The man gave a broken laugh.
Before she could say more, a harsh voice came from the doorway behind her.
“Martha. Who are these men, and what are they doing at my house?”
Chapter 2: The Husband Who Returned Too Late
Martha went still.
At the doorway stood Gerald Hale, her husband in name only. He had left years earlier, promising to find work in another town. He sent no money, no letters, no comfort. Yet every few months, he returned like bad weather, reminding Martha that misery could still claim legal rights.
The little boys on the curb lowered their heads and shuffled back. They knew the type.
Gerald looked from the black cars to the suited men, then to Martha’s wet eyes. Suspicion twisted his mouth.
“Well?” he demanded.
Martha wiped her cheek quickly. “They’ve come to ask something.”
Tommy said nothing. He was watching Gerald now, his old tenderness replaced by careful judgment.
Gerald noticed the tray and the scraps in the children’s hands. “You giving away our supper again?”
Martha did not answer.
Gerald sneered. “I leave for one week and come back to find you feeding gutter rats and entertaining rich strangers.”
One of the suited men stepped forward, but Tommy stopped him with a small motion.
“Mr. Hale,” Tommy said politely, “we are old acquaintances of your wife.”
Gerald laughed. “My wife doesn’t have acquaintances. She has debts.”
The words hit Martha harder than the wind. She lowered her head, used to swallowing humiliation.
But Tommy’s face changed.
“We knew her before she was your wife,” he said.