Chad gave me a knowing look. “Knew your
hadn’t told them.” It wasn’t that I didn’t want to
tell them, it’s that I was scared to. The original
Ashley didn’t have the best relationship with her
family. Her parents were traditional and favored
her brother. She was rebellious, and her
marriage to Jason had caused a huge rift. Once
Jason became successful, their attitude had
done a 180, but they constantly criticized her
for fighting with him. All in all, being the
villainous ex–wife hadn’t been a walk in the
<
12:37
32
park, even before the divorce. But… “Divorce papers are signed. What do I have to be afraid
of?”
The next few days were even better than I’d imagined. I had the housekeeper pack up all of Jason’s belongings and ship them to him. The
– had
–
house a huge, three–story mansion
been a wedding gift from my parents, but Jason.
rarely stayed there. Every corner probably
reminded him of how miserable Ashley had
made him. He’d mostly lived at his office, and
later, after his business took off, he bought a
condo near his company. The original Ashley
had shown up there once and found Melissa
inside. Awkward. Melissa had quickly explained
that she was just taking shelter from the rain,
but Ashley had gone ballistic. They’d had a
massive fight and didn’t speak for a month.
Eventually, Ashley had caved and apologized.
She was so blinded by her obsession with
Jason. Now, the whole mansion was mine!
Jason hadn’t left much behind, but after
<
clearing out his stuff, the place felt a little.
empty, so I went on a shopping spree. I pointed
at everything I wanted. “This, this, not that one,
but everything else, please.” “Certainly, Ms.
Carter,” the store manager beamed. She was
happy, and so was I! A small army of sales.
associates followed me, carrying my bags. As
we walked out, we ran into Jason and Melissa.
He looked stunned to see me. I, however, was
more focused on Melissa, who was with him.
It looked like her leg had healed enough for her
to be out shopping. Jason cleared his throat.
“Her mom’s birthday is coming up, so I brought
her to pick out a gift.” I blinked. “Oh.” Why was
he telling me this? I didn’t care. I gave them a
polite nod. But before I could walk away,
Melissa spoke. She looked slightly apologetic.
“Ms. Carter, I’m so sorry. My leg isn’t quite
back to normal yet, so Jason offered to drive.
me.” She glanced at my shopping bags. “You
seem to have quite a lot to carry. Would you
like Jason to help you? I’ll be fine on my own.”
<
Textbook manipulation. Subtly reminding Jason
that I’d pushed her, hinting that I shouldn’t be jealous, and magnanimously “offering” Jason’s
help. I smiled sweetly. “No, thank you. My car is
downstairs. Besides, it’s probably best not to
bother Mr. Stone with personal errands.” Melissa’s eyes widened. “What?” I looked at
Jason, confused. “Mr. Stone, haven’t you told.
Melissa that we’re divorced?” Silence. Melissal
stared at Jason in disbelief. His jaw tightened.. “I prefer to keep my private life private.” What?
Was that a dig at me? All I did was throw a few
divorce parties. What a killjoy. Melissa clearly
hadn’t expected this bombshell either. She stammered, “…Jason, you and Ms. Carter are… you didn’t tell me?” He seemed to remember
she was there. He frowned slightly. “Things
have been hectic lately.” Wow. That’s the same
excuse he used to give the original Ashley all
the time. Now Melissa was getting the same
treatment. But for the heroine, this was
fantastic news. Her eyes darted between Jason
and me, then she bit her lip, feigning apology.
“I’m so sorry, I had no idea. I didn’t mean to bring it up… Ms. Carter, you don’t mind, do you?” Of course, I didn’t mind! He was ancient
history. “Not at all. You two enjoy your
shopping. My sales associate is carrying all this for me. It’s quite heavy. See you.” I took a step,
but Jason stopped me. “Wait.” I turned back.
“Something else, Mr. Stone?” He frowned,
clearly not used to my sudden change in
attitude. “Mom said you haven’t visited her in a
while.” His voice dropped, almost embarrassed.
“If you have time, you should go see her.” He
was talking about his mother, who was on
dialysis. Unlike Jason, she’d always liked
Ashley. Jason had never told her he’d been
forced into the marriage. She thought Ashley
was a kind, generous girl who married beneath
her and adored Jason. In the early days of their
marriage, Ashley had played the part perfectly,
showering his mother with attention. She knew
it was her only leverage. Jason was devoted to
his mom, and he wouldn’t divorce Ashley as
long as she kept his mother happy. But after
the incident with Melissa, Ashley had lost her
last bargaining chip. I considered it. “Okay. I’ll
go tomorrow.” The old woman hadn’t done
anything wrong. Jason’s expression relaxed. “I’ll
pick you up in the morning.” I smiled, jingling
my car keys. “No need, I can drive myself.
Wouldn’t want to trouble you, Mr. Stone.” Both
Jason and Melissa looked stunned.
The next morning, I drove to the nursing home.
It was a fancy place out in the suburbs, with
top–notch facilities and care. And a hefty price
tag to match. “Ms. Carter, you’re here,” the
nurse greeted me politely. Jason had hired her,
and knowing that I wasn’t exactly Jason’s
favorite person, she always addressed me
formally, never as Mrs. Stone. “Linda, you got it
wrong again,” Jason’s mom said from her bed.
Years of dialysis had taken their toll, leaving her
frail and thin. But she looked much better than
she had before she moved to the nursing home. Linda muttered an apology, her eyes lingering on the food container I was carrying, a flicker
<
of disdain in her expression. Even the nurse
looked down on my attempts to win Jason’s
favor. She knew it was pointless, that no matter what I did, Jason would only resent me more. “Ashley, dear,” Jason’s mom said, a warm smile lighting up her face. “Have you been busy? It’s been a while.” I sighed inwardly. The original Ashley had only used her, but she’d
fallen for the act. The old woman was innocent in all of this. “A little. I brought you some chicken soup. Try some later.” She took my hand and looked at me intently. “Is Jason giving you trouble again?” I shook my head, but she didn’t believe me. She sighed. “That boy has
always been stubborn, keeps everything bottled
- up. If he upsets you, tell me, and I’ll talk to
him.” Guilt twisted in my gut. I’d planned on
telling her about the divorce, but now the words
caught in my throat. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t
keep it from her forever, though. I was willing,
but Jason wouldn’t let me. If I kept visiting, he’d
probably think I was trying to win him back!
“I’ll… be busy for a while. I might not be able to
<
12:38
visit as often.” Ease her into it. Find the right
