The Price of Passion

Vivian Carlson has struggled for years to accept her politician husband's increasing infidelities and has long since abandoned attempts at motherhood. But she draws the line at taking care of her husband's illegitimate baby. And once one line is drawn, she discovers that she can draw others. "Does it have a name?" Vivian asked Walter. What would be the proper question to ask her husband of nearly twenty years, when he brings home his illegitimate baby as casually as a bag of groceries? Although Walter's frequent infidelities became increasingly obvious to Vivian, she struggled to accept them. After all, she reasoned, they came with the Mercedes, the beautiful house, and the prestige of being Mrs. Carlson, the Texas state representative's better half. Having long since abandoned her attempts at motherhood, Vivian resigned herself to her law studies and a lonely existence as the perfect political wife in suburban Austin. But Vivian draws the line at her husband's unexpected arrival. And once one line is drawn, she discovers that she can draw others. Left alone with this tiny, helpless bundle that disgusts and fascinates her, Vivian faces some of the hardest choices of her life. On the brink of a long-forgotten freedom, she begins the painful, empowering process of rebuilding her shattered life -- and the reawakening of her soul to the possibilities of love. An emotionally charged, razor-sharp take on the myriad challenges facing women today, Evelyn Palfrey's witty and suspenseful novel establishes her as a refreshing new voice in contemporary women's fiction.