I wasn’t the woman hiding anymore.
Preston tried one last time before leaving.
“Valerie… please.”
I looked at him.
The man I married.
The man who thought I was poor, alone, and easy.
Then I smiled softly.
“You should’ve checked who was under the bed.”
He left without another word.
Weeks later the divorce finalized quickly. Dad’s investigation destroyed Preston’s career, Brenda disappeared from my life, and Kendra moved out of state before the baby arrived.
I kept the penthouse.
The name.
The future.
Everything they tried to take.
And every now and then, when I passed that hotel downtown, I remembered the bride hiding beneath the bed.
Poor girl.
