The Flower That Grew from Ashes novel Chapter 70

After Annelise left, Hackett sat frozen in the study for a solid half hour.

On the massive mahogany desk, the rejected divorce agreement lay there like a pale, mocking face staring back at him.

He rubbed the smooth paper of the contract over and over again, his brows locked into a tight knot.

The situation had completely spiraled out of his control.

He thought Annelise would react the same way she did during any other argument.

She'd cry, she'd cause a scene, and then, after enduring his impatient silence and a couple of half-hearted apologies, she'd obediently accept whatever he laid out for her.

He never expected her to refuse.

Let alone use such a terrifyingly calm tone to lecture him about the law and pre-marital assets.

But what unsettled him the most was her final comment about the lockbox.

That small, black lockbox with the combination dial.

Pandora's box, holding his darkest, most lethal secrets.

He yanked open the second drawer of his desk. The black metal box sat quietly in the very back.

He reached out, his fingers instinctively hovering over the combination dial.

Those numbers he knew by heart now felt like a branding iron, burning his fingertips.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay rational.

Then, he picked up the phone from his desk and dialed a familiar number.

It only rang twice before it was picked up.

"Hackett?" Clarissa's predictably gentle voice came through the line.

"Annelise refused," Hackett's voice was dry and raspy, carrying a weight of exhaustion he didn't even notice.

Clarissa went completely silent on the other end for two seconds.

It was a highly calculated pause.

Getting his mother involved meant coming clean to a woman whose mental state was already fragile, admitting to a "fraction" of the relationship between him and Clarissa.

Of course, it wouldn't be the whole truth.

Clarissa had already drafted the perfect script for him.

A version Lizzie could stomach—one that might even make her grateful.

"Hackett, listen to me," Clarissa's voice softened again, like a beautiful viper flicking its tongue.

"You tell your mother that while taking care of your brother's widow, you spent too much time together and developed feelings you shouldn't have."

"Tell her you suppressed them and didn't dare say a word because you didn't want to hurt Annelise or disrespect Elias's memory."

"Tell her that Annelise noticed something on her own, that she wanted the divorce first, and you only brought it up because she forced your hand."

"Frame yourself as an agonizing victim, torn to pieces between love and duty."

"Your mother loves you dearly, and she's always felt incredibly guilty about Elias. She will definitely take our side."