Chapter 4

Seven hours after I told my lawyer to prepare our separation papers, Ethan handed me the grocery list for his Christmas trip with his ex-wife.

“Vanessa needs the dairy-free dinner kit,” he said. “And the balance has to be paid before noon.”

“No.”

He stared at me. “No to which part?”

“All of it.”

Behind him, Lily and Noah stood beside their suitcases. Noah wore his coat unzipped, one mitten already missing.

Ethan lowered his voice. “Are you really going to punish the kids because you’re angry with me?”

“I’m not punishing the children. I’m refusing to finance a trip I was excluded from.”

“It’s Christmas, Madison.”

“Yes. I noticed.”

His phone rang. He glanced at the screen and cursed softly. A problem at one of his construction sites meant he had to go in before driving to Whistler.

“Vanessa will take the kids ahead,” he said. “I’ll meet them this afternoon.”

A horn sounded outside.

Noah pulled up the handle of his suitcase. Before he could follow Lily to the door, I crouched and zipped his coat.

“I need both of you to know something,” I said. “I never said I didn’t want to spend Christmas with you. I wasn’t asked.”

Noah frowned. “Dad said you had work.”

“Your father assumed that. He didn’t ask me.”

Lily looked at Ethan. He busied himself checking the luggage.

“Why can’t you come now?” Noah asked.

Because their mother was taking my bedroom. Because their father had used my money to rebuild the family he had before me.

“Because the adults need to sort some things out,” I said. “None of this is your fault.”

Lily hesitated, then hugged me. It lasted only a second.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“You have nothing to apologize for.”

Vanessa sounded the horn again.

Ethan carried the suitcases outside. Through the window, I saw Vanessa behind the wheel of her white SUV. She didn’t look toward the house.

“We’ll talk when I get back,” Ethan said at the door.

“Drive safely.”

Relief softened his face. He thought I had surrendered.

At 8:14 a.m., after Vanessa’s SUV disappeared down the street, I signed the letter ending my marriage.

Rachel confirmed she would formally deliver it to Ethan that afternoon. From that moment forward, all discussions about money and property would go through her.

Then I called Daniel, the manager of my Whistler property.

“I need you to remove a temporary entry code,” I said.

“Whose?”

“Vanessa Cole’s.”

I hadn’t created it. Ethan had added it three weeks earlier through the family access setting.

“What about Mr. Blake and the children?” Daniel asked.

“Ethan’s code can activate at the scheduled check-in time. Lily and Noah are welcome inside. Vanessa is not authorized to enter without him.”

“They may arrive early.”

“The children won’t be left outside?”

“No,” Daniel said. “I’ll handle it.”

I gave him my credit card for a nearby hotel in case there was any delay.

Then I removed Vanessa’s code.

For the first time in three days, I could breathe.

At 12:06 p.m., my phone vibrated.

FRONT DOOR: REPEATED FAILED ACCESS ATTEMPTS.

I opened the doorbell camera.

Snow swept across the front steps of the cabin. Vanessa stood at the keypad, her blond hair escaping from beneath a white hat. Lily and Noah waited behind her with their bags.

Vanessa entered the code again.

The lock flashed red.

She tried a third time, pressing each number harder.

Red.

Noah shoved his hands into his pockets. Lily looked from the keypad to Vanessa.

“Why isn’t it working?”

Vanessa slowly raised her face toward the doorbell camera.

She knew I was watching.

“Because Madison changed the code,” she said.