Chapter 14 - Miriam's Loneliness In The Empty Mansion
In Potomac, the grand Reynolds family estate was up for public auction after default on municipal property taxes.
Miriam Reynolds sat in her vast, empty drawing room surrounded by packed cardboard boxes marked for storage.
The antique furniture had been sold off to pay corporate creditors, leaving bare spots on the faded oriental rugs.
Walter spent his days in his home study, refusing to eat meals with her, sipping gin from morning until night in bitter silence.
Samantha had moved to Florida to avoid her former high-society friends, working as an entry-level real estate agent in Tampa.
Miriam opened her tablet, logging onto Facebook under a fake profile name she had created months ago.
She searched my maiden name, clicking on a public news article published by a London high-society magazine.
On the screen was a high-resolution photograph of me standing on the red carpet at a charity gala at the Royal Opera House.
Beside me stood my two daughters, Abigail and Charlotte, both wearing gorgeous designer evening dresses and smiling brightly.
Abigail was holding a silver trophy she had won at a European youth violin competition.
Charlotte was holding my hand, her eyes filled with confidence, happiness, and peace.
The caption below the photo read: “Penelope Vance and her brilliant daughters attend the Annual Vance Global Foundation Gala in London.”
Miriam stared at the screen, her aged fingers tracing the faces of the granddaughters she had dismissed as disappointments.
There were no Reynolds boys in the picture.
There were no grand heirs carrying on her husband’s name.
May you like
There were only two strong, magnificent young women who bore the Vance name, flourishing in a world Miriam could only watch from afar.
Miriam covered her face with her hands, letting out a lonely sob that echoed through the empty, silent house.
Related Stories
