My Husband Married a Heiress While I Buried His Mother

Kataleya stood in the doorway in her wedding gown. Her mascara had run. Her veil hung crooked.

Erick moved fast. He stepped between us and put his hand on the doorframe like he was blocking something. His voice came out smooth. Too smooth.

"Kataleya, sweetheart. This is my cousin Raelynn. From Tennessee. She showed up tonight with a family emergency."

Kataleya's eyes moved from him to me. She looked confused. "Emergency?"

Erick nodded. Kept talking. "Her daughter's sick. She needed to get to Seattle for treatment. She didn't know where else to go."

I stood very still. Kaiya was asleep on the bed behind me, one arm around her rabbit. I could feel Kataleya studying my face.

"I'm helping her with medical expenses," Erick continued. "I was just about to wire the money. Family takes care of family, right?"

He looked at me. His eyes were hard.

I understood what he wanted. I understood the price of the ten thousand dollars standing in front of me in a wrinkled coat and scuffed shoes.

I nodded slowly. "I'm sorry to bother you on your wedding night. I didn't know where else to turn."

Kataleya's face softened. "Oh. I'm so sorry. Is your daughter okay?"

"She will be." I kept my voice quiet. Tired. It wasn't hard. "Thank you for understanding."

Erick pulled out his phone. His hands moved quickly across the screen. "Give me your account number."

I recited it. He typed. A moment later my phone buzzed in my pocket.

Kataleya touched his arm. "That's really generous, Erick."

He smiled at her. Put the phone away. "It's what family does."

I walked to the bed and picked up Kaiya. She made a small sound but didn't wake. I slung my duffel over one shoulder and moved toward the door.

Kataleya stepped aside. "I hope your daughter feels better soon."

"Thank you."

I walked past them both. Down the hallway. Through the lobby. Out into the Seattle night.

The air was cold and damp. It smelled like salt water. I carried Kaiya three blocks before I found a bench under a streetlight. I sat down and checked my phone.

Ten thousand dollars. Transferred. Cleared.

I looked at my daughter's sleeping face. Her mouth was open slightly. Her hair stuck to her cheek.

I smoothed it back.

Behind me, the city hummed. Cars passed. Voices drifted from a bar down the street. Somewhere a siren wailed.

I had money now. Enough for a deposit. Enough for time.

I stood up and started walking.

---

The apartment was small. One bedroom. A kitchen with a window that looked out at a brick wall. The carpet was old but clean. The landlady was a woman in her sixties with gray hair pulled back in a bun and sharp eyes that didn't miss much.

Her name was Mrs. Kowalski.

She looked at my duffel bag. At Kaiya standing beside me holding her rabbit. At the cash I counted onto her kitchen table for first month, last month, and deposit.

"You running from something?"

I met her eyes. "No."

"Running toward something?"

"Yes."

She nodded. Slid a key across the table. "Rent's due on the first. Garbage day is Thursday. If you need anything, I'm downstairs."

The first night, Kaiya and I slept on the floor with our coats as blankets. The next day I bought an air mattress and sheets from a thrift store. I enrolled Kaiya in a daycare six blocks away. The woman who ran it had kind eyes and didn't ask questions when I paid in cash.

On Sunday morning, Mrs. Kowalski knocked on my door.

"You eat breakfast yet?"

"No, ma'am."

"Come downstairs."

Her kitchen smelled like butter and vanilla. Kaiya stood on a chair at the counter, watching Mrs. Kowalski pour batter into a pan.

"You ever make pancakes, sweetheart?"

Kaiya shook her head.

"Well, it's about time you learned."

I sat at the table and drank coffee. Watched my daughter flip a pancake. Watched her smile when it landed right.

Mrs. Kowalski caught my eye. She didn't say anything. Just nodded once.

I nodded back.

---

Two weeks later, someone knocked on my door.

I looked through the peephole. My stomach dropped.

Erick stood in the hallway holding a plastic bag. Through the thin material I could see a stuffed animal. Something pink.

I opened the door but didn't step aside.

"What are you doing here?"

He smiled. It didn't reach his eyes. "I wanted to see Kaiya. Bring her a present."

"How did you find me?"

"I asked around. Seattle's not that big."

Kaiya appeared behind me. "Daddy?"

Erick's smile got wider. "Hey, sweetheart. I brought you something."

He held out the bag. Kaiya looked at me. I didn't move.

Erick's voice dropped lower. Just for me. "You wouldn't want to make a scene in front of her, would you?"

I stepped aside.

He walked in like he owned the place. Crouched down and handed Kaiya the stuffed animal. It was a pink bear with a ribbon around its neck.

"You like it?"

She nodded. Held it carefully.

Erick straightened. Looked around the apartment. At the air mattress. The thrift store furniture. The single window.

"You did okay with the money I gave you."

I didn't answer.

He walked to the window. Looked out at the brick wall. "You know, Raelynn, people here don't know you. They don't know your story. If you started telling tales about me, about us, no one would believe you."

He turned around. His voice stayed light. Friendly.

"You should be grateful. I took care of you. Gave you what you asked for. Now you're here, you've got a place, and Kaiya's safe. That's what matters, right?"

I felt something cold settle in my chest.

"I think you should leave."

He smiled again. Walked to the door. Stopped with his hand on the knob.

"I'll come by again soon. Check on my daughter."

He left.

Kaiya held the pink bear and looked up at me. "Mama, is Daddy staying?"

"No, baby."

"Good."

She walked back to her corner and set the bear down facing the wall.

I locked the door. Put the chain on. Stood there until my hands stopped shaking.