Chapter 2
Summer didn't answer. How could she not know?
Last month, she had found an appointment slip from Harmony Private Hospital in Ryan's suit pocket: Clara Simons, OB-GYN, February 14, 10:30 a.m.
She had asked Ryan about it then.
Ryan had paused for a second, then said casually, "Oh, it's just a colleague's wife. She asked me to help her get an appointment. You know how hard it is to get in with that specialist."
And she had believed him. Looking back now, it all seemed so pathetic.
Summer said to the driver, "Turn the car around. Take me to Harmony Private Hospital."
The driver hesitated. "Ms. Linwood, all the guests... they're waiting."
"I said, turn the car around." Summer's voice was quiet, but it held a cold finality that left no room for argument.
The driver didn't dare argue. He picked up the radio and spoke into it. "Lead car changing destination, heading to Harmony Private Hospital. The rest of you hold here for now."
Under the stunned gazes of the arriving guests, the Rolls-Royce Phantom turned around and pulled away from the hotel.
The music stopped. All that was left was the confused murmur of the crowd and the relentless click of camera shutters.
Summer reached up and removed the ornate headpiece. It was too heavy, pressing down on her and making it hard to breathe.
"Summer..." Sophie started to say something, but the look in Summer's eyes silenced her.
Summer turned to stare out the window, her gaze vacant.
Her phone buzzed again. This time, it was a text from Ryan's mother, Patricia. [Summer, what's happening? Where's Ryan? Why aren't you here? Everyone's waiting.]
Summer stared at the message, letting the words sink in.
Then she typed her reply. [Ryan's with Clara at Harmony Private Hospital. She has an OB-GYN appointment this morning. If you're in a hurry, you can find him there.]
She hit send. Then, without a moment's hesitation, she blocked her.
Sophie saw it and gasped. "Summer, are you insane? That's your future mother-in-law."
"Future mother-in-law?" Summer let out a laugh that was half a sob. "Sophie, be honest. Do you really think there's still a wedding to have?"
Sophie had no answer to that.
The car headed toward Harmony Private Hospital. All the way there, Summer didn't say another word. She just stared out the window, watching the city she'd lived in for twenty-six years.
The weather was perfect today, with bright sunshine and a flawless blue sky.
It was a great day for a wedding, or for catching a cheater.
*****
Ten minutes later, the car glided into a VIP parking spot directly in front of Harmony Private Hospital.
Summer stayed put, watching the hospital entrance through the car's tinted windows.
Harmony was Bayport's most exclusive private hospital. Its clientele came from the highest echelons of old money and new.
It was Sunday, so the parking lot was fairly empty. When that familiar black Bentley swept into view, Summer recognized it immediately.
That was Ryan's car.
She had chosen the vanity plate herself: RY4SM. Ryan for Summer.
What a joke that seemed now.
The Bentley came to a stop. The driver's door swung open, and Ryan got out.
He was wearing the dark gray suit, his hair perfectly in place, the wedding style she had spent hours perfecting with him just the day before.
And there, at his neck, was the tie she had given him, a burgundy one with a discreet "S&R" embroidered on the underside.
He walked around to the passenger side and opened the door.
A hand reached out and rested in his. It was slender and fair, with a delicate pearl bracelet on the wrist.
Then, a woman stepped out.
It was Clara Simons.
She looked just like the photo, and yet, not quite the same.
In the photo, she had been a shy girl. Now, she was a serene, expectant mother. She wore a loose-fitting beige dress, her belly rounded into a soft curve, four, maybe five months along.
Her hair fell past her shoulders, and her face radiated a quiet, undeniable happiness.
Ryan supported her, his movements gentle, as if he were holding something infinitely precious.
He pulled an ultrasound image from his pocket and pointed at the blurry shape on it, murmuring something to her with his head bent close to hers.
Clara looked up at him, her eyes crinkling with a smile.
Sunlight washed over them, painting a perfect, intimate scene like a maternity photo shoot, if only the man in the picture weren't her groom.
Summer watched it all from the car.
There was no dramatic breakdown, no screaming or tears.
She just felt cold, a deep, penetrating cold that seemed to seep from her bones outward.
Her wedding gown was heavy, layered and richly embroidered. But at that moment, she might as well have been standing naked in a snowstorm.
"Summer..." Sophie reached for her hand and gasped at how cold it was. "Let's get out of here. Please. You don't need to see this."
She watched Clara pause, looking tired, and Ryan instantly crouched down to fan her with his hand.
She watched Clara pause, looking tired, and saw Ryan instantly crouch down to fan her with his hand.
She watched Clara murmur something as Ryan gently tapped her nose with a finger, then pulled a sour candy from his pocket.
Clara had been craving sour things since she got pregnant, a detail Summer knew from a note she had stumbled upon in Ryan's phone.
So that was what all those "client files" in his phone had really been: a meticulous list of Clara's preferences.
[Clara, 16 weeks pregnant. Craves sour things. Gets cold easily. Light sleeper.]
[Clara, 20 weeks pregnant. Prenatal appointment: February 14, 10:30 a.m.]
[Clara, due July 7. A Cancer. Just like Her.]
Summer let out a low, quiet laugh that, in the stillness of the car, sounded impossibly loud.