“Because, dear Olivia, your husband thought he was teaching you a lesson by leaving you stranded with no resources. What he doesn’t know is that he left you stranded with the richest woman in this city. And I think it’s time someone taught him a lesson instead.”
Thomas cleared his throat quietly. “Mrs. Wilmington, are you plotting something?”
Catherine smiled. “Thomas, meet my granddaughter, Alexandra. She’ll be staying with us for a while.”
Thomas looked at me, then at Catherine, then back at me. I saw understanding dawn in his eyes, followed by something that looked almost like approval. “Of course, Mrs. Wilmington. Welcome home, Miss Alexandra.”
Catherine held out her hand to me.
I looked at her outstretched hand. I looked at the expensive car. I looked at Thomas, who was waiting patiently with no judgment on his face. Then I thought about Derek driving away and leaving me here. About the years of put-downs and control. About how small he’d made me feel.
I took Catherine’s hand and stood up.
“Yes,” I said. “I’m ready.”
The drive to Catherine’s house felt like entering a different world. We passed through neighborhoods that grew progressively more beautiful, with tree-lined streets and elegant homes set back from the road. Finally, Thomas turned through a set of enormous iron gates that opened automatically, and my breath caught in my throat. The driveway curved through manicured gardens with fountains and flower beds. At the end of it sat a mansion that looked like something from a magazine. Three stories tall, white columns, huge windows gleaming in the fading sunlight.
“Catherine,” I whispered. “Who are you?”
She chuckled. “I told you, dear. Catherine Wilmington. I owned Wilmington Industries before I retired. Manufacturing. We made parts for cars, airplanes, medical equipment. Boring stuff, really, but quite profitable.”
Wilmington Industries. Even I had heard of them. One of the biggest employers in the state.
Inside, the house was even more breathtaking. Marble floors in the entrance hall, a grand staircase, a crystal chandelier that looked like it belonged in a palace. A woman in her sixties appeared from a side door, wiping her hands on an apron.
“Mrs. Wilmington, you’re home early. I wasn’t expecting you until—” She stopped when she saw me.
“Margaret, this is my granddaughter, Alexandra. She’ll be staying with us for a while. Could you please prepare the blue guest room?”
Margaret’s eyes widened slightly, but she recovered quickly. “Of course, ma’am. Welcome, Miss Alexandra.”
“Thank you,” I managed to say.
Catherine squeezed my arm. “Margaret has been my housekeeper for twenty years. She’s trustworthy and discreet. Now, let’s get you settled and fed. You must be starving.”
She was right. I hadn’t eaten since breakfast, and my stomach was starting to ache.
Margaret led me upstairs to a bedroom that was bigger than my entire apartment. A four-poster bed, a sitting area, French doors opening onto a balcony overlooking the gardens. After she left, I stood in the middle of the room, afraid to touch anything. Just hours ago I’d been abandoned at a bus stop, and now I was in a mansion being treated like royalty.
That evening, I found Catherine in a cozy dining room, smaller than the formal one I’d glimpsed earlier. The meal was simple but delicious. Roasted chicken, vegetables, fresh bread. I ate slowly at first, trying to remember my manners, but Catherine encouraged me to eat as much as I wanted.
“Now then,” she said when we’d both had some food. “We need to talk seriously about your situation. I meant what I said earlier about your husband’s behavior being abusive. Have you thought about what you want to do?”
I set down my fork. “Part of me thinks I should just go home and try to fix things, but another part—”
“Another part knows you deserve better,” Catherine finished. She took a sip of water, then set her glass down carefully. “Olivia, may I tell you something about myself? Ten years ago, I lost my sight in a car accident. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, just bad luck and bad weather. Afterward, many people treated me differently. Business partners assumed I couldn’t run my company anymore. Some friends stopped calling because they didn’t know how to act around me. A few people even tried to take advantage of me, thinking I’d become helpless.”
She paused.
“But I learned something important during that time. My worth had nothing to do with what others thought of me or what I could or couldn’t do. My worth was inherent. It existed simply because I existed. And the same is true for you.”
Tears pricked my eyes. “Derek made me feel like everything was my fault. Like I was the problem.”
“That’s what people like him do. They tear you down to build themselves up. But here’s what I want you to understand. You have options. You don’t have to go back to him. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever, unless you truly want to.”
“But everything is in our joint account that Derek controls.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. You have somewhere to go. You can stay here as long as you need. And as for money and legal matters, I have excellent lawyers who handle these situations all the time.”
“I couldn’t ask you to—”
