I squeezed his hand and thanked him—for being the only person who’d stood by me through this nightmare, for being the only person who’d believed me when everyone else had already decided I was guilty.
Evan’s eyes locked onto our hands, and something dark flickered across his face. His jaw tightened even more. His nostrils flared.
“Seriously?”
He laughed, but there was no humor in it. Just ice.
“I’m sitting right here, and you’re holding hands with my brother. Should I even bother reading those results, or do I already have my answer?”
I pulled my hand away from Jeff’s and stood up so fast my chair scraped against the floor. The sound was loud in the quiet kitchen.
“Don’t you dare,” I said, and my voice came out stronger than I expected. “Don’t you dare twist this into something it’s not. Your brother is the only person who’s been kind to me while you’ve been treating me like garbage. He’s been bringing me food because I can’t eat. He’s been checking on me because you won’t even look at me. So don’t you stand there and act like I’m doing something wrong by accepting basic human kindness from the only person who’s offered it.”
Evan rolled his eyes.
“Just open the envelope, Marina. I don’t have all day to listen to your excuses.”
I took a deep breath and picked up the envelope. It felt heavier than it should, like the weight of my entire marriage was pressed into that single piece of paper. I looked at Evan and felt something surge in my chest—confidence, certainty. I knew I hadn’t cheated. I knew I hadn’t been with anyone else. Whatever was in this envelope was going to prove it. And then he was going to have to look me in the eyes and apologize for everything he’d put me through.
I held on to that image as I slid my finger under the seal. The sound of the paper tearing was impossibly loud. I pulled out the single sheet inside and unfolded it slowly, savoring the moment.
This was it. This was my vindication.
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