Chapter 6 - THE WOMAN WHO CHANGED SIDES
I returned the navy dress to Sylvia personally.
She opened the front door and stared at the garment bag.
“What is this?”
“Yours.”
“You’re behaving like a child.”
“No. I’m behaving like Nina’s mother.”
Charles appeared behind her.
“Is this really going to become a family crisis?”
“It already did.”
Sylvia folded her arms.
“You let that girl dress however she wants. You never correct her. You never teach her how people judge families.”
“That girl has a name.”
“I know her name.”
“Then use it.”
Charles stepped closer.
“You’ve made your point.”
“No. I haven’t.”
I looked at Sylvia.
“You didn’t donate Nina’s clothes.”
Her eyes flicked toward Monique’s SUV parked at the curb behind me.
That was confirmation enough.
“You sent Monique to my garage?”
“No. She decided she was tired of helping you lie.”
Sylvia’s face hardened.
The garage door opened behind the house.
Andrew stepped through.
Of course he was there.
He looked from me to Monique’s SUV.
“Elena, go home.”
I stared at him.
“You knew I was coming?”
“Mom called.”
“When?”
“Does it matter?”
“Yes. I’m discovering it matters when everyone in this family knows things before I do.”
Charles rubbed his forehead.
“This is absurd.”
“Then answer one question.”
I turned toward Andrew.
“Why did you tell them North River was reducing credit because of me?”
Andrew looked at his parents.
Not me.
Charles frowned.
“What does Elena have to do with North River?”
Andrew answered quickly.
“She doesn’t.”
It was the first direct lie I had heard him tell his father.
And he did it while looking straight at him.
That evening, Monique called again.
“I think you should know why I brought the clothes back.”
“Because you felt guilty?”
“That too.”
She hesitated.
“But Vivian asked me something last night.”
“What?”
“She asked if Grandma was going to make Nina leave the family because Andrew said Nina costs too much.”
I closed my eyes.
Monique continued.
“I heard him say it once. Months ago. I thought he was complaining about private school.”
Nina didn’t attend private school.
Vivian did.
Something colder than anger settled inside me.
Andrew hadn’t merely allowed his family’s resentment.
May you like
He had been feeding it.
And I needed to know why.
