Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem novel Chapter 1602

Hearing the tone of her voice, Elysia asked urgently, "What's wrong, Winona?"

"Do you have any idea how much Keaton spent on that fall/winter haute couture collection he ordered for me from Old Mr. White?" Winona asked.

"I don't know, I never asked. Why?" Elysia said.

"Can you please ask Mr. White for me? Or maybe Emmett? I need to know the exact amount," Winona pleaded.

"Okay, hold on a second."

Elysia went upstairs with her phone to find Emmett. He knew the figure because he'd been with Old Mr. White when it was discussed. Emmett said, "Uncle Keaton gave Mr. White a staggering sum. After Mr. White found out about our connection, he didn't want to take it, but Keaton insisted. He said he was atoning for his sins and needed to spend the money to ease his conscience."

Elysia was stunned. "He spent a staggering fortune on that collection?"

"Yeah. What's wrong, Mommy?"

Elysia was speechless. This wasn't just haute couture; this was an insane amount of money. She swallowed hard. "Nothing, honey. I'm just asking for Aunt Winona. You boys keep playing. I'll call you when dinner is ready."

Elysia walked back downstairs, phone in hand. "Winona, did you hear that?"

Winona was just as shocked. "I heard. Hundreds of millions? Oh my God! I heard people at work talking about that figure today, but I thought it was just a rumor. I knew Old Mr. White's collections were expensive, but I never thought Keaton would spend that much on me."

"Tarquin said it was the night you brought him dinner after he got in trouble with his family."

Winona thought back, and her breath hitched. "Oh no!" After getting caught by his parents that night, she'd been so mad she had secretly kicked something off the bed. She'd felt it fall but didn't think anything of it. She never imagined it was the jade artifact! Now that she thought about it, that's exactly what it was! She had even placed it by the bed herself! Oh, good grief.

"It's over, it's over, it's completely over!"

"What's wrong?" Elysia asked quickly.

Winona's voice was tinged with tears. "I was planning on transferring him the money for the collection and cutting ties with him for good! Now how am I supposed to do that? I can't afford this! There's no way I can ever pay him back!" A diamond ring of a few carats costs a fortune; that thing was a massive, naturally formed masterpiece. Priceless! Even a tiny chip or scratch would drastically lower its value. Whether she meant to or not, she had broken it. She was supposed to compensate him! But it was so expensive, she couldn't afford it even if she sold herself. And if she couldn't pay, she was in his debt. How could she cut ties with someone she was indebted to? She'd been hiding out for half a month, wondering how to handle her relationship with Keaton. After much thought, she decided that cutting ties was the best option. She'd give him the money for the clothes, let bygones be bygones, and they'd go their separate ways.