I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 21

Nora Newman sat at the low table, watching Cassie sprint away as if terrified she might change her mind and stay, and a dull ache settled in her chest; she sighed, stood up, and brushed the invisible dust from her skirt.

She grabbed her purse, flipped off the living room lights, and walked out the door.

Upstairs, Cassie ran into her room, tossed her tablet onto the bed, and dove into the covers with a delighted roll.

She listened closely as the faint click of the front door echoed from downstairs, followed by total silence.

Yes! Mom was gone!

Cassie cheered, scrambled out of the blankets, and picked up her tablet to open her chat with Seraphina Shaw.

She hesitated for a second before typing: *Are you still there, Seraphina? Mom left. Can we video call?*

She hugged the tablet and waited. A few seconds later, Seraphina replied: *It's late, Cassie. I have to pick you up for school tomorrow morning, so you need to go to sleep early, okay?*

Cassie pouted, wanting to argue, but ultimately just typed back a reluctant "Okay."

She dropped the tablet onto her nightstand, rolled over, and stared blankly at the ceiling.

She wanted to video call. She wanted to see Seraphina and her dad.

She also wanted to ask her dad if he could pick her up a little earlier tomorrow morning; she wanted to be the first one at The Willow Academy so all the other kids could see how lucky she was.

But Seraphina had told her to go to sleep, and although Cassie wasn't thrilled about it, she obediently stopped texting.

Two soft knocks sounded at the door, followed by Martha Gable's muffled voice. "Miss Cassie, it's time for your bath."

Cassie sat up. "Okay, coming!"

She hopped off the bed and headed to the bathroom, where Martha had already filled the tub; the older woman tested the temperature, turned around, and smiled. "The water is ready, Miss Cassie. Come on in."

Cassie stripped off her clothes and slipped into the tub, squinting happily as Martha grabbed a washcloth, dipped it in the water, and began scrubbing her back.

"I don't want you to bathe me!" Cassie slapped Martha's hand away, her movements unexpectedly fierce.

Martha didn't dare upset the little tyrant further; Cassie was the princess of the Fletcher family, indulged by everyone, and while Nora might overlook the tantrum, Mr. Fletcher certainly wouldn't let it slide.

Martha straightened up and took a step back. "Please don't cry, Miss Cassie. I'll call your mother right now and ask her to come back and bathe you."

With that, she hurried out of the bathroom, wiped her hands on her apron, and picked up the living room phone to dial Nora's number, her heart pounding with anxiety.

Nora hadn't been gone long; she was waiting at a red light when her phone buzzed.

She glanced at the screen, recognized the estate's landline, paused for a moment, and answered.

Martha's anxious voice filtered through the speaker. "Ma'am, Miss Cassie is demanding that you bathe her. Do you think you could come back for a bit?"

Nora gripped her phone, her brow furrowing slightly. "I've already left. Just handle her bath yourself."