CHAPTER 7: The Call From the Kitchen Island

Daniel took out his phone.
Evelyn's voice sharpened. "Daniel, do not embarrass this family over a sink."
He looked at the plates stacked beside him.
"You embarrassed this family when you watched her cry and decided it was normal."
He called Marcus Hale, the Mercer family's attorney, a man who had handled enough quiet disasters to answer on the second ring.
"Marcus," Daniel said. "I need immediate notices drafted. My parents' access to the estate accounts is suspended tonight. Paige's company card, too. Any staff assigned to them are reassigned to Emma only."
Paige stood. "You can't be serious."
Daniel did not look at her.
"I also want a written apology delivered to my wife by morning. Not to me. To her."
Marcus did not ask if Daniel was certain. Good attorneys did not question the sound of a man who had stopped negotiating.
"I will need confirmation from Mrs. Mercer on estate access," Marcus said.
Daniel turned the phone toward Emma. "Only if she wants to give it."
Emma looked from the phone to the people who had watched her suffer, then placed one tired hand on the island.
"Confirm it," she said.
Her voice was thin, but it carried to every corner of the kitchen.
Evelyn laughed once, but it came out thin.
"You would choose her over your mother?"
Daniel's answer was immediate.
"I chose her at the altar. You were there."