Chapter 6 - The Weight of Fourteen Years
Beatrice stood staring at the veil on the floor, her chest heaving with rage. She turned her venomous eyes onto me. ""You ruined her wedding day, Elaine. You satisfied your petty jealousy, and now my granddaughter’s marriage is starting in disgrace. Are you happy?""
I looked at Beatrice, then at David, who was staring blankly at the swinging kitchen doors.
""I’m not happy, Beatrice,"" I said, pulling the car keys from my clutch. ""I’m disgusted. Disgusted that I spent fourteen years of my life cleaning your son’s house, cooking his meals, paying for his daughter’s clothes, and defending him to my own friends while the two of you were running a criminal scam on a dead woman’s child.""
""Elaine, let's just go home,"" David pleaded, reaching for my hand. ""Please. We can fix this. I can explain everything. I was trying to save our lifestyle. I did it for us!""
I pulled my hand back as if I had touched a venomous snake. ""For us? David, I paid the mortgage last month because you told me your clients hadn't paid their invoices. I took four thousand dollars out of my retirement account in June because you said your design firm needed a cash injection before payroll. Did that money go to payroll, or did it go to pay interest on the loan you took against Paige's trust?""
David swallowed hard. He looked down, unable to speak.
""That's what I thought,"" I said.
I turned to Miriam, who was quietly gathering her purse. ""Miriam, do you have a ride home?""
""I took a taxi from Worthington, dear,"" she said softly. ""I didn't want to trouble anyone.""
""You're coming with me,"" I said.
""Elaine, you are my wife!"" David shouted, his voice cracking with desperation as guests began murmuring and standing up from their seats. ""You cannot leave this venue with that woman! If you walk out that door right now, we are done!""
I paused at the threshold of the kitchen exit. I looked back at the grand ballroom, the glittering chandeliers, Table One with its pristine floral arrangements, and Table Nineteen with its single pitcher of water and crushed paper napkins.
""David,"" I said, pulling my wedding ring off my finger and tossing it into the empty bread basket on Table Nineteen. ""We were done the second you let your daughter put me at this table.""
I took Miriam's arm and walked out into the cool September night.
The drive back to Worthington was quiet. Miriam sat in the passenger seat of my Honda, gazing out the window at the cornfields passing under the moonlight. The heater hummed gently, warming the chill that had settled into both of our bones.
""I’m sorry, Elaine,"" Miriam said after a long silence. ""I didn't come there to cause a scandal. I only wanted to see her in her dress. I knew today was the day the trust matured. I hired a private investigator last month because the probate lawyer told me David was trying to circumvent the court order. I just wanted to make sure she was protected.""
""You don't have to apologize for a single thing, Miriam,"" I said, wiping a stray tear from my cheek. ""For fourteen years, I thought Paige was distant with me because she was honoring her mother. David always told me, 'Elaine, Rebecca was a saint. Paige just can't accept anyone else in her place.' He weaponized Rebecca's ghost to keep Paige isolated and to keep me compliant.""
""David was always insecure,"" Miriam murmured, her hands resting calmly in her lap. ""When he married Rebecca, my husband and I welcomed him. But Beatrice hated that Rebecca chose him. Beatrice wanted David to marry an heiress from Upper Arlington. When Rebecca got sick, Beatrice stepped in like a vulture. She convinced David that Rebecca's family would take everything. She poisoned him with greed.""
""Well,"" I said, pulling up to the curb outside Miriam’s modest, well-kept single-story home on a tree-lined street in Worthington. ""Greed just cost him his daughter. And his wife.""
Miriam turned to me, her blue eyes shimmering in the dashboard light. ""What will you do now, Elaine?""
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""Tonight? I'm checking into a hotel,"" I said with a faint, tired smile. ""Tomorrow morning? I'm hiring a divorce attorney.""
Miriam reached out, clasping my hand between her two weathered ones. ""You won't stay in a hotel tonight, Elaine Foster. You'll sleep in Rebecca's old bedroom. And tomorrow, we'll go see Kenneth Vance together.""
