The appointment to meet Everett at the courthouse was set.

Then, my phone buzzed with a call from him.

"You left some things behind," he said. "Are you coming back to get them?"

I was already forming the words to tell him to keep them, or better yet, to throw them in the trash. But before I could speak, Hailey snatched the phone away.

Her voice practically hummed with glee, dripping with a sickening, faux-concerned pity.

"Evelyn, if you don't want these, I’m just going to toss them all. Once you’re divorced from Everett, your quality of life is going to plummet, and honestly? These could fetch a pretty penny at a pawn shop."

I considered it. She had a point. Besides, after all the lunches I’d been forced to cook for her over the years, I was owed at least that much.

When I arrived at the Harrison estate, Hailey was waiting by the front door—likely terrified I’d bump into a man on my way in.

While I packed, she even handed me a glass of water. "Drink up. No rush. Take your time."

Her attitude was so drastically different I almost thought she’d had a personality transplant. She sat on the edge of the bed and started making small talk, her tone light and airy.

"You don't need to be afraid, you know. We aren't really enemies. Since you and Everett are through, I don’t have any reason to keep coming after you."

I didn’t answer. I just packed faster.

As I turned to head for the stairs, she swung her legs back and forth, letting out a heavy, dramatic sigh.

"I’m actually a little jealous of you. You had him all to yourself for three years. If I wasn't so crazy about him, I wouldn't touch a man who’s already been used. Anyway, let me see you out."

The door to the study remained shut tight. I knew Everett was in there.

He never made an appearance.

As I slid into the back of an Uber, I caught a glimpse of a silhouette in the study window. It stayed there, watching me go, standing perfectly still for a very long time.