Chapter 6
Sunlight came through the roadside trees as Daniel drove Nathan away from the hospital. He glanced into the rearview mirror.
“Professor, your wife was there while you were having your ears checked. So was that woman.”
“Who?”
“The one who told you your wife was having an affair.”
Nathan remembered her across the café table: Your wife is sleeping with my husband.
He turned toward the window.
“When your wife's friend was saying those things, she closed your door for you. You wouldn't have heard them anyway, but she did it without thinking. That was kind.”
Nathan took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
“Such a nice woman,” Daniel said. “And her husband treats her like that.”
Nathan looked at the ring on his hand without answering.
“That first year, your wife was overseas with her exhibitions. Last year you were in Riverton working on the medical AI project. Maybe if you hadn't spent so much time in different cities…”
The thought went unanswered. Nathan looked outside again.
In the Harborview Hotel lobby, Claire sat near the windows overlooking the sea, folding a straw wrapper while her colleague chatted over coffee.
“Someone's finally booked the presidential suite. The one we keep off the regular booking sites. They're coming in a couple of days. Who do you think it is? An athlete? Movie star? Some billionaire?”
Claire didn't answer.
“Whoever it is, I hope he's good-looking. I'm tired of checking in sweaty old guys.” Her colleague waved a hand in front of her. “Claire? What's going on? You've been miles away lately.”
Claire stopped folding the paper and looked up.
“Do you think getting divorced is shameful?”
The question left her colleague staring.
Later, when she spoke to Lily, her friend's shock was sharper.
“Divorce? Where did that come from? Did you have a fight with Evan?”
“No fight. He's having an affair.”
Lily stared at her.
“You know her. Vanessa Cole.”
“Vanessa? The one whose husband is a Reed?”
Claire nodded. Lily stood and paced beside the coffee table.
“So that's why you called in the middle of the night for his number?”
Claire held her cup and said nothing. Lily sighed, sat back down, and took her hand.
“What do you want to do?”
“I don't know. I can't pretend it didn't happen. But whenever I think about Mom, I can't bring myself to get divorced.”
She remembered Vanessa adjusting Evan's collar in the hospital corridor.
“After Dad died, she raised me alone. She can barely read. All she wants is for me to have a happy marriage and a safe, peaceful life.” Tears ran down her cheeks. “I can't imagine how worried she'd be if I told her I wanted to leave him.”
Lily moved beside her and put an arm around her shoulders.
“That's why you've been working nights all this time. I should have realized something was wrong. I'm sorry I wasn't there when you needed me.”
Claire leaned against her and cried quietly. Her phone chimed on the table.
Come to a business dinner with me tonight. I'll pick you up after work.
The message was from Evan. Claire's expression hardened as she read it.
“Bastard,” Lily said.
In the car, Evan glanced at the bag of medicine Claire had brought back from the hospital.
“What's that?”
“Medicine.”
He had followed her as she collected it. At the pharmacy he had asked what the bag contained; the general answer, medicine to help someone feel better, had told him nothing about whom it was for. Still, he had decided she must be getting ready for their honeymoon and a pregnancy.
“Claire, children take a lot of time and energy. We're young. We both have careers. Maybe having a baby should wait—”
She looked directly at him.
“Are you seeing someone else?”
He jerked his head toward her, then quickly looked back at the road. His hands stiffened on the wheel.
“What? Of course I'm not seeing anyone.”
She lowered her eyes and stayed silent for a moment. When she looked back, she was smiling.
“Why so nervous? I'm joking.”
His shoulders eased. He smiled too.
“Oh. Well, let's not make that kind of joke again.”
She pulled her seat belt across and fastened it.
“So, about the baby…”
“We'll talk about it later.”
His face fell. Below her sleeve, she gripped the edge of her clothes until her knuckles whitened. Evan noticed the movement and looked at her hand.
“Where's your wedding ring?”
Startled, she glanced at her bare finger, then hid it under her sleeve.
“I left in a rush this morning. Forgot it at home.”
“Oh.” He turned back to the road, frowning. Something about her was different today.
Claire looked out of the window.
