He pointed a shaking finger at Eleanor. “That woman hired me. She told me to meet this lady,” he nodded at Megan, “at a café where she was meeting a client. I was supposed to act suspicious if anyone looked. She paid me to help stage a scene so her husband and son would think it was a date.”
Eleanor turned beet red. The “witness” testimony from the father had been manipulated by Eleanor, who had pointed out the “lovers” from across the street, framing the context to suit her narrative.
Eleanor tried to protest, but it was pathetic. “I did it for David! You don’t understand! What could a shopkeeper’s daughter offer him? Susan’s father is the Mayor! I was securing his future!” she shrieked.
David’s father slammed his hand on the table. For the first time in years, he looked furious at his wife for making him an accomplice in destroying his son’s happiness. Martha sipped her iced tea, satisfied. The boil had been lanced.
David and Megan didn’t wait for the argument to finish. They walked out of the restaurant into the cool evening air. David grabbed Megan’s hand, holding on as if she were a lifeline.
“Megan, I am so sorry. I was an idiot. I trusted my mother blindly. I was so hurt by the idea of you cheating that I didn’t stop to think. I should have asked you.”
“I love you, David,” she said softly.
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