Chapter 15
"And the money?"
Frances sighed.
"Emily, I'm still your attorney, so I'm going to say this one more time. You are entitled to a fair settlement."
"I know."
"You don't need to prove a moral point by walking away from assets."
"I'm not."
That was important.
I had left the jewelry and clothes because they carried emotional weight I no longer wanted.
But I wasn't going to confuse dignity with foolishness.
I had contributed to the marriage.
I had managed homes, hosted business dinners, supported Vincent through years of relentless travel, helped care for his mother after surgery, and put my own career in interior restoration on hold during pregnancy.
So I accepted a fair division negotiated by counsel.
Not his empire.
Not the mansion.
Not millions in gifts designed to keep me quiet.
Enough to protect Lily's future and restart my own.
Vincent signed.
When Frances told me, I sat at my kitchen table for a long time.
I had expected victory to feel dramatic.
It didn't.
It felt like unclenching a muscle I hadn't realized was tense.
My relationship with Vincent's family was more complicated.
His mother, Teresa, arrived at my house one Sunday carrying lasagna.
She had always been intimidating.
Elegant.
Controlled.
A woman who could silence a dining room by setting down her fork.
That afternoon, she stood on my porch holding a casserole dish.
"May I come in?"
I stepped aside.
She placed the dish in the kitchen.
Then she looked toward Lily.
"She's beautiful."
"You can hold her."
Teresa's face softened immediately.
I watched her cradle her granddaughter.
After several minutes, she said, "Vincent was wrong."
I didn't answer.
She sat across from me.
"I raised him to believe providing was the same as loving."
Her honesty surprised me.
"His father was like that."
"I know."
"I used to tell myself men like them showed love differently."
I looked at Lily.
"I told myself that too."
Teresa nodded.
"Perhaps we both made excuses."
There was no defensiveness in her voice.
That made me trust her more.
She looked down at Lily.
"Has Vincent told you he ended things with Sophia?"
"Yes."
"And?"
"And nothing."
Teresa almost smiled.
"He doesn't understand that."
"I know."
"He keeps asking me what he should do."
I looked at her.
"What do you tell him?"
"That if he's doing it to get you back, he's still making everything about what he wants."