trusted.
The man who believed I would always tolerate one more betrayal.
Then I answered honestly.
“You leave.”
He closed his eyes.
“And after that?”
I glanced at the legal papers.
The debt.
The house.
The consequences.
Then back at him.
“After that, reality.”
Two weeks later, the house was quiet again.
Margot moved into a small apartment.
Benjamin rented a condo across town.
The company entered restructuring.
Lawyers became very busy.
And me?
I stayed exactly where I belonged.
In my mother’s house.
One evening I opened the safe
