<b>Chapter </b><b>190 </b>


    She turned off the faucet, blotting the dampness from her sleeve with a paper towel as she made her way to the door. When she opened it, she found Frank standing outside, his expression warm and gentle. In his hands was a change of clothes.


    Elissa blinked in surprise. “How did you know…?”


    Frank smiled and yfully pinched her cheek. “Your husband isn’t blind, you know. I saw you got something on your clothes. Go ahead and change.”


    He handed her the clothes, his words carrying a teasing undertone–something he’d never used with her before. He had never called himself her husband, either.


    Feeling a bit awkward, Elissa closed the door behind her, wondering what had gotten


    into him.


    She changed quickly, and as she stepped out, about to walk back to the dining room, she overheard voicesing from behind the ornate divider: Frank and Carm were


    arguing about something.


    Carm’s tone was always gentle with Frank. “My biggest regret is ever agreeing to your marriage to her. A woman of her background is entirely beneath you. If you divorced her, you could find someone truly suitable, don’t you see that?”


    “Mom, she had no say in how she was born,” Frank replied, his voice cold. “And I’ve already told you–if it isn’t her, I’ll marry no one.”


    From where Elissa stood, hidden by the antique screen, she was invisible to them.


    Carm frowned deeply. “You used to shield Marcia with everything you had. I never saw you take Elissa’s side like this. So what’s changed? Now you can’t live without


    her?”


    Thement nearly made Elissaugh. It was true–Frank’s devotion to Marcia had been obvious to everyone. Marcia had always seemed more important to him than his own wife.


    Frank was silent for a moment before answering, his voice low and steady. “That’s right. I can’t live without her. And Marcia won’t be part of the Atwater family anymore.”


    Maybe, Elissa thought, he finally cared for her. Maybe he’d cared for a long time.


    Frank first realized it at the mall, watching Elissa have lunch with Cliff. The sudden


    <b>11:38 </b>


    clutch of jealousy in his chest had been almost unbearable.


    Later, he’d confided in Bradley, who just shook his head and joked he was doomed–caught between two women. But Frank knew better. He had never felt that way about Marcia. Seeing her with other men never bothered him. When his older brother and Marcia became a couple, Frank only hoped his brother treated her well.


    But with Elissa… It didn’t matter how good Cliff was to her–Frank felt as if a thousand ants were gnawing at his heart. Even a single smile she shared with Cliff stung his


    eyes.


    Carm’s brow furrowed even deeper. “Are you absolutely sure you know what you’re doing?”


    Frank’s answer was unwavering. “I’ve never been more certain.”


    He just hadn’t figured out how to exin everything to Elissa once he found little Nine. But once he did, he intended to tell her everything.


    Carm, furious, hurled her ss of red wine hard against the wall. “You’ve lost your mind!”


    Behind the screen, Elissa stood frozen. She’d heard Frank’s words–every one of them–yet they seemed to havee toote.


    She’d never been one to look back.


    After dinner, Hickey tugged at Frank’s sleeve, begging him toe y ball in the backyard. The two left together, and Carm immediately turned to Elissa. “Upstairs. Now.”


    Elissa lowered her eyes and followed, silent, up the steps.


    Once inside the study, the door barely closed, Carm got straight to the point. “You and Frank need to hold off on announcing the divorce.”


    <b>Chapter </b><b>191 </b>