A Marriage Left Behind novel · Chapter 17 of 24

Chapter 17: Kylie

Judith drew herself up at the head of her own table.

"I will not be spoken to like this in my own house," she said. "By guests."

"We are your friends, Judith," said the old woman.

"Then act like it," Judith said.

"We are," the old woman said, and did not smile.

Kylie made a sound I had never heard from her.

It was small, wet and cracked down the middle.

"Stop," she said. "Mom. Stop."

"Kylie, sit up straight."

"I can't." She pushed her chair back so hard it hit the wall. "I can't do this anymore. I'm so tired of doing this."

Judith's voice went sharp.

"Do not make a scene in front of our guests."

"There's no one left to make it in front of!"

Kylie was crying openly now, with mascara down her cheeks and her phone shaking in her fist.

She looked at the table, at the guests, and then at me.

"I didn't want it to be you," she said. "I swear I didn't. I wanted a house, and Mom said you'd never notice."

"Kylie," Judith warned.

"She said you were the easiest part of the plan. She said it for years, Maura. At Sunday lunches. We laughed about it."

The room was silent, and I did not look away from her.

I had thought I would enjoy this.

I didn't.

Kylie wiped her face with her wrist and dug in her purse.

She took out a folded set of papers and a checkbook, and she crossed the room on unsteady feet.

"This is the application," she said. "The paper copy. I printed it three years ago, and Brady signed your name on page four. I held the pen cap."

Keep reading free with an account. Start A Marriage Left Behind from Chapter 1, then sign up free to read the rest of this chapter.