Chapter 2 - My Grandmother’s Name Changed the Party
The birthday party ended without anyone officially ending it.
Guests began leaving in little groups.
Nobody wanted to be present for whatever came next.
Richard was furious.
Not at his mother.
Not at himself.
At me.
“You had to turn Lily’s birthday into this?”
I stared at him through frosting.
“You shoved my face into her cake.”
“You provoked me.”
There it was.
The Bennett family’s favorite sentence.
Anything they did became something someone else had caused.
Lily tightened her arms around my neck.
Julian noticed.
“Claire, you should take your daughter somewhere quiet.”
Olivia stepped between us.
“She’s not going anywhere with him.”
I almost laughed.
“Who asked your permission?”
“This is my house.”
“Then enjoy it.”
I started toward the stairs.
Richard followed.
“Claire.”
“No.”
“We’re discussing this.”
“Later.”
His face tightened.
“Don’t walk away from me.”
Lily flinched.
I stopped.
Not because Richard scared me.
Because my daughter did.
She already knew the sound of his voice before he lost control.
That realization was worse than the cake.
I turned around.
“Do not follow us upstairs.”
For once, Richard didn’t.
I packed one suitcase.
Clothes for Lily.
Clothes for me.
Her stuffed rabbit.
Medication.
Documents.
Nothing sentimental.
I could come back later.
When I returned downstairs, Julian was standing in the foyer.
He pointed at the ring.
“May I see the inside?”
I hesitated.
Then removed the necklace.
He held the ring beneath the foyer light.
Inside the band were letters so faded I had never paid attention to them.
R.H.
Underneath:
E.S.
Julian closed his eyes.
“My wife’s initials.”
“Eleanor Sterling?”
“Yes.”
Olivia appeared behind us.
“It proves nothing.”
Julian didn’t look at her.
“It proves Eleanor had it engraved for Ruth.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I ordered it.”
Olivia stopped.
I felt Lily’s hand tighten around mine.
Julian returned the ring.
“Your grandmother worked for my family.”
“I know she was a bookkeeper.”
“She was more than that. She was Eleanor’s closest friend.”
That I did not know.
I had grown up with a simplified version.
Grandma Ruth worked for rich people.
Something went wrong.
She was accused of stealing.
She lost her job.
My mother never wanted to discuss it.
Then Julian said:
“She was accused of taking one hundred and twenty thousand dollars from our charitable foundation.”
My stomach tightened.
“That destroyed her.”
“I know.”
His voice sounded different.
Ashamed.
Then Olivia snapped:
“Enough.”
Julian finally looked at her.
“You were the person who reported Ruth.”
I turned toward my mother-in-law.
Olivia’s mouth tightened.
May you like
Twenty-eight years earlier, before she became Mrs. Bennett, she had worked in Julian Sterling’s office.
And apparently she had built part of her life on my grandmother’s disgrace.
