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| Some people are like purses. A pretty outside goes best with a lot of money. |
It was one of the nicest gala dinners Brittany had ever been to. Of course, she would never say that. Tiffany was the one who had organized it.
"Hello!" Tiffany trilled, floating over to Brittany. "How are you enjoying the gala?"
"It's nice," Brittany replied, with a smile as fake as most of her face.
"Oh," Tiffany replied. "Well, we can't all be used to the Barrington way of life, can we?"
"I suppose not," Brittany Barrington said. She happened to look at Tiffany's left hand. "What happened to your ring? Did it fall off?"
"No, " Tiffany replied. "Brittany, I have to tell you something."
"Yes?"
"Only because you are my dearest friend." They both knew this was a lie. "My husband and I are getting divorced."
Brittany managed a gasp. "No!"
"We are, and my lawyer is the best in the business. I'm getting so much money that I can keep our house here and keep living in it. Brad will have to move to an apartment somewhere."
Both ladies shuddered.
"You can do that?" Brittany asked. "Get so much in the divorce?"
"Why, of course. You just have to say what you want and be firm about it." Tiffany smiled. "I'll be better off without him." She looked past Brittany. "Oh, excuse me. The ambassador is here "
Brittany wasn't paying any attention to Tiffany's name dropping. Brittany had never loved her husband and having the life she was living now without him in it seemed too good to be true. But the thought wouldn't leave her mind.
The next day, Brittany hired a lawyer and told her husband she wanted a divorce.
"Really?" he asked, his eyebrows rising. "Very well. Have your lawyer talk to my lawyer. They'll work something out."
It was a longer process than Brittany had thought. And she got a lot less than she had thought. Now she couldn't afford a nanny for their child. Instead of getting easier, her life had gotten a lot harder.
It was a few months later that Brittany ran into Tiffany again.
"Oh, Brittany! I haven't told you. My husband and I decided to stay together." Tiffany grinned.
Brittany tried to control her face. "How nice," she managed.
"Oh yes. It is lovely keeping our relationship alive. Oh, but I heard you divorced your husband. How are you holding up?"
"Just fine," Brittany lied. "I got more than he thought I would, that's for sure."
They both laughed.
"Now, Tiffany, there's something I need to tell you."
"Yes?" Tiffany leaned in a little.
"In the divorce, we talked a bit about our children and heirs. My lawyer told me it was a good thing we only had one child because there won't be any dilution of the family standing. Of course he is treated like royalty and he doesn't have any siblings to ruin the spotlight. My lawyer said if I had more than one child, he would suggest I put the rest up for adoption. By the way, how is your Agatha?"
Tiffany's smile slipped a trifle. "Fine, just fine. She's at the premiere boarding school in the country."
"How lovely. I'm sure they'll improve her until there's nothing left."
The two laughed and parted ways.
Tiffany couldn't stop thinking about what Brittany had said. Tiffany dismissed it, knowing Brittany would want revenge. But it would be so much easier if they didn't have to deal with Agatha's stains on the family honor.
It didn't take a lot of convincing. Brad and Agatha both agreed to put Agatha up for adoption. "At least I'll be out of your terrible house!" Agatha spat while they signed the papers.
Now Brad and Tiffany only had little Alice. Alice was such a good girl. She would carry on the family name much better.
However, the day after the paperwork was finalized, while scrolling through social media, Tiffany saw an article about a cold, rich, uncaring woman who abandoned her child. With a pit of dread in her stomach, Tiffany opened the story and saw her most recent family picture starting back at her.
Still, maybe it was only one person who shared that story. But as Tiffany scrolled and scrolled, she saw almost everyone had shared it. Then her phone started ringing. She almost dropped it.
"Hello?" Tiffany asked.
"Hello. Are you Tiffany VanBloune?"
"Yes?"
"I'm Greg with Child Protective Services and I have a few questions for you."
Tiffany let the phone drop from her fingers. Her reputation was ruined. Her phone buzzed again and she saw the beginning of a text from Brittany. "So sorry to hear about..."
With a cry, Tiffany threw her phone at the wall and ran out of the room.
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