Page 26 of Best Kept Vows

She paused at the doorway and turned to me, her eyes filled with rage, which I hadn’t seen in years.

“Yes, Sebastian. Because this is not aconversation. It’s you trying to control me. And I’m done with that.”

Then she walked into our home, the door closing softly behind her.

I stood frozen, breathing heavily as the silence on the porch closed in on me like a heavy blanket suffocating me. I recognized the feeling clawing at me—loss.

CHAPTER 9

Ophelia

“Do you know this building”—Luna waved a hand around to indicate The Grey, the bar we were at—“used to be a 1938 Greyhound bus depot?”

I shook my head. “No, I didn’t know that. I just like the Art Deco façade.”

Luna, Stella, and Aurora had invited me to their Sunday evening drinks date to break the ice so I’d be at ease when I walked into work the next day.

“We usually meet for a quick drink on Sunday afternoons,” Stella explained. “But I had some stuff to deal with and?—”

Luna gave an exaggerated eye roll. “Bystuff, she means that Noah got home this morning after being gone for a week and didn’t let her leave.”

“You’re just jealous because you’re not gettingany.” Stella stuck her tongue out at herfriend.

These women were all about a decade or more younger than me, and I’d thought I’d feel out of place with them, being older, broodier, but I didn’t. I liked how easy they were to talk to and howdifferentfrom the women I’d been interacting with as Mrs. Sebastian Boone.

We sat in a curved booth near the horseshoe-shaped bar. The ambient conversations, the soft jazz—all of it was so…Sex & The City. I wondered which one of us was who. I was definitely Charlotte—boring, married, and not having sex with my husband (her first one).

When I walked in, I was riding an uneasy mix of excitement and nerves—and the moment Aurora waved to me, I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d made a mistake.

Luna had sent me a text message that morning asking if I’d join them. I had been about to turn her down, as Sundays were reserved for the intolerable and interminable Boone family dinners, but then I remembered Tristan saying that I didn’t have to go if I didn’t want to. I expected Sebastian would get annoyed, which he had—but I wasdone. I’d put up with this shit for two decades, and I didn’t want to anymore.

Settling into the booth, I was immediately struck by the camaraderie among these women. Aurora, with her impeccable style and nurturing demeanor, Stella, exuding serene confidence, and Luna, whose edgy appearance belied a heart of gold.

“So, how long have you been married?” Luna asked.

“Twenty-two years.”

“Wow!” Aurora mused. “Congratulations.”

“It’s not the length of a marriage, it’s the quality,” I found myself saying and then instantly regretted it. This wasn’t who I was—I was usually careful about what came out of my mouth. But down one glass of French 75, I was letting it all loose.

Stella smirked. “No kidding. My father and his wife have been married forever, and it’s complete shit.”

“Gabriel and his first wife were married for years…and that was a disaster,” Aurora agreed.

“You like being married?” Luna picked up her glass of whiskey.

I paused at the question. I’d never thought about whether I liked it or not. I loved my children and husband, but marriage…had it been all I thought it could be? It had, but lately, it had become challenging. Sebastian and I hardly spent any time together, and with the kids gone, it was like we were ships passing in the night.

“Yes, I do,” I lied.

Although I was buoyed by the warmth and acceptance of these remarkable women, they were veritable strangers, and I wasn’t going to spill all to them.

As the evening progressed, they told me about their lives, and I shared with them that Sebastian was busy with the family business and that our children had left home.

“Empty nesters!” Stella settled back against the plush booth.

“Yes.”More “empty” than anything else!

---