Theo kept insisting he wouldn’t tell anyone in the Martin family, swearing up and down. But the news had already made its way around by the next morning. Typical.
Patricia couldn’t prove it, but she was sure Theo had a hand in it. If he was going to be heartless, she wasn’t about to play the nice guy.
Meanwhile, in the high–rise offices of Newton Enterprises, Theo was making small talk with one of the board members. The scent of good green tea filled the air.
They’d barely finished the usual pleasantries when Patricia’s name flashed across Theo’s phone. Two days in a row now–sometimes, it almost felt like nothing had changed between them.
“Sorry, it’s my wife calling. Give me a minute,” Theo said, nodding to his guest. He stepped out and answered the call.
Before he could say a word, Patricia’s voice came through, cool and steady. “Tina just came to see me.”
“What did she want?” Theo asked.
“She wanted to congratulate me on the divorce,” Ruby said, her tone flat as she sat in the back of the car, phone pressed to her ear, eyes dark.
Theo’s surprise stopped short. For Tina to know, someone had to have told her. But only the people directly involved–and the Newton family–knew. His grandma definitely wasn’t one to gossip. That left Kelly.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean for you to get dragged into this,” Theo said, voice low.
“It is a pain, Mr. Newton. Maybe talk things over with your family. I let it slide this time, but I won’t be so forgiving next time,” Patricia replied, and hung up without waiting for an answer.
She’d lit a match–now let them watch it burn.
At the Newton estate, Tina walked in to find Grandma and Kelly chatting quietly. They both stopped when they saw her.
“Well, look who decided to drop by,” Kelly said, clearly surprised. Tina hadn’t set foot in the Newton house in years.
“It’s been a while. Thought I’d come see you,” Tina replied, glancing at Grandma and nodding politely. “Grandma.”
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Chapter 45
Grandma nodded back, exchanged a few words, and then asked the housekeeper to help her back to her room. She claimed she didn’t want to interrupt the younger folks, but as soon as she was in her room, she called Kelly in, using the peace lily by the window as an excuse. The plant was wilting, Kelly stepped over, picked up the vase, and weighed it in her hand. “Grandma, it’s just out of water.” Grandma sighed, giving her a meaningful look. “Even the prettiest flower withers without water.”
At first, Kelly didn’t catch the hint. She carried the vase into the bathroom, turned on the tap, and the rush of water made her pause. Was Grandma warning her? Was she nothing without the Newton family?
Why say something like that out of the blue? Was it because of Tina?
Water overflowed and spilled onto her fingers, snapping her back to the moment. She turned off the tap and stared at herself in the mirror, a cold shiver running down her spine.
She and Grandma had always gotten along. Kelly had always been sweet, never played games, and had been open and honest with her since she was a kid.
Chapter 46
Chapter 46
