Page 9 of Soul

“Oh, wonderfully amazing, honey girl. I’m getting married in Hawaii, and Chandler and I want you to fly out for it Sunday,” Krista exclaimed.

“Mom… Krista, I can’t! And who the heck is Chandler? And again, Mom? This is your seventh!” Bryony boomed.

“Don’t be a Debbie Downer, darling!” Krista chided. “I told you all about Chandler when we spoke last.”

“Oh, when I was updating you that Maci had suffered a flare-up, and I didn’t have time to listen to whatever bullshit you were spouting? Seriously, Mom? I’m not attending another wedding where you’ll be divorced a year later. And Maci gets a lot of pain, so I won’t expose her to flying just for a guy she’ll meet once,” Bryony snapped.

“Don’t take that tone with me, Bryony!” Krista retorted. “Get a man and have a good fucking! You’re so sour it’s no wonder the kids' dad—”

“Before you utter what comes next, think very carefully, Mom. Because Madden was a first-class asshole, and no matter how you wrap things up, he’s a danger to me and the children,” Bryony snapped. “And Madden’s continued to be one ever since.”

“Well—”

“No. End of discussion. Madden’s a useless waste of space. Maci’s disabilities are his fault. The only positive things that came from Madden were the kids and my divorce settlement!”

Who needed TV when I had this next door? I wondered as I listened unashamedly. Whenever I’d see Bryony, she’d kept her head down and avoided eye contact. Bryony barely muttered a hello, so she had not registered with me. Fired up like she was, my interested in this spitfire grew.

“Anyway, screw Madden,” Krista said.

“You did. That caused my divorce,” Bryony snapped.

Oh shit, her mom didn’t?

“Bryony, we agreed not to discuss that. It was an error, and at least it proved what type of man he was!” Krista replied blithely.

Holy crap, Krista had. She’d totally fucked her daughter’s husband.

“Once is a mistake, Mom. A three-month affair isn’t. But whatever. I’m done fighting. You’ll never admit you’re in the wrong, no matter what. The answer is good luck, but no, we can’t attend.”

“I suppose that’s for the best. Maci would be upset not being a bridesmaid. The wheelchair would have ruined the pictures, so Maci couldn’t possibly be one,” Krista twittered, all excited.

“And we’re done.”

I assumed Bryony hit the end button because silence fell.

“God, I asked for strength, not a load of bullshit. Maybe tomorrow can be a better day? Oh, and while I don’t like my mother, please let this husband make her happy,” Bryony said. The door opened, and light blinded me, and then it shut, and the curtains closed.

Well, now. That had been an interesting development. And then it hit me. Not once had I experienced pain from Bryony. She’d told the complete truth for the entire conversation. How fuckin’ rare!

Bryony

Krista had impeccable timing. Tonight had been difficult. Clearly, Maci and Ham had fallen out about something, but they wouldn’t tell me what.

Maci, at seven and Ham, now eight, fought like cat and dog. But try to single one of them out, and they presented a united front.

I’d done Maci’s exercises with her. Maci suffered fromGuillain-Barré syndrome. Tonight, she was tired, and it rarely ended well. I knew Hamilton was helping her, as he always did, and I was grateful to him. After nearly losing Maci three years ago, Ham kept a constant eye on his sister. My kids were closer than most siblings.

Thankfully, I worked from home and didn’t have to leave the children. I was an editor to two authors and my dad had left me a trust fund, which I rarely touched. My divorce settlement had been agreed by both sides, and considering who Madden was, it had been very generous. Few women walked away with an eight-figure divorce settlement.

Even so, as wealthy as I was, we lived on my wages and a monthly allowance from the divorce proceedings.

Happily, I had divorced Madden three years ago, just after Maci got ill. I’d been visiting my elderly grandmother, who subsequently died. It had taken me four weeks to resolve everything, and when I returned home, I had a seriously sick daughter.

Terrified, I’d rushed Maci to hospital and had been told she’d had an infection that had developed intoGuillain-Barré syndrome. I’d been horrified. Months of treatment followed, which Madden paid for as we were still married, although separated by then.

When Krista admitted to sleeping with him, Madden quickly settled, and I was divorced.

Luckily, my lawyer had been a shark, and she’d ensured I got everything I wanted and then some. She’d made sure thatMadden had contributed an extra allowance to cover any bills arising from Maci’s care. Madden had agreed without a complaint. He had his public image to take care of, after all. Not that I was bitter!

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