Chapter 5 - Shadows Across the LawnLillian pulled back instantly, her eyes wide with sudden fear.
We froze in the kitchen as heavy footsteps hurried up her front walkway. A key rattled in the front door lock.
“Mom?” a familiar voice called out from the entryway.
It was Amy.
My heart dropped into my stomach. I looked at Lillian, whose face had gone completely pale.
“She still has a spare key,” Lillian whispered frantically, her hands trembling as she adjusted her dress. “Go out the back patio door. Now.”
“Lillian, I don't want to hide like a coward,” I whispered back.
“Please, Derek,” she pleaded softly, her eyes desperate. “Not like this. Give me a chance to talk to her first.”
Reluctantly, I nodded. I slipped quietly out the kitchen patio door into the cool night air, stepping into the shadows of the garden hedge just as Amy walked into the living room.
Through the curtained window, I could see Amy dropping her designer handbag onto the couch. She looked exhausted, her face tense—the same expression she had worn during the final months of our marriage.
“Mom, I tried calling you three times,” Amy complained, pacing through the room. “My new apartment’s plumbing broke, and my landlord isn't answering. I need to stay here for the weekend.”
“Of course, honey,” Lillian’s voice was calm, though I could hear the subtle strain in her tone. “Let me get you some fresh towels.”
Amy paused, glancing at the dining table where two wine glasses and a half-empty candle sat.
“Were you having dinner with someone?” Amy asked, her eyes narrowing with suspicion.
May you like
“Just a friend from the garden club,” Lillian lied smoothly, picking up the second glass.
Standing in the dark garden outside, watching my ex-wife invade the sanctuary we had built, I realized our quiet paradise was about to be shattered.
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