18:03

    bChapter /bb225 /b

    Elissa couldn’t stand to drag things out for even one more minute.

    Only by ending it quickly could she truly feel separate from this marriage.

    Otherwise, every time Frank Atwater cornered her, it was like something was stuck in her throat–she couldn’t spit it out, but she couldn’t swallow it down either.

    Carm, hearing how crisp and decisive Elissa’s answer was, nearly choked from anger. Gritting her teeth, she snapped, “What possible good coulde from a divorce? Without the protection of the Atwater family, you’ll have nothing to gain and everything to lose!”

    Elissa almostughed. Protection? She’d be lucky if they didn’t go out of their way ito /ihumiliate her.

    Her face remained calm as she replied, “If you won’t give it to me, that’s fine. I’ll go ito /iRowan–he’ll know how to get me a new divorce certificate.”

    Carm had connections, sure. With a single call, she could make it almost impossible for Elissa to get a recement certificate. But Rowan? One phone call from him, and Elissa could probably get ten of them without breaking a sweat.

    Of course, she had no real intention of asking Rowan for help. She was only bluffing. If she didn’t bring up Rowan now, who knew how long Carm would drag this out before handing over the paperwork?

    She refused to let them stall her any longer.

    Carm hadn’t forgotten that Elissa and Rowan had reconciled–and that Rowan was her brother, ready to back her up. But she never expected Elissa to use that against her!

    This little brat had really grown a backbone.

    Had she forgotten that, once upon a time, she needed the Atwater family’s help just to get a job out in the world?

    Carm was furious, but also terrified that Elissa might actually goin to Rowan. Forcing herself to soften her itone/i, she said, “I’ll give you the divorce certificate. Just promise me you won’t tell Frank unless you absolutely have to.”

    She still had no idea how to break the news to her son.

    Her original n had been to pull some strings and void the certificate altogether. But since it was already in the system, there was nothing she could do.

    Elissa, unmoved, replied flippantly, “Depends on my mood.”

    This wasn’t the first time she realized how useful Rowan’s name could be, but she hadn’t expected it to work so well on Carm. If she’d known, she would have gotten her hands on the divorce certificate ages ago. After all, no one was going to run to Rowan to check on their rtionship.

    Carm stared at her, drawing a deep breath, then turned to the housekeeper. “Go get the divorce

    certificate.”

    The housekeeper hurried off.

    18:03

    Rowan’s presence loomedrge in Carm’s mind, she had no desire to let things get truly ugly between her and Elissa. “We’ve been family for three years. If you ever need anything, just call.”

    Elissa thought of the mess with Tanya Fosterst time and smiled faintly. “Sure.”

    She wasn’t interested in arguing. All she wanted was to get the divorce certificate and move on.

    Soon, the housekeeper returned from upstairs, handing Elissa a dark red document.

    Elissa opened it, nced inside to confirm it was correct, and tucked it into her bag. “I’ll be going, then. Didn’t mean to interrupt your holiday.”

    Stepping out of Atwater Manor, she felt a weight lift from her shoulders.

    With the divorce certificate in hand, her muddled marriage was finally, officially over.

    It was all finished.

    She was heading to her car when Hickey came barreling past her–like a runaway bowling ball–racing toward a car that must’ve arrived while she was inside.

    “Mommy!”

    Marcia Carson stepped out of the car, bent down, and scooped him up in a warm embrace. “Did you

    miss me?”

    Hickey nodded so hard his hair flopped. “Uh–huh!”

    From a distance, the two of them looked like the perfect picture of mother and child–so tender, so loving

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