I shrugged her off, my face as calm as still water.
"Not much longer now."
The flash of cameras was blinding, and a forest of microphones sprouted up before me.
"Mrs. Shaw, are you accusing Ms. Kane of stealing your work out of jealousy?"
"Is it true that you and Mr. Shaw are splitting?"
"Rumor has it you're a big spender, and that's why Mr. Shaw's given you the cold shoulder. Any truth to that?"
I took a deep breath.
"Everything you've heard, it's all true."
The crowd gasped, buzzing with shock. Nobody saw it coming—that I owned up to every charge—Jeffrey included.
He cut the press conference short and whisked me away to the back.
"Are you out of your mind?" he hissed.
I faced him, a stranger in my own skin.
"I've done what you've asked and cleared Ms. Kane's name.
"Just sign the divorce papers, and we can both move on."
His eyes, once stormy, went still. "You planned this."
I nodded, just once.
I knew how those elite types worshipped their reputations.
He could deal with a nobody but a scandalous wife? Never.
He let out a bitter chuckle.
"Divorce? And crawl back to your backwater hometown?
"Rebecca, after years of high life, you think you can survive that again?
"I'll be waiting for you to crawl back to me."
I could not help but laugh, though it was more bitter than sweet.
He thought I had it all, but I was suffocating, living a life of quiet desperation.
Like a goldfish in a bowl—pretty to look at but nowhere to go. I was stuck with people I loathed, doing things I detested.
After a decade, I had paid my dues.
"Ms. Elaine, I've missed you so much!" Yoana's bright, youthful voice cut through the tension.
She dashed over and wrapped her arms around Elaine, her eyes brimming with worry.
"Ms. Elaine, are you okay? No one's been mean to you, right?"
Elaine softly patted her hair, a gentle smile on her face. "How is that possible? Jeffrey's here."
Yoana shot me a smug look.
"Absolutely! Dad and I will always have your back."
I stared at her, my gaze intense. "Who's been filling your head with the idea that I'd pick on Ms. Kane?"
Yoana scoffed.
"Please, as if I needed to be told. You're so cunning. You don't have an ounce of Ms. Elaine's goodness in you.
"Dad says women from the wrong side of the tracks are nothing but trouble."
I was taken aback, turning to Jeffrey in disbelief.
Even with my heart turned to stone, I could not fathom him saying such things.
He rarely looked away, but this time, he did, quickly masking his expression.
"You've been over the top these days. I'm just calling it like I see it."
I gave a bitter laugh.
So much for calling it like it is. My once young love had long since decayed.
I lifted my eyes to see them—cozy and close—looking like the perfect family.
Well, good for them. Everyone was back on their original path.
At home, I had the lawyer draft the divorce papers, and then I headed out.
Before I left Sutton for good, there was one last place I wanted to see.
The fringes at Brixton Bay were in full bloom, vast swaths like snow on the branches.
We had fringes back home when I was little. My mom used to say, "Fringes stand for standing strong and independent, Becca. Never lose yourself."
My vision blurred all of a sudden.
I had not shed a tear when they smeared my name, laughed at me, when my love doubted me, or when my daughter turned against me.
However, at the thought of my mom's words, the tears would not stop.
The world was too big, and then it was just me.
The breeze rustled through the fringes, carrying a scent that reminded me of my mom's gentle touch.
I wiped the last tear and steeled myself.
'It's okay, there's still time,' I thought.
"A kid's fallen into the water!" A shout yanked me from my grief.
The shore was in an uproar. I saw the tiny figure in the lake, and without a second thought, I dove in.
I paddled like crazy, doing everything I could to hoist the kid onto dry land. As I glanced at the shore, I recognized them. Was it really Yoana?
Jeffrey caught sight of me, but there was no time for shock. He rushed Yoana into the waiting ambulance.
He did not ask me to go with them, but I was too worried to walk away.
At the hospital, I watched Jeffrey and Elaine stand vigil by the bedside. Yoana's eyes fluttered open. She was so pale. Her voice was barely a whisper as she said, "Ms. Elaine, did you save me?"
Elaine paused, then gave a slight nod.
