Chapter 11 - A SHADOW FADES
I stared at the caller ID.
Old habits die hard. My heart skipped a beat.
I walked to the edge of the yard, away from Vincent and Clara, and answered.
“Hello?”
“Eleanor.”
The voice was faint, broken.
It took me a second to recognize it.
“Bianca,” I said softly.
Silence on the other end. Then, a shaky breath.
“They took everything, Eleanor. The feds seized the accounts. My brother is facing life. I have nothing.”
“Why are you calling me, Bianca?”
“Because,” she sobbed. “I don't know how to survive without the life.”
I looked back at my husband. He was helping Leo bait a hook, laughing loudly.
Thirty years ago, I would have felt pity for the woman on the phone.
Yesterday, I would have felt rage.
Today, I felt nothing but a deep, profound sense of closure.
“You learn, Bianca,” I said gently. “You get a job. You buy a small apartment. You live a quiet life. It's hard, but it's real.”
“Vincent ruined me,” she cried.
“No,” I replied. “The life ruined you. Vincent just woke up before it could ruin him completely.”
“I hate you both.”
“I know,” I said. “Goodbye, Bianca.”
I hung up the phone.
I didn't block the number. I didn't need to. I knew she would never call again. The ghost of our past was finally put to rest.
I walked back to the truck.
Vincent looked at me, noticing the slight shift in my posture.
“Everything okay, Ellie?” he asked, wiping dirt from his hands.
“Everything is perfect,” I smiled.
May you like
And as we drove down the dirt road toward the water, Leo singing loudly in the backseat, I pulled an object from my purse.
The solid gold pocket watch.
