had to believe otherwise, that her mother had good reason to continue to stay out of their lives. And not because she was cold in a grave somewhere.
She could accept nothing else.
The doorbell rang. Deanna hurried through the kitchen exit, saying, “I’ll get it.”
Moments later, she said, “Natalie, it’s for you.”
“Me?” Natalie asked, making her way to the door.
A man in a suit stood on the porch, holding a large envelope and a clipboard. “Are you Natalie Cooper?”
“Yes,” she said, tentative.
“I have a delivery for you,” he said. “You’ll need to sign here.”
He handed her the clipboard, indicated where she needed to sign, and Natalie obliged. All the while, she wondered what on earth could have been delivered to her at her aunt and uncle’s home.
He took the clipboard, then gave her the envelope. “Have a good day.”
And then he was off.
Both Natalie and Deanna watched him get into a dark-colored sedan. Once he’d driven off, Natalie tore open the envelope’s seal.
“What was that about?” Deanna asked.
“I’m about to find out.” But Natalie had a sneaking suspicion whatever was in the envelope had to do with Vance’s text message the previous day. He’d asked for the address of where she was staying so he could send her important mail that had come for her.
She withdrew the papers. “I guess he’s filed for divorce,” Natalie said, trying to sound nonchalant as her eyes scanned the papers.
But something was wrong. Because while she wasn’t a lawyer, she noticed the papers didn’t say anything about a divorce petition.
Rather, page one of what was undoubtedly a legal document read Decree of Divorce. Now her eyes frantically took in the rest.
“Oh, my God,” Natalie uttered. Her insides began to twist violently. Vance had been given an uncontested divorce decree by the state of Nevada.
“What?” Deanna asked.
“Vance…he divorced me.”
Deanna made a face. “You mean he’s filed for divorce.”
Natalie handed her sister the papers, then went to the nearby living room and sank onto a sofa.
“But I don’t understand,” Deanna said after a while. “How could he get a divorce so quickly? And why in Nevada?”
“Obviously you can get rid of your wife in no time in Nevada.”
“But you don’t live there.”
“No.” Natalie’s mind began connecting the dots that were slowly coming together in her mind. “But we have a house there. Oh, that jerk! He must have used having a home there as a way to claim residency.”
Looking confused, Deanna’s eyes went over the pages again. A minute later, she spoke. “From what I see here, it looks like Vance claimed he tried to serve you papers but couldn’t find you, so the courts granted him an uncontested divorce. However, you are within your rights to contest it, have the case heard before the courts.”
Natalie waved a hand. “No.”
“But there’s property, none of which is mentioned in this agree—”
“I don’t care.” Natalie dragged a hand over her face. “Vance wants to get rid of me so quickly, let him have it all.”
“I used to date a lawyer,” Deanna said. “You have rights, sis. Do not let Vance walk all over you.”
“I’ll be fine,” Natalie said. “I have an account that’s mine. He used to give me an allowance—you know, money to go spend on myself shopping or with the other players’ wives. I wasn’t interested in spending my days acting like the spoiled wife of a basketball player. So I saved what he gave me for a rainy day.” She paused. “I guess this is my rainy day.”
And then Natalie started to cry.
Deanna sat beside her on the sofa and wrapped an arm around her. “Oh, sis. I’m so sorry.”
Natalie turned her face into Deanna’s shoulder, taking comfort from her sister as she cried.
Then the profoundness of this moment hit Natalie. Years ago, she had seduced Deanna’s boyfriend. That had to led to a ten-year rift between the sisters. Now here was Deanna offering her comfort over a marriage that had fallen apart due to infidelity.
“I’m not crying over Vance,” Natalie said through her tears. “Really, I’m not. I guess…I guess I’m just mourning the dream.”
And rationally, Natalie knew that was true. Because she had started mourning the loss of her marriage a long time ago. Shortly after she’d said “I do” two years ago, she had sensed that Vance had only married her so she would be eye candy on his arm.
Natalie wasn’t a fool. She had the kind of looks that caused men to crash their cars into light poles, she knew that. But she didn’t let those looks define her.
And she had hoped that when she’d met superstar basketball player Vance Cooper that he was different—that he had seen past her looks and into her fragile heart.
A heart made fragile because of her mother’s abandonment at the tender age of five.
Instead, Vance had become more and more distant after their wedding extravaganza, and Natalie suspected his infidelity within six months of marrying her. So when she had learned that Vance was sleeping with Olivia, her best friend, she hadn’t been so much surprised as betrayed.
“I don’t think he ever loved me,” Natalie said, wiping at her tears.
“He must have,” Deanna said. “How could he not? Look at you—you’re stunning.”
“Looks mean nothing.”
“Really?” Deanna countered. “Tell that to all the men who’ve lost their heads when they’ve looked at you.”
Natalie was certain Deanna was referring at least in part to Marvin, the man Natalie had selfishly seduced over ten years ago. She still wasn’t sure why she had hurt her sister like that, except that she had been at a low point in her life, needing to feel alive and desirable.
“Yet here I am,” Natalie said, pushing the memory from her mind. “Divorced by a husband who only cared to get rid of me as quickly as he could. Like our mother,” Natalie added without thinking.
Deanna eased back so she could look at her. “What do you mean?”
“Maybe Callie is right. Maybe our mother left us because she didn’t want us.”
“Okay, now I know that’s grief
