Chapter 3: The Invitation I Was Never Supposed to Receive
The next morning, Robert barely slept.
I knew because I heard him walking around the house before sunrise.
Normally, he was the calmest person I knew.
That morning, he looked like a man preparing for a storm.
“Robert,” I said from the kitchen doorway.
He turned.
“I’m sorry.””
I frowned.
“For what?””
“For not telling you sooner.””
I walked over and touched his arm.
“You didn’t hurt me.””
He looked at me.
“Your son did.””
Those words were painful because they were true.
I sat across from him.
“What did Thomas say last night?””
Robert was quiet.
Then he pushed a folder across the table.
“He wants to meet you.””
I stared at it.
“Me?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
Robert looked uncomfortable.
“Because he knows about what happened yesterday.””
My stomach dropped.
“How?””
He sighed.
“Because Thomas’s assistant was at the restaurant when Wade and Fallon were discussing the dinner.””
I closed my eyes.
A stranger had witnessed it.
Someone who knew my husband.
Someone important.
And somehow that made the humiliation worse.
“What exactly did he hear?””
Robert hesitated.
“Enough.””
I opened the folder.
Inside was an invitation.
Not an email.
Not a casual note.
A formal invitation.
My name was printed at the top.
Mrs. Edna Hayes.
I stared at it.
For years, I had felt invisible.
Now someone had finally written my name somewhere important.
“I don’t understand.””
Robert reached across the table.
“You helped Wade buy that house.””
“Yes.””
“You gave him money from your retirement.””
“Yes.””
“You worked your entire life to support him.””
I swallowed.
“Yes.””
Robert nodded.
“Thomas knows.””
“How?””
He looked away.
“Because I told him.””
“When?””
“Last year.””
I felt a strange anger rise.
“You told him about my son?””
“No.””
He shook his head.
“I told him about you.””
I said nothing.
“He asked why I always spoke so highly of my wife. I told him about the woman who raised her son alone. The woman who sacrificed everything.””
My eyes filled.
“Robert…”
He squeezed my hand.
“Edna, do you know what Thomas said?””
I shook my head.
“He said, ‘That’s the kind of person I want my company built around.’”
I looked down.
A compliment shouldn’t have hurt.
But it did.
Because it had been so long since anyone saw me.
That afternoon, I almost canceled.
I stood in front of my closet for an hour.
What did I wear to meet people like Thomas Peterson?
I didn’t own designer clothes.
I didn’t have expensive jewelry.
I didn’t know how to speak at fancy dinners.
I told Robert I would embarrass him.
He looked genuinely shocked.
“Edna.””
“What?””
“You still don’t understand.””
“Understand what?””
He stepped closer.
“You were never the embarrassing one.””
The words stayed with me.
That evening, Robert and I arrived at the private event.
It was held in a beautiful hotel downtown.
People in suits and elegant dresses moved through the room.
I immediately felt out of place.
Then I saw him.
Thomas Peterson.
Older than I expected.
Gray hair.
Simple suit.
No arrogance.
He walked directly toward us.
But he didn’t look at Robert first.
He looked at me.
“Mrs. Hayes?””
I nodded.
“Yes.””
He smiled warmly.
“I’m Thomas.””
“I know.””
He laughed softly.
“I suppose my name has caused some trouble.””
My face changed.
He noticed.
And his expression became serious.
“Mrs. Hayes, I want you to know something.””
“What?””
“I was disappointed when I heard what happened.””
I looked down.
“I’m sorry.””
“Don’t apologize.””
His voice was firm.
“You have nothing to apologize for.””
Before I could respond, someone called his name.
He glanced across the room.
Then he looked back at me.
“I need to speak with someone, but I hope we can talk later.””
He walked away.
I watched him go.
Then my phone buzzed.
I looked down.
A message from Wade.
Mom, we need to talk.
My heart sank.
I stared at the screen.
After everything.
After the bathroom.
After the dinner.
After treating me like a stranger.
Now he wanted to talk.
Robert noticed.
“Wade?””
I nodded.
“What does he want?””
I opened the message.
There was another sentence underneath.
A sentence that made my hands go cold.
Mom, I found out who Robert really is.
And I knew immediately.
The secret my husband kept wasn’t hidden anymore.
May you like
But the bigger question was:
Who had told my son?
