Olivia: No Regrets

by Catherine Grace

“When Laurence started calling himself Larry,” Olivia muses on her way to the Park Avenue residence she recently shared with her husband, "that should have been my first clue.” The effervescent, blonde mother of two vows, however, to not be undone. Looking forward to a future unweighted with crystal chandeliers and cupboards of china, she tags heirlooms and mementoes, then goes to finish packing her personal things—only to find the new wife’s clothes in her closet, hers rudely tossed aside. Olivia sees red—and not just the red of those slinky dresses. She heads for her ex’s supposedly secret safe. A friend once gave her a set of lock picks during a time of need, which just happen to be in her purse.

Soon open, the safe reveals a staggering amount of cash, bearer bonds and other certificates that Olivia doesn’t have time to assess. By the armload, she transfers everything to her antique Pennsylvania chest.A frisson of fear runs through her.The man she thought she knew so well had secrets—at least one very big secret. Where did this money come from? Why was he hiding it? Then, with a sudden chill, as the movers were carrying the chest away, she wonders: “And what is he capable of doing to get it back?”

382 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 2, 2015