Martha was surprised, but she'd always respected her daughter's decisions. She didn't press for details, only offered careful reminders:
"Your marriage is your own business. Your father and I won't interfere. We'll have our lawyers handle the investment withdrawal."
"If anything comes up that you can't handle, tell us."
Her mother's words thawed something in Rosamond's frozen chest, just slightly.
She nodded:
"Don't worry, Mom. I'll take care of it."
She'd barely hung up when a message came through from a colleague:
"Attorney Henson, we want to thank you for everything you've done for us over the years, so we'd like to throw you a farewell party."
"We've booked a villa on the south side of town for tonight. We're planning a get-together, maybe stay the night. Are you free?"
Rosamond had planned to slip away quietly, but these colleagues had always been good to her. After tonight, she might never see them again. She couldn't bring herself to refuse.
After a long moment of thought, she agreed.
She packed up a few things at home and rushed to the villa.
What she hadn't expected was Olympia.
Olympia stood in the center of the crowd, her fingers laced through Bryce's, her gaze landing on Rosamond with a glint of smug provocation:
"Attorney Henson, I never thought you'd actually show up to my promotion party."
"I knew Bryce wouldn't lie to me."
Rosamond instinctively looked toward the colleague who had sent her the message, only to find the woman staring at Bryce with guilt written all over her face.
That told her everything she needed to know.
Bryce had actually gone this far for Olympia. The man who had always been too proud for deception had learned to lie.
The grief in her chest was a steel needle, piercing her heart one slow millimeter at a time.
Bryce walked up to Rosamond, his voice low and flat.
"Today is Olympia's promotion banquet. She's still young, and some people at the firm might not respect her authority. You're here to lend her credibility."
Rosamond swallowed the bitterness rising in her throat, gave him one look, and turned to leave. But Bryce seized her arm.
"Rosamond, what do you think you're doing? If you walk out now, where does that leave Olympia?"
"You're her sister-in-law, for God's sake. Would it kill you to show a little generosity?"
Sister-in-law?
That was the exact excuse Bryce had used to force her into hiring Olympia at the firm in the first place.