Lonely. That's what she had been since the whole fiasco had begun. Lonely. And it was a loneliness that time could not fill. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she stared at herself in the mirror, a suitcase lying open on the bed and clothes strewn about.

'I can't live like this. It's been a lie. One huge lie. Oh, Speed, I'm so sorry.'

"Trixie, darling, are you all right?"

Startled out of her reverie and moment of self-pity, Trixie Prescott whirled around to see Genevieve standing behind her.

"I-I'm fine," she stammered, wiping away the tears. "Why would you ask me that?"

"Well, for starters, you're in a loveless marriage to my son and your heart yearns to be with another," the older woman replied succinctly. "Plus Taylor isn't going to be happy when he gets home when he hears what his father and I have to tell him."

"And what's that?" Trixie asked, sitting down on the side of the bed.

"Well, you two have been married for six months and the marriage hasn't been consummated," Genevieve explained, sitting down on the other side of the bed. "His father and I agreed it would be best to have the marriage annulled. So, as of right now, you are no longer Trixie Prescott."

Trixie blinked. Had she heard that right? Her own mother- and father-in-law had had her marriage annulled? She was free?

"You heard me right," Genevieve continued, as if reading her mind. "You're no longer our daughter-in-law, though I must say I really like you, Trixie. But I must not be selfish and neither can my husband. It is the best thing. For everyone."

'I'm free,' her heart leaped for joy. 'I can go anywhere I want. I can go back to Speed!'

"Thank you, Genevieve," she murmured. "You have no idea as to what this means to me."

"Oh, I think I do," the older woman winked. "Now finish packing. Taylor won't be home for a few more hours and it'll be better if you're not here when we tell him the news."

"Right," Trixie nodded and stood up. The older woman took her leave. Trixie grabbed everything she had brought with her to her new home, an indescribable happiness filling her heart.

'This is great. I can't wait to see Speed again. I'll set things right. I swear I will. I don't care if Taylor follows me there to stop me, I will make amends with Speed.'

She stopped suddenly, an icy feeling creeping through her blood. Taylor. Following her. She remembered what Torie had told her once, about how Taylor had hounded her, even after she had gotten involved with Ryan, her now deceased fiance'. If he had hounded Torie like that, what would he do with her? They had been married, after all. And Speed had been in a terrible accident a year and a half ago. There would be no way her former beau could stand up to an irate ex-husband.

'I can't do that to him . . . I can't put him in danger like that. Oh, God, Speed, what have I done? Where can I go? Who can help me out of this?'

With a renewed burst of speed, Trixie packed her suitcase and ran out the door. She knew of one person who could help her, someone who wasn't afraid of Taylor Sirius Prescott the Third, Esquire. Torie Cronkhite.