Chapter 2: Five Years Gone

Five years later—

Because I missed my daughter so much, I returned to the city.

Lila Owen said to me:

"You know, Aubrey, you only married my husband because you happened to save his life—like a nobody suddenly getting a seat at the big table. Now that you’re back, are you hoping to snag another rich family?"

Her voice was sweet as saccharine, sharp as a tack. She held herself with that effortless confidence people like me only saw in movies, her diamond earrings catching the light. In this town, folks like Lila always knew exactly where they belonged—and who didn’t.

Owen also said, "A divorced woman—who’d want to marry her again?"

So, he understood everything.

But when my jealous new husband showed up, Owen—who had always been calm and collected—suddenly lost his cool.