The next morning, I left the divorce agreement behind. I packed a single suitcase, picked it up, and walked out.
Ebony threw five hundred dollars in my face. The bills grazed my skin, fluttered upward for a brief, weightless moment, then drifted to the floor.
"Take your money and get lost."
"And remember, don't ever come back. Because if I see you again, I'll make you regret it."
When Caspar came home, he was carrying the little cakes I loved and a crystal necklace.
Ebony's eyes lit up instantly. "Are those for me?"
Caspar frowned and pulled away from her reach.
"They're for my wife."
He ignored the shift in Ebony's expression and kept talking, almost to himself.
"This is your fault. You went too far last time."
"Maud is genuinely angry now. Don't show your face for the next couple of days. I need to make things right with her."
"You should've seen her. She cried so hard yesterday her eyes were all red, like a little rabbit."
His voice went unbearably soft as he said it.
"It broke my heart."
"Put the whole faking-sick thing on hold for a few days."
He held out a check.
"Here's a million dollars. Go have fun somewhere for a couple of weeks. Once Maud's cooled off, you can come back."