Chapter 1
CHAPTER 1
GO SET THE WORLD ON FIRE.
Blair
“I’m moving out,” I announce as I enter the living room.
“What?” my sister asks, looking at me from the couch, both shocked and concerned. “Did you finally get approved for the place down the hall?”
Biting the inside of my cheek, I shake my head. “You know I’ve been searching for ten months now, give or take, to find a place in this same complex. It’s been impossible, Kodi!”
“I know.” She nods. “Even landing this spot myself was hard.”
“I know, and you’ve been so supportive, letting me and Reginald crash in your guest bedroom after everything with… Theodore .”
She holds up a hand. “We don’t speak that name here.”
My sister is my best friend and the person most protective of me, despite being a year younger. The night I found out what Theodore did, Kodi helped me pack as much as I could, including my dog, and left before he returned from work. It was impossible to take everything knowing I was moving into a single room. I sacrificed some of the luxuries as it simply didn’t matter to me anymore. Those were all things that tied me to Theodore.
He didn’t even bother trying to leave work early to fix what he broke. Which only made me wonder how long it had been going on, which sent my mind spiraling wondering if there were more women and how I missed all the signs.
“And I’m denied everywhere because I don’t have verifiable income,” I continue, taking a seat on the couch. “There’s enough money in my bank account to buy the damn building, but without that steady income on paper, they don’t give a shit.”
“That’s San Francisco for you,” Kodi says.
The divorce did a number on Theodore’s bank account. I didn’t want a dime from him, but the courts ruled our penthouse in my name due to the nature of the divorce. A divorce that happened rather quickly, thanks to the fact he didn’t try to contest it, and I didn’t ask for anything. The only thing he begged to buy was our penthouse because there wasn’t another one like ours available anywhere in the city. His only other option was a home in the suburbs, but he refused to travel into the city every day for work. He shocked me when he offered me more than double what it was worth.
I didn’t—and still don’t—feel guilty for a second selling it to him at that ridiculous price. Mostly due to the fact that he didn’t put up a fight. He didn’t beg for me to stay, only wanted his fancy place to live.
So no, I wasn’t feeling guilty. Not after what he’d put me through.
“Exactly,” I say before looking down at Reginald who jumps to sit next to me, resting his paws on my lap. “You’re going to kill me, but I’m moving out of state.”
“What?” Kodi jumps up from the couch. “You mean, like, just across the border, right?”
“Well…not exactly.” I bite the inside of my cheek and force a smile to ease the blow.
“You’re joking. Please tell me you’re joking,” she begs .
I look up and give her a knowing glare. “I want out, Kodi. You know this is what I need to do.”
Her face falls, telling me she understands why.
“You know I haven’t been able to go to the grocery store without having eyes on me,” I say, feeling the heaviness fill my chest of everything that’s happened. “I’ve been known for one thing, and that’s being the mayor’s wife.”
“You were so much more than that.”
I shake my head. “Then tell me why I can’t leave the house without side glances and people whispering in their friends’ ears when I walk by. They think I can’t hear them, but I’ve heard mumbles of them saying, ‘Oh, there’s the mayor’s ex-wife. He cheated on her. Poor thing.’”
None of it’s a lie.
It’s the sole reason why I have yet to actively seek employment.
“And do you remember that one time I tried to get back into running after letting my sneakers collect dust?” I continue.
“Yeah,” Kodi draws out, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
“I couldn’t make it down the block without seeing old billboards for ads I did for the local baking network, without seeing my eyes blacked out and whiskers on my face.”
My sister grinds her teeth. “That still makes me rage. Like, are we okay? A cat? Who does that?”
“I feel like I need a fresh start from this life,” I tell my sister. “You know, a place to settle down where no one knows me as the mayor’s ex-wife. Where no one knows me, period.”
Since the divorce, my emotions have shifted from hurt to anger. It’s taken a significant toll on me, and I’m not sure I would have made it through without my sister’s support.
Aside from Kodi, I don’t have any friends or family to lean on. Once I was no longer married to Theodore, I lost all my old friends—who were mainly wives of his political friends. They have all proven to be fake because I thought they were friends with me for…me. Turns out, it was just being surrounded by my status that made them stay close to me.
I guess I was fake too for having no other friends outside of the political circle.
Kodi remains silent.
“Much of my life has involved doing what others tell me to do,” I continue. “And I’ve never had a say in anything. My mind has been replaying all of this like a movie. I’ve realized that I’ve never really been my own person. I’ve been pushed and twisted into becoming someone I don’t even recognize when I look in the mirror.”
Since the day I discovered my husband’s infidelity, I’ve undergone a profound transformation within myself. From feeling lost, helpless, and unable to get out of bed, to learning about the strength I’ve had within me all along that was simply masked by the person I was made into as his wife. I’ve shed the person I was and have embraced a new, more authentic version of myself. This newfound sense of self is the driving force behind my decision to move.
