Wisely, I had listened to Bridget months ago and signed a power of attorney that allowed me to sell the property without his involvement. I had played the role of the obedient wife for too long, but the locks they put on that door had set me free.
On the second day after the birth, Mr. Henderson arrived with the buyer, a refined man named Arthur Sterling. We sat in the hospital room, and as the money was transferred into an escrow account, I signed the final documents with a steady hand.
“It is done, Bridget,” I said after the men left. “The cage is officially gone.”
“Are you going to cut off their cards now?” Bridget asked, watching me with a mix of admiration and caution.
“Not yet,” I replied with a cold smile. “I want them to reach the peak of their joy so the fall into the abyss is much more painful.”
In Maui, the trio was living like royalty in a five star resort, completely oblivious to the trap I had set. Gertrude stood on her balcony overlooking the ocean, laughing about how she had finally put me in my place.