Chapter 3

The moment I answered, Adam's roar, strained with suppressed rage, exploded over the line. "Emily, where the hell have you been?"

I held the phone a little farther from my ear and said nothing.

He seemed to think the connection was bad. "Can you hear me?" he shouted. "Where are you?"

"I'm in Valenne," I replied calmly, as if I were commenting on the weather.

He went silent for a moment, clearly not expecting me to have gone so far.

"Valenne? What are you doing there? Are you insane?" Adam demanded. "We're getting married next month, and you, my fiancée, decided to take off like this?"

He stressed the word "fiancée," as if he were reminding me of my place, or perhaps reminding himself.

"Do you have any sense of responsibility?" he continued. "My dad is in the hospital. Did you even know that?

"He had a heart attack yesterday and was rushed to the ER.

"The whole family is beside themselves, and you're off somewhere enjoying yourself.

"What kind of fiancée does that? You've humiliated the entire Carter family!"

I listened without interrupting. When he finally stopped, all I could hear was his heavy breathing on the other end.

I could almost picture the vein throbbing in his forehead.

It was almost funny. What gave him the right to sound so righteous? Was it Claire's unborn child, or the marriage certificate hidden in his car?

"Are you finished?" I asked softly.

My calmness seemed to infuriate him even more.

"Emily, what's with that attitude?" Adam snapped. "My dad is lying in a hospital bed, and instead of comforting me, you're acting like this."

Then he started ordering me around in that same commanding tone he always used. "Get back here right now. Immediately!"

I laughed. It was quiet, but unmistakable. "Adam, I think you've got something wrong."

Silence fell on the other end. My laughter had unsettled him.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Why should I go back?" I asked. "Your father is in the hospital. You're his son. Shouldn't you be there with him instead of calling me to scream?"

"You're my fiancée. His future daughter-in-law. He wants to see you!" Adam shouted, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Future daughter-in-law. The words cut into me like a knife, but I pulled the blade out without so much as flinching. There was no blood left to spill. My heart had already gone cold.

"I'm sorry," I said, my voice sincere enough to make the sarcasm sharper. "But I'm not your father's daughter-in-law. I have no place at the hospital."

The other end went completely silent.

Then I heard Adam's breathing turn sharp and uneven, as if someone had suddenly closed a hand around his throat.

All his anger, accusations, and righteous indignation shattered at once.

"W-What did you say?" Adam asked. His voice was dry and hoarse with disbelief.

"Congratulations, Adam," I said, enunciating every word clearly. "I hope you and Claire have a long and happy marriage."

I didn't wait for a response. I hung up and blocked that number too.

The world went quiet again.

I looked out at the illuminated tower glittering over Valenne and suddenly realized how beautiful the city was at night.

My phone started vibrating again almost immediately. It was another unfamiliar number.

I figured Adam must've gotten a new phone to reach me.

I didn't answer. I let it ring until the call ended on its own.

Soon, a text popped up: [Emily, what the hell do you mean?]

[What do you know?]

[Did you go through my car?]

His texts reeked of panic and fear.

I smiled and sent back a short reply: [Congratulations on becoming a father.]

Then I turned off my phone.

I thought blocking Adam would be the end of it. I was wrong. It was only the beginning.

Half an hour later, my phone rang again. This time, it was a video call.