Chapter 8

<p>I laughed softly, "When have I ever done anything rash?"</p><p>After hanging up, I stood by the door and opened the screenshot Hannah had sent me.</p><p>The first picture was a tiny mountain rose sitting by the window, its leaf tips curled and touched with a bit of red.</p><p>The caption read, [Curlie.]</p><p>Someone commented, [Why would you name a plant?]</p><p>Vivian Lane replied, "Because it reminds me of something."</p><p>And below that, Chris replied with a single dot.</p><p>I stared at that single dot, and suddenly remembered when I visited his office not long ago. There was a brand-new ceramic cup on the coffee table, with a thin crack running down the side.</p><p>I remarked offhandedly that the cup wasn't perfect.</p><p>Vivian was standing nearby, organizing some files. She replied quietly, her head down, "It's not a crack. It's like a little tail."</p><p>I didn't think much of it at the time.</p><p>But now, seeing "Curlie" pop up on the screen, it suddenly felt a little harsh to my eyes.</p><p>Then, Chris approached from behind.</p><p>He stood half a step behind me, looking down at my phone screen.</p><p>I reacted quickly, turning off my phone before his gaze could land on it.</p><p>But it was already too late.</p><p>He had already seen the flower.</p><p>Chris's gaze darkened slightly.</p><p>"Who sent you that?" he asked.</p><p>I didn't look up. I closed my hand around my phone and slowly turned to face him.</p><p>"You sure ask a lot of questions tonight," I said.</p><p>"Kate," Chris said.</p><p>"What is it?" I looked at him, then reached up and gently loosened his tie, my touch soft, as if I were helping him unwind. "Right now, you seem more interested in who told me than in explaining yourself."</p><p>Chris took hold of my wrist.</p><p>His grip wasn't strong, but it was tight.</p><p>"How much do you really know?" he asked.</p><p>I looked up at him and suddenly smiled.</p><p>"Earlier, at the hotel entrance, I thought she was feeling unwell," I said.</p><p>He stared at me.</p><p>I said, word by word, drawing out each syllable. "But now, it doesn't look like that's it."</p><p>His fingers tensed up for a moment.</p><p>I slipped my hand free from his palm and turned to go upstairs.</p><p>Halfway up the stairs, I glanced back at him.</p><p>The living room lights poured down from above. He stood right where I left him, his tie loosened by me, but he looked wound up tight.</p><p>I leaned against the railing and shot him a smile. "Chris."</p><p>He looked at me. "Yeah."</p><p>"If you're free tomorrow, help me look for something."</p><p>"What is it?"</p><p>"Our old rings."</p><p>With that, I turned and headed upstairs.</p><p>Silence lingered behind me for a long time.</p><p>Even after I walked into my bedroom and closed the door, there was still not a single sound from outside.</p><p>I unlocked my phone again, opened the screenshot of the mountain rose, and slowly scrolled down.</p><p>At the very bottom, there was another picture.</p><p>It was an open hand.</p><p>Lying in the palm was a man's ring.</p><p>It was silver, old, and unadorned.</p><p>The caption read, [Close.]</p><p>I stared at the picture, sitting on the edge of the bed, and slowly slipped off my heels, nudging them aside.</p><p>After a moment, I took off my earrings and dropped them into the jewelry box.</p><p>The metal made a faint sound as it touched the velvet lining.</p><p>Then I shot Hannah a text. [Watch the hotel tonight. Look into every event and gathering she has attended lately. Find out how many times she has covered for him behind closed doors.]</p>