Chapter 3

Emily suddenly grabbed my arm. "Nora, please don't do this. Mr. Quinn has been exhausted with the wedding and work. He was being nice to me. If you two fight because of me, I'll feel guilty forever."

I stared at her hand on my arm. Her nails were perfectly done. Pale pink with tiny glitter at the tips. "Let go."

She didn't. Instead, she yanked herself backward. Her arm knocked a glass off the coffee table, and it shattered on the floor. She grabbed her wrist and cried out.

David rushed over. "Emily!"

There was a faint red mark on her wrist, but the skin wasn't even pierced.

David looked up at me. "Did you push her?"

I didn't answer. I bent down and picked up the remote from the TV bench.

David's anger flared. "Nora, I'm talking to you."

I pressed replay. The pet camera in the corner of the living room glowed blue. On the screen, Emily grabbed my hand, pulled herself back, and knocked over the glass. It was all perfectly clear.

Emily's face went pale.

David froze.

I looked at him. "Still want an answer?"

He was quiet for a moment. Then his voice dropped. "She didn't do it on purpose."

My friend Olivia always said, "When someone is biased, you don't show them evidence to change their mind. You show it to remind yourself you were right."

Now I understood. Even with the truth right in front of David, he still made excuses for Emily.

I turned off the TV. "Enjoy your stay."

David blocked the door. "Where are you going tonight?"

"Hotel."

"With the cat?"

"With the cat."

He looked like he'd been holding it in for a long time. Finally, the truth slipped out. "Nora, do you have to be so dramatic? I was only helping a coworker.

"Now you're moving out, canceling the wedding, and ripping out the renovations. That's not the girl I used to know."

I slung the cat carrier over my shoulder. "I've always been like this. You never pushed me this far before."

Emily stood behind him, her voice barely audible. "David, maybe I should leave. I don't want to be the reason you two are fighting."

David didn't move. "Nora, apologize."

I nearly laughed, "To whom?"

"To Emily. She was wronged."

The cat meowed inside the carrier. I patted the bag and walked around David. "Let her sue me then."

As soon as the door shut behind me, I heard Emily start to cry. David was quietly comforting her.

That voice was too familiar. When I was home with a 102-degree fever, editing his work report, he used that same gentle tone. "Nora, hang in there a little longer."

So he knew how to be gentle. He just didn't think I deserved it.

I got on the elevator. My phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number: [Dr. Sanders, this is Mary. Are you really canceling the wedding tomorrow? I need to talk to you in person.]

Mary Quinn was David's mom. She always cared about appearances. Even going to the supermarket, she'd wear a silk scarf. This message didn't sound like her.

I replied: [See you at the wedding planner's office at 10 tomorrow.]

*****

The next morning at six, the movers showed up at the apartment on time.

I wasn't there. I sent a list to the building management, the workers, and David. Only the things that belonged to me and could be legally removed.

When David called, I was sitting downstairs at the wedding planner's office, eating breakfast.

He asked, "Nora, you really had them remove the air conditioner?"

I said, "Yeah."

"Did you know my parents are coming over to check out our apartment today?"

"Why don't you have Emily cook them a good meal?"

There was a brief silence on the other end. Then he said, "Do you still mean what you said last night?"

"Which part?"

"About breaking up."

I took a sip of milk. "Yeah, I mean it."

His voice turned icy. "Then you're covering half the losses from the wedding."

I said, "I signed the contract with the wedding planner. I'll handle whatever refund I can get. You booked the hotel. That's on you."

"Nora, isn't it embarrassing to be this petty?"

"Less embarrassing than you letting your assistant wear my slippers."

He hung up, furious.