Chapter 2 - The Empty Nest
Vincent didn't return to the penthouse until three days later.
He walked through the double mahogany doors of our Gold Coast residence holding a half-wilted bouquet of yellow roses—clichés he must’ve grabbed from a bodega on his way back from Vanessa’s condo. The apartment was dead silent. No sound of the baby crying, no smell of my mother’s herbal soup, no soft hum of television from the master suite.
"Madison?" he called out, loosening his silk tie. His expression was a mix of irritation and mild guilt—the face of a man who figured he’d toss his wife a flower, offer a hollow apology about an "unforeseen crisis," and go back to his life.
Mrs. Higgins, our seventy-year-old live-in nanny, stepped out of the nursery. Her face was pale, her hands clasped tightly in front of her apron.
Vincent frowned, checking his watch. "Where is my wife? And why isn't the baby making noise?"
Mrs. Higgins took a deep, shaky breath, her eyes locking onto his with undisguised contempt. “Mr. Carter… your wife moved out days ago.”
Vincent let out a short, dismissive laugh, tossing the roses onto the marble entryway table. They landed with a pathetic thud. "Don't play games, Mrs. Higgins. Where is she? Did her mother take her shopping?"
"I am not playing games," the old woman snapped, her voice trembling with restrained fury. "She packed every single thing belonging to her and the child while you were downtown playing house with your little college girlfriend. She walked out of here forty-eight hours ago. And she left this for you."
Mrs. Higgins pulled a thick, cream-colored envelope from her pocket and dropped it onto the marble floor right beside the dying roses.
Vincent’s smile vanished. The casual arrogance in his posture dissolved, replaced instantly by the rigid, coiled tension of a predator sensing a trap. He crouched down, snatched the envelope, and ripped it open.
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Inside wasn't a handwritten note or a tearful plea for attention.
It was a court summons, a certified asset freeze notification, and a printed screenshot of his corporate bank accounts showing a balance of exactly zero dollars.
