The Divorce He Asked For, The Empire I Took Away novel · Chapter 19 of 32
Chapter 19: The List
I called Coralee's mother's house that night.
Her mother answered on the first ring.
"She's not here, Liesl," she said. "And honey, I'm so sorry about all of it. I raised her better than this. I thought I did."
"Where is she?"
A long pause.
"Look at her Instagram. She can't help herself."
She couldn't.
Coralee had posted three hours earlier.
A selfie on the Healdsburg plaza, golden hour, a new blazer, her honey hair blown out.
"New chapter!! Tomorrow night I'm joining a family that actually values what I bring. Big announcement at the pop-up. Come see what made 1904 famous."
The pop-up was a tasting bar on the corner of the plaza, glass front, rented out for the month by a big label from Napa.
They'd been trying to buy their way into Dry Creek for years.
On Friday at seven I parked across the plaza.
Augie came with me.
He'd put on a clean shirt, which was how I knew he was serious.
"I'm not going to say anything," he said in the truck.
"I'm going to stand there and be large."
"Perfect."
The tasting bar was packed.
The rest of this chapter is part of the paid portion of the series. Chapters 1–16 of The Divorce He Asked For, The Empire I Took Away are free to read — start from the beginning, then unlock the rest with coins in the app.
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