After the divorce, my ex-mother-in-law stood outsi…

He was not smiling. “Welcome to the private residence of Mrs. Mariana Varela,” he said.

“Please follow the drive to the main house. Staff will meet you at the entrance.”

He pressed the gate release. The drive from the gate to the house was approximately eight hundred meters.

I had not staged it. I had simply not shortened it. The lavender was in full April bloom.

The lake was visible through the pines on the right. The stables were visible on the left, with two horses moving in the morning light. I watched on the monitor as the cars slowed, which is what cars do when the people inside them are processing something they were not expecting.

I watched Paola’s window roll down. I watched her look out at the gardens. Then I put down the monitor and went to get dressed.

I wore deep blue. Not flashy. That would have been too easy to dismiss.