Chapter 13: Chapter 13

VIOLA

I hear Rick’s car start and heave a sigh of relief.

It’s been the morning I feared. I receive call after call from people threatening to sue me or just wanting to rant and blame the fact that their marriages failed on me. Cancellation after cancellation has followed and I have watched my business being choked to death in a matter of hours.

I call an estate agent who regularly leaves pamphlets in my mailbox. The agency is proactive so I decide to get them in and explore having them list the house for sale.

They answer the phone promptly and I am soon put through to an agent who arranges to meet me at two pm. As I put the phone down, the doorbell rings. I wish I had a fence and gates in front of the property. Too late for that now, I think to myself as I open the door without checking who it is.

It’s the reporter from the television report.

She smiles superficially. I see the cameraman behind her. No doubt the camera is rolling already.

“Good morning Miss Hughes.”