Exit Code: Their Betrayal

Chapter 3 The Charity Farce

Chandeliers lit the ballroom at the Vance Astoria. Arthur kept one hand on my lower back for the guests and Clara on his other arm.

“Clara is a little overwhelmed tonight,” he said close to my ear. “She’s not used to this kind of attention. Be the bigger person, Evelyn. Look after her.”

I nodded. Three days had passed since I revoked my motherhood, and the countdown showed less than four days. Until then, Arthur expected me to keep smiling beside him.

A donor’s wife came over, pearls looped twice around her neck. She looked past me and offered her hand to Clara.

“Mrs. Sterling!” the woman gushed, her smile wide and genuine. “It’s an honor. And your son is just precious.”

Clara glanced at Arthur, then covered her mouth. “Oh, you’re too kind.”

Arthur smiled at the woman and let the mistake stand. Leo, beside his leg, said nothing.

The donor kept addressing Clara as Mrs. Sterling. Arthur and Leo let her continue. I slipped my wedding ring around my finger once and left it there.

The legal title still belonged to me, but Arthur had just watched another woman use it. He had every chance to correct the donor and chose his smile instead.

The charity auction began later that evening. Its final item was a rare watercolor I had spent six months tracking down through a private collector in Europe. I had selected and donated it myself.

The bids rose until the auctioneer lifted his gavel. Leo had been fidgeting beside Clara. He snatched a glass of red wine from a waiter's tray and held it up to her.

“Look, Auntie Clara! I’m a grown-up!”

The stem slipped between his fingers. Wine splashed across the centuries-old paper.

The room broke into gasps. Arthur turned his back to the ruined watercolor and covered Clara's eyes.

Wine soaked outward through the old paper while the auctioneer stood with his gavel still raised. Leo froze beside the waiter, his empty hand held in front of him.

“Are you all right? Don't look. It's just a mess.”

He checked her face before he looked at Leo or the painting. Then he rounded on me.

“Evelyn! Why would you place something so valuable where a child could get to it? You scared her half to death!”

Leo began to cry. Red wine ran from the paper and dripped from the edge of its frame. Arthur kept an arm around Clara while he waited for my apology.

*“System, confirm revocation of the identity-right ‘Wife.’”*

**[IDENTITY-RIGHT: ‘WIFE’ REVOKED. PENDING EXECUTION.]**

A second notice followed.

**[ALL IDENTITY TIES SEVERED. FINAL EXIT COORDINATE CALIBRATION REQUIRED. PROCEED TO STERLING FAMILY STABLES TOMORROW AT NOON.]**

The countdown reset.

**[TIME REMAINING: 24:00:00]**