Chapter 14: Mine

"Yes," I said.

I said it to the whole room, because Lacey had made it theirs.

"I'm pregnant. I took the test the night of the gala, before I put on my dress, and the doctor confirmed it the next morning."

Wanda's handbag hit the floor.

"It happened on its own," I said. "No shots, no clinic, no help from anyone. About five weeks now."

Wanda was crying out loud, with both hands over her mouth.

"Elise Garner," she said through her fingers. "You let me feed you crackers for a week and said nothing."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't you dare be sorry. Come here."

She crossed the carpet in four steps and grabbed me so hard my feet nearly left the floor.

Over her shoulder, I saw the donor's wife wipe her eyes and the fund's director close her own.

I saw Marilyn on the arm of the sofa with her hand pressed flat on her chest.

I saw Lacey, still in the middle of the room, watching the whole thing go the wrong way.

"She hid it from her husband," Lacey said. "She hid a child from its own father to make herself the victim."

"You read my test in a coat check," I said. "You took my socks. You told me to keep quiet until Sunday so you could use it."

"I was trying to protect you."

"From what?"

She didn't have an answer.

The director took one step forward.

"Ms. Dunbar, the Lakeshore Children's Fund will release a statement tomorrow. Your bid is void, and you are no longer welcome at any of our events."

"You can't do that. I gave you twenty-five thousand dollars."

"Mr. Garner gave us twenty-five thousand dollars," the director said. "You gave us a photograph."

That was when the guests began to leave.

They went in twos and threes, quietly, with their glasses still in their hands.

Keep reading free with an account. Start She Bought My Husband for Seven Days, So I Took Back Everything from Chapter 1, then sign up free to read the rest of this chapter.