Chapter 18 — The Fountain

Two weeks later I ran into Gemma at a shopping center.

She looked nothing like the polished woman I remembered — tired eyes, a strained, unhappy set to her mouth.

“Samantha,” she said, stepping into my path near a fountain.

I kept my pace even, meaning to pass her without a confrontation.

“Andrew and I have separated,” she blurted.

I stopped, and waited.

“Brenda took over every single detail of our household,” Gemma said, the bitterness spilling out of her.