Chapter 13 - The Mother's Solitude
Meanwhile, twenty miles away in a tiny one-bedroom apartment in downtown Nashville.
Diane Caldwell sat alone on a worn sofa, watching the evening news on a small television set.
On the screen, a reporter stood in front of the sparkling Grand Lake Estate gates, interviewing happy veteran families and praising Commander Harper Caldwell for her philanthropic vision.
The news anchor declared: "COMMANDER HARPER CALDWELL HONORED WITH THE PRESIDENTIAL CIVIC MEDAL FOR VETERAN ADVOCACY."
Diane stared at the screen, her hands trembling as she held a cold cup of instant tea.
Her social calendar was completely empty. Her high-society friends had blocked her phone number. Her name was ruined across Nashville.
She picked up her phone, dialing Caroline's number for the tenth time that week.
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The automated voice answered instantly: "The party you are trying to reach has restricted incoming calls from this number."
Diane dropped her phone onto the worn carpet, burying her face in her hands in the quiet, lonely room, realizing that her own arrogance had stripped her of the only real fortune she had ever possessed—her daughters.
