Chapter 4

James said, "Nobody. Just a patient's relative."

His words carried down the hallway and stabbed straight into my chest.

My hand gripped the door handle so hard my knuckles turned white.

So that was what I meant to him. Nothing. Just a patient's family member.

Then what did our three years of marriage mean?

I didn't look back. I yanked the door open and walked out.

Behind me, the woman was clearly unsatisfied. Her voice turned whiny. "A patient's relative? She was looking at you all weird. Are you keeping something from me, James?"

James didn't answer.

I rushed back to the hospital room and shut the door behind me, blocking everything out.

Ethan was already awake, sitting up in bed and playing with his stuffed animals.

The moment he saw me, he stretched out his arms. "Mommy, up."

I walked over and scooped him into a tight hug, holding him as close as I could.

Right now, he was the only real, warm thing in my life.

Ethan sensed something was wrong and nuzzled his little face against my neck. "Mommy, what's wrong?" he asked. "Did that doctor guy hurt your feelings?"

I shook my head and kissed his forehead. "No, sweetie. Mommy's just a little tired," I said. "Be good, Ethan. We'll be going home soon."

"Okay," Ethan said, nodding hard.

Over the next two days, James didn't show up again. A different doctor did the rounds, and he was kind. Ethan was getting much better. His fever broke, and his energy came back.

But sometimes I could feel someone watching me.

I'd turn around, but all I saw were people walking through the hallway. I knew it was James. He didn't have the guts to face me, but he was watching from the shadows. How pathetic.

On the fourth day, the doctor told us we could go home. I felt relieved and started packing right away.

When I went to check out, the billing office told me the hospital bill had already been paid in full.

I froze.

"Paid in full? Who paid it?" I asked.

"Dr. Cooper," she said.

I understood immediately. James again. Did he think money could fix everything?

I pulled out my phone and found his number, ready to transfer the money back to him. But then I thought about it and put my phone down.

Fine. I'd consider this money child support. We were even now.

I walked out of the hospital with Ethan and breathed in the fresh air. I felt alive again.

I flagged down a cab and was about to get in when a black Maybach pulled up silently in front of me. The window rolled down, revealing James' handsome but exhausted face.

"Let me drive you," he said, his voice low.

I opened the cab door and lifted Ethan inside. "No thanks, Dr. Cooper. We're not going your way."

James' face went pale. He pushed his car door open, stepped out, and blocked my path.

"Emily, we need to talk," he said.

"I told you, we have nothing to talk about," I said.

"What about him?" James looked past me at Ethan sitting in the cab. "Can you really let him grow up without a father?"

Something twisted painfully in my chest. This was my weak spot. I was terrified that Ethan would be judged for growing up without a dad.

I looked at James, and the pain in his eyes seemed real, but then I remembered that woman wearing the necklace I'd given him. My heart turned to stone.

"He has a father," I said coldly. "His father just died four years ago."

I got into the cab without waiting for his response.

"Drive," I told the driver.

The cab pulled away, and I watched James in the rearview mirror. He stood there, unmoving, until he became a tiny black dot and vanished.

When we got home, I collapsed on the couch, completely drained.

Ethan was full of energy and ran around the living room.

"Mommy, I'm thirsty," he called out.

I got up to get him some water. I opened the fridge, and it was completely empty. We'd been at the hospital for days, and I'd run out of groceries.

I had no choice but to take Ethan downstairs to the supermarket nearby.

The store was packed, and I held Ethan's hand as we weaved through the aisles.

At one corner, I spotted her without warning. The same woman who had been clinging to James' arm in his office that day. She was shopping with a middle-aged woman, and they were chatting and laughing together.

"Helen, I don't know what's wrong with James lately," the woman complained. "He's been so distracted. I ask him about it but he won't say anything."

I recognized the woman, who called Helen. She was James' mother, Helen Cooper.

Helen patted the woman's hand, and her voice was reassuring. "Sophie, don't overthink it. James is exhausted from work, that's all. Your wedding is coming up soon, and he cares about you."

Wedding. My feet froze in place, and I couldn't move.

So they weren't just together. They were getting married.

The woman's name was Sophie Lane. I remembered her.

She had been James' devoted underclassman, following him around campus and making no secret of her feelings for him. I never imagined they would actually end up together.

Sophie picked up a diamond necklace and held it up to Helen. "Helen, what do you think of this one?"

Helen smiled and nodded. "It's beautiful. You look good in anything."

But Sophie shook her head and touched the necklace around her own neck. "Nah, I still like the one James gave me best."

Her face glowed with unmistakable happiness, and pride shone in her smile. "He told me this was his most important thing."