Chapter 5

I found Madeline retouching her makeup in the ladies' room mirror after her dramatic performance.

"Quite a show out there," I said calmly, setting my purse on the marble counter. "Very convincing tears."

She looked at me through the mirror, those innocent doe eyes hardening into something much more calculating.

"Katherine."

"I have to admit, the victim act was a nice touch. You've had practice, I assume."

"Jonathan's already filed the divorce papers, you know." She turned to face me directly, her vulnerability replaced by cold, triumphant confidence. "I'm going to be the new Mrs. Morrison within the year."

"Is that what he promised you?"

"I'm going to be Lily's stepmother too. We're going to be a proper family, the kind she deserves."

I laughed, surprising both of us with the genuine amusement in my voice. "You can absolutely have him, Madeline. But you'll get him exactly as he is—a cheating liar with mounting debts and absolutely no moral compass."

"We'll see about that once we're married."

"The prenup I signed seven years ago is ironclad, sweetheart. And adultery is still grounds for a very favorable divorce settlement in this state."

Her confidence wavered for the first time. "You can't prove anything substantial."

"Twenty-seven thousand, four hundred and thirty-two text messages say otherwise."

I walked toward the door, then paused with my hand on the handle. "Oh, and that gorgeous house you're living in? The one with the floor-to-ceiling windows? It's in my name. The mortgage was secured against my trust fund."

When I emerged from the restroom, Jonathan was pacing outside like a caged animal.

"How dare you conspire with Charlotte to publicly humiliate Madeline like that?"

"I didn't conspire with anyone, Jonathan."

"She was crying! If you want to be angry at someone, be angry at me!"

"Oh, I am angry at you. But she made her choice when she decided to sleep with a married man for two years."

Madeline appeared beside him, slipping her hand into his with practiced ease. "It's okay, Jonathan. I can handle whatever she throws at me."

"No, it's absolutely not okay." He pulled her closer protectively. "You shouldn't have to deal with her jealousy and vindictiveness."

"I knew what I was signing up for when I fell in love with you."

He kissed the top of her head, his eyes challenging me over her blonde hair. "I'll protect you from her from now on, I promise."

I turned and walked away, leaving them to their romantic delusions and empty promises.

Some promises, I knew from bitter experience, were completely impossible to keep.