Page 39 of Wishing Stone

First thing in the morning, I would go to Stone’s Hope. The shelter needed me, and I’d be damned if I was going to let Alexander keep me from going.

Independent woman card, my ass.

My reasons for going there had nothing to do with my independence and everything to do with what was right. Of course, he would be furious when he found out I went against him, but I’d deal with it later. My more immediate problem was slipping past Vivian and Hale. If they caught wind of me leaving, they would alert Alexander. While I was prepared to go a round with him about this, I didn’t want Stone’s Hope to be the sacrificial lamb. Going there was too important and I didn’t want anything to get in my way.

For tomorrow, I’d need to stay under the radar. After that, there would be no more sneaking around. In fact, I saw a lunch date with Allyson in my very near future.

“And forget this working from home bullshit,” I muttered to myself.

There was no doubt in my mind that I would be back in the office on Monday morning. I would be careful, of course, and still take precautions. There was no way I would let my spite jeopardize the baby. I’d need to get with the staff at Turning Stone Advertising to establish office protocols, but I saw no reason why we couldn’t go back to semi-normal workdays as long as the risks were low. According to the news, things couldn’t get much better.

Smiling to myself, I looked forward to all the ways I would torture my husband with my reclaimed freedom. He would have little choice but to watch me come and go from Cornerstone Tower, stewing on his perch on the fiftieth floor, unable to stop me.

And it would serve him right.

15

Krystina

With my mouth in the shape of an O, I angled closer to the bathroom mirror in the master suite and touched up my lipstick. Standing up straight, I blinked a few times, then took in my reflection. The woman who stared back at me looked nothing short of a nervous wreck. Exasperated, I tossed the lipstick back into my makeup bag.

“You’ve got this. Everything will be fine,” I said to myself. I took a deep breath and moved to the bedroom to make myself comfortable on the settee near the front window. All I could do now was wait with bated breath for the all-clear.

Hale had left hours ago. Considering the number of supplies he needed to get, I didn’t expect him to be back until dinnertime. Vivian should be leaving at any minute to pick up the groceries. However, the grocery trip was a short run, and finding a way to keep her away from the house for more than an hour had been a challenge. I ended up starting my day much earlier than usual as a result.

After finishing my work on the Beaumont campaign by eight, I then spent the rest of the morning creating a retail shopping list of items that weren’t really needed. I arranged several curbside pickup orders for Vivian at various places just to keep her busy. The orders ranged from clothing stores to Christmas décor suppliers. When I told Vivian about the must-have cashmere sweater I wanted from Saks, she’d eyed me curiously but thankfully didn’t question it.

With the added stops I’d given her, she would be out of the house for at least three hours. That would give me plenty of time to drive into the city, talk to Stone’s Hope staff, and make it back before Hale or Vivian did. With any luck, Alexander would be none the wiser about my little venture. And if he found out, oh well. I was done living in his gilded cage. I’d thrown the door wide open, and I had no intention of being locked in again. Besides, it was for a good reason. I endured my controlling husband’s wrath before, and I’d survive it again if I had to. He never stayed mad at me for long.

Still, my attempt at aloofness did nothing for my nerves. No matter how overbearing I thought Alexander was being, I couldn’t ignore the reason he was concerned about my safety in the first place—even if he didn’t fully understand how concerned he truly needed to be yet. My bravado from last night had long since disappeared. Yes, I was still angry with my husband, but it had become overshadowed by worry for my unborn baby. If I was going to go through with this, I needed to be extremely careful.

When I saw Vivian’s late-model maroon Oldsmobile pull around from the back of the house and disappear down the driveway, I knew the coast was clear. Grabbing a bottle of hand sanitizer and two masks, I made my way downstairs. I knew double masking was over the top, but after listening to Alexander’s concerns for months on end, I figured it was better to be safe than sorry. Too much was a stake. With our sad history of failed pregnancies, I didn’t want something as simple as an inadequate face covering to put the baby in jeopardy.

Going through the kitchen and out the back door, I headed toward the Porche Cayenne Turbo S parked in the garage, just one of many cars in Alexander’s collection. The larger vehicle wasn’t my favorite to drive, as I preferred cars that were lower to the ground, but it would be the safest. Heavy snow was in the forecast later on this evening, and the SUV’s four-wheel-drive might come in handy just in case it started falling early.

Slipping into the driver’s seat, I buckled my seatbelt. My body buzzed with nerves as I backed out of the garage and began the drive toward the city that never sleeps.

Less than an hour later,I parked the car and exited the parking ramp located down the block from Stone’s Hope. I’d made good time, and I was surprised by the lack of traffic. But even more surprising was the lack of people on the city streets, and I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d imagined the news that I’d seen on the television last night. I expected to see more people out and about. Even during the winter months, people were always crowded on the sidewalks, coming and going to or from their homes, places of work, or local businesses.

I also couldn’t help but notice how many vacant storefronts I’d passed on my ride in. I hadn’t been to the city in over a year, and even though I’d heard the occasional news report about how hard businesses had been impacted by the virus, I’d just assumed their doom and gloom was a bit of an exaggeration. Sadly, it didn’t seem to be hyperbole at all, and seeing the desolation firsthand was depressing. This just didn’tfeellike my New York and it angered me to know I’d been so completely in the dark about her suffering—and all because of Alexander’s need to control me.

I slipped on my gloves as I climbed from the vehicle. My hands were shaking, and I wasn’t sure if it was from the cold or because I was still so angry at Alexander for lying to me. I walked the three blocks to the shelter, and as I approached the entrance to the building, I glanced up at the sky. Dark, ominous clouds were moving in quicker than I’d anticipated, and I superstitiously crossed my fingers, hoping the worst of the snow would hold out until after I was home.

When I reached the glass front door of the building, I cracked my neck from side to side and tried to shake off the tension. After looping the strings of my masks around each ear, I went inside.

I spotted Claire sitting behind the main reception desk. Even from a distance, I could see how tired she looked. Deep lines and dark circles surrounded her ordinarily bright eyes. Considering the short staff at the shelter, I wasn’t sure if she was tired from overwork or the stress from the stolen money.

I glanced around at my surroundings. Behind Claire, two staff members sat typing away on their keyboards in their cubicles. The waiting room was empty, but I couldn’t help noticing the wide spaces between the chairs. That’s when I saw the large sign taped to the wall.

Please be mindful of our congregate setting.

Social distancing is still in effect for the protection of our guests and staff.

Masks are encouraged but not required.

I felt a slight increase in my pulse when I read masks were optional. It didn’t matter if the news I’d watched last night had said as much. Experiencing it firsthand made me feel extremely vulnerable.

I looked around again, checking the faces of everyone I saw. There were several women and children in the common room just down the hall. I could see little boys and girls playing various games through the cordoned-off glass wall. Other than the staff members, very few people wore a mask. This shouldn’t make me nervous. After all, there hadn’t been any reported cases of the virus in a week.

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