Chapter 3Too Late for Sorry

I ignored him, rinsing my mouth at the sink and turning to leave.

He blocked my path, dangling a wrist in front of my face. A new Rolex gleamed under the harsh fluorescent light. "Maya got me this for my birthday," he said, his voice dripping with condescension. "She ever get you anything this nice? Oh, wait. Don't answer that."

How pathetic.

"I've lost count of how many of you she's brought around to try and get a rise out of me," I said, my voice flat. "But you, you're easily the tackiest."

His face flushed with anger.

He puffed out his chest. "Yeah, keep telling yourself that. Maya told me she likes me the best. She brought me to meet her oldest friends. What does that tell you?"

I looked at his borrowed face and gave a small, tired nod. "You're right. You are different. You'll probably get to stick around for a while. Congratulations. I wish you both a long and happy life together."

My sincerity seemed to stun him into silence.

When I returned to the table, Maya was peeling a shrimp. Finn followed me in and slid back into his seat. Maya placed the perfectly shelled shrimp into his bowl.

"Eat it before it gets cold."

I don't know why I even bothered coming back. Maybe it was some pathetic shred of pride, a refusal to be chased away. Or maybe, before it was all over, I just wanted to see how far she would push me.

She continued to dote on him, completely ignoring the suffocatingly awkward atmosphere she'd created. Finally, one of our old friends couldn't take it anymore. "So, Maya… this is your…?"

"Oh, Finn is my new executive assistant," she said smoothly.

Finn beamed.

Assistant? The others had just been toys, disposable distractions. This one she'd brought into the company.

Her devotion to Finn—no, her devotion to Connor—ran deep.

So what did that make me? Her husband of five years. What the hell was I?

Maya didn't stay long. After about ten minutes, she stood up to leave. This time, looking at the boy by her side, no one tried to make her stay.

The door clicked shut behind them. For a moment, there was silence. Then, someone spoke in a low voice.

"Hey, did you guys ever hear that rumor? About right before Connor died? Someone supposedly tipped off his creditors, told them where he was hiding."

My hand trembled, sloshing wine over the rim of my glass.

At that exact moment, the door opened again. Maya had forgotten her purse. She stood in the doorway, her face instantly turning to stone as she took in the words that hung in the air.