Part 2

“What call?” Daniel asked, and for the first time all evening, his voice sounded uncertain.

Emily didn’t answer immediately. She picked up a towel and carefully wiped the wine from her face, her hands no longer trembling. There was a strange calmness about her now, completely opposite from the chaos around us.

“I called a lawyer this morning,” she said softly.

The sentence hit the room like an explosion.

Margaret let out a scoff. “A lawyer? For what? Don’t be absurd.”

Emily looked directly at her, no longer shrinking into herself or apologizing. “For the divorce.”

This time the room erupted with shock instead of laughter.

Daniel shoved his chair backward. “Emily, stop. This isn’t funny.”