Chapter 14 - CYNTHIA’S LAST VERSION
Cynthia asked Mara to meet at the Scarsdale house before it was listed for sale as part of the marital separation.
Mara nearly refused.
Then she agreed.
The backyard looked different without guests.
The grill had been removed.
A pale rectangle remained on the patio where it had stood.
Cynthia sat beneath an umbrella.
No pearls.
No cream dress.
No wine.
“You’re selling my son’s house.”
“Mara and Ivan’s house,” Mara corrected.
Cynthia smiled bitterly.
“There she is.”
“Who?”
“The woman who suddenly owns everything.”
Mara sat opposite her.
“I owned the shares before the barbecue.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Yes.”
Cynthia looked toward the lawn.
“I hated that arrangement.”
“I know.”
“I thought Martin’s company should belong to his children.”
“Then you should have rejected the contracts that required something different.”
Cynthia’s jaw tightened.
“We needed them.”
“Exactly.”
Silence.
Mara continued.
“You wanted my ownership when it brought business. You resented me for having it.”
Cynthia’s eyes filled unexpectedly.
“You had everything Ivan didn’t.”
Mara frowned.
“What?”
“Good credit. Stable career. Calm temperament. People trusted you.”
“That made you hate me?”
“It made him feel small.”
Mara stared.
“So you helped him make me smaller.”
Cynthia looked down.
There it was.
Not apology.
Recognition.
Mara asked one last question.
“Why did you laugh at the grill?”
Cynthia closed her eyes.
“I thought you were about to humiliate him.”
“He was hurting me.”
“I know.”
“Did you know then?”
Cynthia took too long.
“Yes.”
Mara leaned back.
The answer hurt less than she expected.
Perhaps because she no longer needed another explanation.
Cynthia whispered:
“I spent his whole life protecting him from feeling like a failure.”
“And you taught him other people should pay for that protection.”
Cynthia began crying.
Mara did not move closer.
After a moment Cynthia asked:
“Will you destroy Hudson Forge?”
“No.”
Her head lifted.
“Why?”
“Because forty-eight employees didn’t force my hand onto a grill.”
Cynthia covered her mouth.
Mara stood.
“But Ivan doesn’t get control because destroying the company would hurt innocent people.”
“What happens to him?”
“That depends on the board, the legal case, and what he chooses to do next.”
Cynthia looked frightened by the lack of a family answer.
May you like
Good.
Some things no longer belonged to the family to decide.
