Page 20 of Breaking
"Well, shit"
Chapter 18
The silence in the dining room was absolute. The carefully orchestrated façade of civility had shattered like fine china, leaving behind nothing but a stunned tableau of open mouths and wide eyes. Jenna's words still hung in the air, their echoes settling like dust over the opulent room.
Margaret, who had never been at a loss for words, froze in place, her teacup held motionless in mid-air, her lips slightly parted in a response that never came. Her mouth hung open, and for a fleeting moment, she resembled a startled toad, caught off guard by a fly-only this fly had shockingly grown sharp teeth. Her poised, meticulously crafted mask of aristocratic composure faltered, as if violently torn away, exposing, for the first time, the raw disbelief that someone had dared to challenge her.
Lila, ever the tactful viper, recovered first. She set her wine glass down gently, her painted smile just a fraction too stiff. "Well," she said lightly, forcing a small laugh, "that was... unexpected."
Grant, who had just taken a bite of his petit four when Jenna had delivered her parting shot, choked violently, scrambling for his napkin as his wife, Victoria, thumped his back with all the subtlety of a lumberjack felling a tree.
Eleanor's teenage daughter, the one who had found the whole affair amusing, was still grinning, clearly delighted by the drama. "Oh, come on," she whispered to her mortified mother. "You have to admit, that was legendary."
Victoria, never one to miss an opportunity to insert herself, let out a short, scandalized gasp and placed a dramatic hand over her chest. "My word. The audacity." Her husband, who had long since learned the art of surviving family dinners by staying out of them, merely gave a noncommittal grunt and reached for another pastry. Eleanor's husband pretended interest in stirring his coffee.
Troy, on the other hand, sat stiffly in his chair, his fingers curled into his palm on the table. He opened his mouth, closed it, and then looked down at his untouched coffee as though it might provide him with a solution to the mess unfolding around him.
Lilly, who had been quiet most of the evening, swallowed and shifted in her seat, clearly uncomfortable. Max, on the other hand, let out a slow exhale and dragged a hand down his face, muttering, "Well... that could have gone worse."
Margaret finally found her voice, though it came out weaker than intended. "Bridge troll?" she repeated, her nostrils flaring. "Did she just-"
"She did," Grant wheezed, still recovering from his near-death experience. "And I, for one, will be telling this story at every opportunity."
"Don't encourage this," Victoria snapped, glaring at him.
"I think we should all take a moment to calm down," Troy said at last, but the words lacked authority. He sounded tired, rattled. Like a man who had just realized the ground beneath him wasn't as solid as he'd always believed.
Margaret set her teacup down a little too forcefully. "Jenna has always been... sensitive."
"She's been patient," Lilly muttered under her breath, but only Max heard, and he raised an eyebrow at her in surprise.
Lila, never one to be anything but gracious when the situation demanded, leaned forward with a falsely conciliatory tone. "I think she just needs time to cool off."
Victoria nodded sagely. "She's simply overwhelmed. Being a housewife for so many years can take a toll on a woman's... perspective."
Grant made an exaggerated coughing sound that sounded suspiciously like "bullshit."
Margaret straightened her spine and inhaled deeply, smoothing a hand over her dress. "Well. We shall finish our coffee, and then we can put this... unpleasantness behind us."
The guests exchanged awkward glances, the once-carefully constructed evening reduced to a series of muffled whispers and nervous sips of tea. But in the stunned silence that followed Jenna's departure, one thing was crystal clear.
This was the night everything had changed.
Chapter 19
Amemory
Jenna dug her toes into the warm, golden sand, letting the grains sift between them. The late afternoon sun cast a shimmering glow over the turquoise waters of Agios Pavlos Beach, a quiet slice of paradise tucked away from the crowded tourist spots of Greece. A light breeze ruffled her hair as she watched Max, who had just turned two, play a few feet away, his small hands gripping a red bucket and a yellow shovel as he babbled to himself in delight. Troy and Mack's tech company was still finding its foothold and Troy was in Greece to meet investors. But this had turned into a belated honeymoon. This was Jenna's first trip abroad.
She rested a protective hand on her abdomen, where the slightest swell of her pregnancy with Lilly was beginning to show. Her other hand traced the faint indentation of her wedding band, a simple gold band paired with a small princess cut diamond ring-modest, but still meaningful.
Her thoughts drifted to their wedding, a rushed affair orchestrated by Margaret at the family chapel. Jenna had barely had a say in it. Margaret had ensured it was small, exclusive, and painfully uncomfortable, refusing to allow Sasha to attend despite Jenna's quiet protests. Troy had initially stood firm on inviting Sasha, but in the end, he had yielded to his mother.
The ceremony itself had been brief, the priest a kind man who offered Jenna a reassuring smile, though it had done little to sootheher nerves. Troy's family had been distant, cold, and her presence had been tolerated at best. Then came the reception, an event Jenna had endured more than enjoyed. The whispers, the stares, the carefully veiled disdain-it had been suffocating.
Then Grant had cornered Troy, his words sharp and goading, laced with the quiet superiority that only made Troy's temper flare. Jenna had been nearby, lingering near the edge of the room, pretending not to listen but unable to tear herself away.
"So, this is where you've ended up?" Grant's voice was smooth, practiced, laced with thinly veiled derision. "You actually went through with it. Married the last person anyone expected."
