My Husband Married a Heiress While I Buried His Mother

The bus station smelled like diesel and old coffee. I stood on the curb with Kaiya's hand in mine, her small body swaying with sleep. Thirty hours on a Greyhound leaves a taste in your mouth that water can't wash out. My back ached. My legs felt like someone else's.

Kaiya blinked up at me. "Mama, is Daddy here?"

"Soon, baby." I pulled the folded paper from my coat pocket. Erick's handwriting. An address in Seattle. He'd sent it three weeks ago with no explanation, just the street name and a number.

I flagged a cab. The driver glanced at my daughter's wrinkled dress and my single duffel bag but said nothing. I gave him the address. He nodded and pulled into traffic.

Twenty minutes later, we stopped in front of a large industrial building. A sign out front read *Johnston Manufacturing - Distribution Center*. I paid the driver with bills I'd been saving for six months and stepped out onto the sidewalk.

The lobby was clean and bright. A woman at the front desk looked up when I walked in. She had red hair and a name tag that said *Delia*.

"Can I help you?"

"I'm looking for Erick Johnston."

Her face lit up. "Oh, you must be family! You're here for the celebration!"

I blinked. "Celebration?"

"The wedding reception! It's at the waterfront venue. Everyone's already there." She grabbed her purse from under the desk. "I'm heading over right now. Come on, I'll give you a ride. You must be exhausted."

I didn't understand, but I was too tired to argue. Kaiya's hand tightened around mine as we followed Delia to her car.

The venue was nothing like I expected. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the water. White flowers everywhere. A string quartet played near the entrance. People in expensive clothes held champagne glasses and laughed.

Delia walked us inside. "Wait here, I'll find Erick for you."

I stood near the door with Kaiya pressed against my leg. My coat was old. My shoes were scuffed. I didn't belong here.

Then I saw him.

Erick stood at the head table in a black suit I'd never seen before. His hair was cut differently. He looked older. Next to him sat a woman in a white gown with lace sleeves and a long veil pinned to dark hair. She was beautiful. She was laughing at something he said.

My chest went tight.

Erick's head turned. He saw me. The color drained from his face.

He crossed the room in four long strides and grabbed my elbow. His grip was hard. "What are you doing here?"

"You sent me the address." My voice came out flat.

"That was the factory address. Not—" He stopped. Looked around. Forced a smile onto his face. "Everyone, this is my cousin Raelynn. From back home. She's visiting."

A few people nearby nodded politely. One man raised his glass. "Welcome to Seattle."

I stared at Erick. He wouldn't meet my eyes.

Kaiya tugged my sleeve. "Mama, why is Daddy here?"

Erick's jaw tightened. He crouched down and touched Kaiya's cheek. "Hey, sweetheart. You've gotten so big."

She pulled back and hid behind my leg.

Erick stood. "There's a table in the corner. Sit there. I'll explain later."

He walked away before I could answer.

I sat where he told me to sit. A waiter brought champagne. I drank it. Then another glass. Then another. Kaiya sat next to me with a plate of cake she didn't touch.

"Mama, who's the pretty lady?"

I smoothed her hair. My hand was shaking. "I don't know, baby."

I watched Erick dance with the woman in white. I watched him kiss her in front of everyone. I watched people clap.

I drank until the edges of the room went soft.

When the reception ended, I took Kaiya to the cheapest motel I could find. The room smelled like bleach and cigarettes. I put Kaiya to bed and sat on the edge of the mattress with my coat still on.

Someone knocked.

I opened the door. Erick stood in the hallway, still in his suit. He looked annoyed.

"You shouldn't have come."

I stepped aside. He walked in and closed the door behind him. He pulled a twenty-dollar bill from his wallet and held it out.

"Take the bus home tomorrow. Be reasonable."

I didn't take the money. I reached into my coat and pulled out the ledger. I'd kept it for six years. Every medical bill for his mother. Every month I raised Kaiya alone. Every dollar I stretched until it broke.

I set it on the table between us.

"Ten thousand dollars."

He stared at me. "What?"

"You owe me ten thousand dollars. For six years. For everything."

He laughed. It was a short, ugly sound. "You're insane."

I opened the ledger. Started reading. My voice was low and steady.

"June 2015. Hospice care for your mother. Four hundred dollars. July 2015. Funeral expenses. Eighteen hundred dollars. August 2015—"

"Stop."

I didn't stop. I read every line. Every entry. Every sacrifice I made while he built a new life without me.

When I finished, the room was silent.

Erick's hand moved toward his phone. His face was tight. "Fine. I'll wire it."

Someone knocked on the door.

We both froze.

A woman's voice came through. Soft and uncertain. "Erick? Are you in there?"

I looked at him. His face went white again.

The voice came again. "Erick, please. It's our wedding night. Where did you go?"

I walked to the door and opened it.

The woman in the white gown stood in the hallway. Up close, she looked younger than I'd thought. Her eyes were red.

She looked at me. Then at Erick. Then back at me.

"Who is this?"

Erick stepped forward. "Kataleya, this is—"

I closed the door.