From “Clingy” to Gone My Independence Was His Biggest Regret novel Chapter 43

Chapter 7

knew every corner of that Rockefellow mansion–every rosebush, every oak in the garden.

poured my heart into keeping it pristine.

ind in the end, it wasn’t even my home. It became my cage.

heodore chased me down, babbling in my ear.

lot to let me go. Not to grant me a divorce.

ut to have me arrange his wedding to Serena.

slammed the door in his face and told Grace to start packing.

le lingered for a moment, then hurried off–most likely rushing down East 54th Street to meet Serena.

What a devoted lover he was.

he Rockefellow estate sat only four blocks from our Vanderbilt brownstone.

y the time I got home, my parents were sitting down to supper.

ne look at my face, and they knew.

le ate in silence, the clinking of silverware unbearably loud.

inally. I told them–Theodore wanted to marry Serena as his “second wife.”

lother was struck dumb, her lips trembling, unable to speak.

ather slammed his palm on the table, jaw tight.

That bastard Theodore!”

Laid I wanted a divorce,

hey fell silent.

But, child your baby” Mother’s voice broke.

fter a long pause, Father spoke.

Tomorrow, your mother and I will go to the Rockefellow house ourselves and demand an answer”

wanted to tell them not to, but when I saw the worry etched into their brows, I swallowed the words.

hat night. I returned to my childhood room.

verything was just as it had been before marriage.

y morning, all of New York knew: Serena was carrying Theodore’s child, and he intended to marry her.

ven my leaving the Rockefellow estate was being twisted into gossip.

When my parents came home, their faces were grim.

ven though they swore I was with child, the Rockefellows didn’t believe them.

Chapter 7

Mrs. Cornelia wavered in doubt, but Theodore–Theodore outright accused me of coaxing my parents into lying.

He said I just wanted to keep Serena from entering his house.

And in front of my parents, he declared he would marry Serena, insisting his first child had to be born legitimate.

Father nearly burst a vein, raging while Theodore acted like a man possessed.

No matter how we reasoned, he wouldn’t hear it.

Father drained three cups of tea in one breath, then slammed his fist on the table.

“To hell with the Rockefellows!”

‘Scarlett, don’t be afraid. You’ll have this baby, and we’ll raise him ourselves.”

‘1, Silas Vanderbilt, can afford to take care of you both.”

But I didn’t dare tell them the truth.

f1 stayed away. Theodore would marry Serena, and my child would grow up with a tainted, shameful identity.

And me–could I ever truly love a child who carried half of the Rockefellow blood I now despised?

hated Theodore.

hated his betrayal.

lis empty vows.

lis faithlessness.

nd so, even without me, the wedding was held.

frs. Cornelia herself orchestrated it–grand, lavish, beyond what anyone expected.

lew Yorkers crowded the streets outside, snatching up the silver coins Theodore scattered for good luck, blessings for Serena and her unborn child.

I was a spectacle–more extravagant than the day I married into that house.

nd I became the pitiful joke on everyone’s lips.

ty parents seethed with humiliation.

nd I, in secret, drank the bitter draught meant to end the life inside me.

irace fetched a doctor.

When my parents realized what I’d done, I was already pale, trembling in bed.

Mother brushed the sweat from my brow, tears streaming.

You foolish girl!”

Mother, I can’t forgive them. I can’t pretend nothing happened.”

he physical pain dulled the agony in my heart.

When the stillborn boy slipped away, I felt a cruel rush of relief.

Levenge.

Chapter 7

I laughed–and then I wept.

The bright, hopeful Scarlett Vanderbilt was gone forever.

Tather!” I called out.

He came running, eyes red, wiping at tears.

Father, forgive me.”

Please deliver this child to Theodore–as my wedding gift to him and his bride.”

Bring back my dowry and the divorce papers.”

I want nothing–nothing–to do with the Rockefellows again.”

e turned away, hiding his face with his sleeve. His voice cracked.

This time, Scarlett, I will not let you suffer again.”

race, swollen–eyed, placed the tiny body into a cedar box, sobbing uncontrollably.

fell into a drugged sleep, my mother sitting vigil beside me.

nd in my dreams, I wandered far, learned to ride, to shoot, and built a school where girls could finally read and learn.

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