Chapter 4

When we stepped out of the hotel, the sun was shining brightly.

The wedding car was still parked at the entrance, its front decorated with beautiful flowers.

The driver looked at us in surprise and asked, "Where's the groom?"

No one answered.

Sophie opened the car door for me.

I got in, my wedding dress pooling around my knees.

My phone kept buzzing. First, it was messages from relatives and friends. Then, Edward called.

I didn't answer.

After the ninth call, Edward finally sent me a message: [Olivia, Grace is stable now.

[The doctor said it was a false alarm.

[I'm heading back to the hotel now. Wait for me.]

I looked at those three messages and suddenly laughed.

He was always like this. Whenever something went wrong, he put Grace first. Only after everything had settled did he come back to me.

As if I would always be standing here, waiting for him, always picking up the pieces after him.

As the car started, I turned to look back at the hotel entrance.

Monica was still on the phone, the Lane relatives huddled around her.

The big screen, visible through the glass, was still glowing, frozen on a photo of Edward and me.

In that picture, I was leaning against his shoulder.

Outside the photo, the only thing left on my hand was a red mark where the ring used to be.

I didn't go home. After leaving the hotel, I told the driver to turn around and head to the apartment.

Sophie, sitting up front, kept glancing back at me. Finally, she couldn't hold it in anymore. "What are you going there for right now?"

I stared out the window at the street rushing past. "To get my things."

She gritted her teeth. "I'll go up with you."

The apartment was in the city center, bought by Edward before we got married.

The Lane family bought it, and the deed only had Edward's name. But every detail, including the interior design, furniture, appliances, curtains, and even the dishes, was handled by me after countless trips and careful choices.

Back then, I didn't care that my name wasn't on the deed.

Edward had promised, "When we get a bigger place, I'll put both our names on it."

I believed him. Because back then, no matter how late he got home from work, he'd always sit with me, flipping through furniture catalogs together.

He'd remember I liked light wood floors and couldn't stand lights that were too bright.

He even left half a wall in the master bedroom for our wedding photos someday.

I used to think those details felt more like home than seeing my name on the deed.

*****

The elevator reached the twenty-third floor.

When I took out my keys to unlock the door, my palms were sweaty.

As soon as the door opened, a faint, sweet scent drifted out. It was maternity oil.

In the entryway, there was a pair of light pink slippers. On the shoe cabinet sat folic acid, calcium tablets, prenatal vitamins, and a hospital payment slip.

I walked in.

On the coffee table were some fruit, a thermos, and a parenting book left open halfway through. There was a maternity pillow next to the sofa.

The fiddle-leaf fig that used to be in the corner had been moved to the balcony, right where it was in Grace's photo.

Sophie muttered under her breath, "She really thinks this is her home now."

I didn't say anything.

The master bedroom door was slightly ajar.

When I pushed it open, the first thing that caught my eye was the headboard.

Our wedding photo was gone. In its place, a maternity photo of Grace was hanging on the wall.

She was dressed in a white gown, gently cradling her belly, her face soft and vulnerable.

The bed was covered with the beige bedding set I picked out. Edward's favorite black sleep mask was right there on the pillow.

I stood in the doorway, not moving inside.

The closet was half open. My pajamas, coats, scarves, and a few dresses with the tags still on were all crammed into two cardboard boxes.

There was a sticky note on the boxes: [Olivia's things. Leave them in the storage room for now.] It was written in neat, delicate handwriting.

I reached out and tore off the sticky note. The sound of the tape peeling off the box was soft, but it made something inside me snap tight.

Water was running in the guest bathroom. After a moment, Grace came out, holding her lower back.

When she saw me, her face instantly went pale. "Olivia, why are you here?"

I glanced at the loungewear she was wearing. "Those are my clothes."

She looked down, as if realizing it, her fingers nervously twisting the hem. "Sorry, my clothes got wet last night, and Edward said there were some new ones in the closet. I didn't know you needed it for tomorrow."

"Now that you know, you can take it off," Sophie said coldly.

Grace's eyes grew teary. "I'll change right away."

She started to walk toward the room, but her steps faltered.

I didn't move.

Sophie put her arm out in front of me, like she was worried I'd give in.

Grace leaned against the doorframe, her voice barely above a whisper. "I never meant to take your stuff. Edward was worried something might happen if I was out there alone. As soon as the baby's okay, I'll go."

I looked at her. "So, when exactly will things be stable?"

She paused, looking uncertain. "The doctor said at least a few more weeks of observation."

"And then what?" I pressed, not letting it go.

She touched her belly, her voice soft. "Once the baby's further along, it'll be even harder for me to move around."

I nodded. "So, are you planning to stay here until you have the baby?"

Her tears started to fall. "Olivia, please, don't ask me that. I really don't have anywhere else to go."

"What about your old place?"

"The apartment was tiny, and the hallway was pitch black. I used to get scared at night."

Sophie scoffed. "If you're scared, go stay at a hotel, a maternity center, the Lane Estate, or your own family's place. Why do you have to move into someone else's place?"

Grace's face went even paler at Sophie's words. She looked up at me, her voice barely above a whisper, like it could shatter. "I know you don't like me, but after William passed away, I keep dreaming about him every night.

"When I wake up, the only thing left with me is this baby."

Talking about William made her tears fall even harder. "I want the baby to be near his dad's family."