Chapter 4

Sophie stood behind him, her fingers wrapped tightly around the suitcase handle.

"Ms. York, I really didn't know that was your nightgown. David said you wouldn't be back for another couple of days, and my head was spinning from the fever. I grabbed whatever clothes were in the bathroom," she said.

Her voice was barely above a whisper, like she was scared she'd bother anyone.

I zipped up my suitcase and turned to look at her.

"There are disposable bathrobes in the second drawer of the bathroom cabinet," I said.

Sophie's face stiffened for a moment.

David frowned. "She wasn't feeling well at the time, so she didn't notice."

I didn't respond. I grabbed my bag and headed out.

David blocked the doorway. "Emily, don't leave tonight."

His voice dropped. "Sophie is going to a hotel later. I ordered a car. I had the maid tidy up the master bedroom again. You can stay here tonight."

I looked at him.

Half a minute ago, he thought I was forcing him to back down.

Now he's actually willing to send Sophie off to a hotel.

His priorities couldn't be clearer.

To him, the listing contract in my hand was more valuable than I was as his wife.

Seeing I stayed silent, David reached for my suitcase. "I know you don't like her wearing your clothes. I didn't handle that well. Once she's settled in, we'll talk about the house."

I let go of the suitcase.

He thought I was going to stay, but as his hand brushed the handle, I was already grabbing the spare key receipt from the coffee table.

"There's another group of clients coming tomorrow at 4 pm," I said.

David's hand froze. Sophie glanced over too.

I slipped the receipt into my bag. "Make sure the guest room is clean. Don't get in the way of the showings again."

David's face darkened. "You're still going to sell it?"

I picked up my suitcase and walked past him toward the door.

David called out behind me, "Emily."

I didn't look back.

Before the elevator doors closed, I caught a glimpse of David standing in the center of the living room, Sophie behind him, her head bowed.

The silver suitcase was still sitting there.

They didn't move at all.

David sent Sophie to a hotel at 11:30 that night.

I found out when the security guard at the gate called me, asking if David could extend a guest's parking permit for another 30 minutes.

I looked at the unfamiliar license plate on the screen and asked, "Who's in the car?"

The security guard checked the records. "Ms. Lane, the one who registered a couple of days ago."

I said, "No."

The security guard paused for a second, but went ahead with the process anyway.

10 minutes later, David sent me a message. [You won't even give her half an hour?]

I replied, [Parking spots are only for owners and people who actually live here long-term.]

He didn't reply.

The next day, the first batch of feedback came in after the listing went live.

When Alex called me, his tone was noticeably more upbeat than it had been the past couple of days.

"Ms. York, your place has a great layout, and it's really well-maintained. There are three groups of clients who want to come for a group showing. Is Saturday okay for you?" Alex asked.

I glanced at my schedule. "10 to 11 am."

"What about Mr. Carter?" Alex asked.

"I'll go back and unlock the door," I said.

At 9:30 on Saturday morning, when I arrived at the complex, David was already waiting downstairs.

He was in his loungewear, his hair still a little damp, like he'd come down from upstairs.

When he saw me, he looked past me at the parking lot.

"You didn't drive?" David asked.

"I took a cab," I said.

His brow twitched.

He used to hate it when I took cabs, always saying it wasn't safe. But after I started doing it more often, he stopped bringing it up. Most nights when I got home late from work, he was either already asleep or out socializing.

He reached out to take the keys from my hand.

I sidestepped him and swiped my card to enter the building.

In the elevator, he stood next to me, his voice quieter than it had been the past few days.

"Sophie's gone," David said.

I watched the elevator numbers tick by.

"Yeah," I said.

"You can come back now," David said.