Don’t get me wrong, I still have plenty of days where it hits me like a ton of bricks. The feeling of losing the one person who I vowed to spend my life with, for better or worse. I spiral just like any human and let the tears fall when my head hits the pillow and mourn the life I once knew.
“I get that. And I truly don’t blame you,” Kodi says. “But the idea of not being close to you isn’t fun for me.”
The reason I fought against moving is because of my sister. Kodi and I are close. She was born just one week before my first birthday. We’re what they call “Irish twins.” We could even pass as twins, with our only difference being she has long hair that’s more natural brown, and I keep mine short with blonde highlights mixed in.
Our mother is a lot like the person I was before the divorce.
A politician’s wife who was the eye of the town. She has always been known for painting, baking, and wearing pencil skirts. It’s all I’ve known growing up, which led me to live the same life she did, I guess. I don’t know how she did it, because while I kept a happy face on at all times, looking back, I was miserable.
Well, that’s only partially true.
I was miserable in the position I was in. But I loved my husband.
Or I thought I did.
There was always a part of me that thought my sister would have been the one to end up in the political spotlight in some way, shape, or form. But she got the better end of the deal, being a rebellious child who hates politics. She got herself a good social media gig doing interior design home projects until she graduated college and landed a job working for a company that does everything she was already doing.
She’s damn good at what she does.
“The idea of it isn’t fun for me either,” I admit.
“How far away is it?” Kodi asks.
“Well…” I avert my gaze from her and continue to pet Reginald.
“Blair Andrews! I have to get on a plane to see you, don’t I?”
I cringe at the use of my full name. Not just my full name but my full married name.
“I mean…you don’t.” I shrug. “But it’s kind of a long drive. About sixteen hours long. A drive I’m actually planning to take next week.”
“Did you say a sixteen-hour drive? And next week?”
Pulling my laptop off the coffee table, I open it to my recent tab. “Look how cute,” I say as I turn the device to face her.
She looks down at the screen, and her eyes widen. “Wyoming?” she asks before scrolling through the page with her finger on the trackpad. “How did you even find this place?”
“I found it through an extensive search of small towns.”
She leans closer, scrolling back up to the top of the page. “ There’s literally one photo on that page that shows a lake and some trees. Show me more.”
“That’s actually the only photo I could find. The website is very basic, and the town seems to be off the map.”
She stares at me unblinking before her fingers find her temples and begins to pace the living room. “Let me get this straight. You’re moving out of state to a town you know jack shit about that has a half-ass website put together? And…” She leans down to look at the screen, poking the monitor with her finger. “One phone number with a pretty image of a lake?”
I nod. “Bluestone Lakes, to be exact.”
“You didn’t answer any of my questions.”
“Yes, to all of them.” I stand from the couch. “This is my chance to start fresh, Kodi. A town that’s so off the map they don’t even have a real website. A town where no one knows anything about me. Where I can be free from the chains of living how everyone wants me to. I already spoke to Nan and?—”
“Nan?” she cuts me off, standing still in the middle of the room.
“The phone number on the page. It’s connected to a woman named Nan.”
She pauses, staring at me like I have two heads. “I wish you would stay here in California and just move out of the city or something. I understand your reasoning for all of this, I do. I just don’t like it very much.”
“She told me they have a house right on a lake for me. It’s not Bluestone Lake, but a smaller lake in their town. The best part? It’s a tiny home, Kodi. A TINY HOME,” I exclaim. “I looked up what that was on an internet search, and I fell in love with the idea of owning one. How cool does that sound? And the second best part is that it’s nestled on a street with only one other house. Hello, privacy.”
Even with my excited tone, her face shows no emotion as she puts both hands on her hips. “Did she show you a picture?” she asks. “What if this tiny home you speak of is a dumpster on wheels?”
“Very funny,” I deadpan.
“I’m being so serious right now.”
“Me too. I’m going to do this,” I say, closing my laptop and tucking it under my arms. “I’m leaving next week. I’m ready to start over and find my independence again instead of being known everywhere as Mrs. Andrews.”
“You can have your independence here,” she says.
Shaking my head, I turn to face the window overlooking the city. The same city where I grew up with Kodi. “You know I can’t do that. You know this place will always have shackles tied to me, forcing me to be the person I’ve always been.” I turn my body to face her again. “I need to get out of here to find that independence I’ve never had.”
She offers me a soft smile. “You’re right. And if you’re happy, then I’m happy too. You know I’ll always support you in anything you decide to do.”
And I truly am.
I’ve never been more nervous in my life about this new adventure. Everything Kodi expressed in her concerns has me questioning whether this is the right move. But if this ends up being the biggest mistake of my life, it’s something I can learn from.
Kodi begins to walk away. “But just know my spare room is always open for you when you learn it really is a dumpster fire and you need a place to stay,” she says with her back to me.
“Thanks, sis.”
“And, Blair?” she turns to face me from the hallway.
“Hm?”
“Go set the world on fire.”