Chapter 2

The entire drive was unnervingly quiet.

The only sound was the GPS giving directions in its flat, robotic voice.

I sat in the passenger seat with the bouquet that had never been meant for me still in my lap.

Amy suddenly broke the silence.

"How long have you two been married?"

"Seven years."

Her hands tightened around the steering wheel until her knuckles went white.

"Seven years…"

"I've been with him for four."

"He told me his last marriage was already over. Said they were just finalizing the paperwork."

"He said he didn't want to drag me into the legal mess, so we had to keep things quiet for a while."

She drew in a sharp breath, her voice going cold.

"He proposed to me, too."

My throat tightened.

"When?"

"Three winters ago. We were skiing in Aspen."

My mind went blank.

Three winters ago, I'd just come out of emergency surgery after losing my baby.

I'd been almost seven months along.

The night before, Jack and I had gotten into a horrible fight. In the middle of the night, I started hemorrhaging, and a neighbor drove me to the hospital.

They couldn't save the baby.

They almost couldn't save me.

I called Jack over and over, but his phone was off.

Later, he told me casually that he'd been meeting a client out of state and had lost reception in the mountains.

So that's where he'd really been.

Proposing to another woman.

Amy noticed something in my face.

"What is it?"

I turned toward the window, watching rows of bare trees blur past.

"Nothing."

I swallowed.

"I just figured something out."

The car pulled up in front of an upscale villa.

"You know what the most pathetic part is?" Amy said suddenly.

"He sends me money every month. Tells me he doesn't want me working too hard, tells me to buy whatever I want."

"I actually thought that was love."

I turned to her.

"How much?"

"Five thousand a month. Sometimes more."

The second she said it, something clicked.

She looked at me.

"How much does he give you?"

I was quiet for a moment.

"I don't even have my own card."

"For seven years, I've had an authorized-user card with a low weekly limit. Just enough to cover basic expenses."

Amy looked at me with an expression I couldn't quite read.

Then she got out and rang the doorbell.

The door opened almost immediately.

A very young woman stood there in a cream-colored knit dress, the fabric stretched taut over her pregnant belly.

She looked at us, puzzled.

"Can I help you?"

Neither Amy nor I had expected the third woman to be pregnant.

Amy recovered first.

She held up the florist bag.

"Hi, ma'am. We're from the flower shop. There was a mix-up with our system today because of the holiday rush."

"This arrangement is one of our premium orders, so we wanted to make sure it was delivered properly."

The young woman smiled right away.

"Oh, of course. Thank you so much for coming all the way out here."

"Please, come in."

Amy and I exchanged a look before following her inside.

The house was warm.

There was a faint scent of baby lotion in the air.

An assembled crib stood in the living room, and unopened baby gifts were stacked against the wall.

On the mantel sat a photograph.

Jack had his arm around the woman, both of them on a beach, beaming like a happy couple.

She rested a hand on her belly, her face lit with the soft, tired glow of late pregnancy.

"My husband is so thoughtful," she said with a smile.

"He knows how much I love flowers."

Amy stared at the picture, her expression almost frightening.

I spoke softly.

"How long have you and your husband been… married?"

Emma looked a little shy.

"We haven't officially registered yet."

"But we had an engagement ceremony last fall. He said we'd handle the paperwork after the baby was born."

Neither Amy nor I said anything.

Emma didn't notice anything off.

"He's so good to me," she went on cheerfully.

"He hates the idea of me being home alone, so lately he's been turning down work whenever he can to be here with me."

"His mom's coming to stay for a few days, too. She takes such good care of me."

Jack's mother flashed through my mind instantly.

Last winter, she had moved into my apartment for four months, claiming her heart condition made it unsafe for her to live alone.

I'd worked part-time as an online customer service rep while catering to her every need.

And through all of it, I'd put up with her contempt.

Now she was coming here to dote on another woman carrying her grandson.

Emma walked over to the coffee table and picked up her phone.

"Would you mind swapping numbers? Once the baby comes, I might want to order more flowers or desserts."

Amy glanced at me.

Then she took out her phone.

We had barely exchanged numbers when a man's voice drifted out from the bedroom.

"Emma? Was that the florist?"

I knew that voice better than my own.

Jack.

Amy's face changed in an instant.

She started toward the bedroom, but I grabbed her wrist.

"Let's go."

Her head snapped toward me, fury blazing in her eyes.

"Are you out of your mind? If we don't call him out now, then when?"

I tightened my grip.

"She's about to give birth."

Amy clenched her jaw.

She was breathing hard.

In the end, I dragged her out of the house.

The moment the door shut behind us, I heard Emma call cheerfully from inside,

"It's fine. The flower shop people just left."