[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-2603221FDDD1-83":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},83,15,"Chapter 15: \"He’s Soiled Goods Now\"","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The appointment to meet Everett at the courthouse was set.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Then, my phone buzzed with a call from him.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"You left some things behind,\" he said. \"Are you coming back to get them?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">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.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Her voice practically hummed with glee, dripping with a sickening, faux-concerned pity.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"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.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">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.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">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.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">While I packed, she even handed me a glass of water. \"Drink up. No rush. Take your time.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">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.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"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.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I didn’t answer. I just packed faster.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">As I turned to head for the stairs, she swung her legs back and forth, letting out a heavy, dramatic sigh.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"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.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The door to the study remained shut tight. I knew Everett was in there.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He never made an appearance.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">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.\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272927850]