She scanned the shocked faces of her family. "Her first husband was a baker. A nobody. Her second was a wealthy bachelor. She alternated diamond necklaces like they were costume jewelry. And now? Her third husband is a Manhattan elite, heir to a fortune, and five years younger than her."
Caroline's eyes gleamed with terrifying confidence. "If she can do it, I definitely can too."
Silence stretched, heavy and awkward. Her family looked stunned, unable to reconcile their "sensible" daughter with this materialistic stranger.
A bitter smile tugged at the corner of my mouth.
Perhaps, from the very beginning, Caroline never actually respected me. She only craved my utility, my service, and my silence. Now that she believed a better option existed, I was nothing more than an obstacle to be discarded.
To Caroline and her best friend, I was average at best. In their eyes, I should have been on my knees, thanking the heavens for the privilege of breathing the same air as her.
It didn't matter that I treated her like a queen.
It didn't matter that I agreed to a childless marriage to suit her lifestyle.
None of it mattered.