Chapter 4

"Ms. Goodwin, do you know the woman who died?" Susan asked, clearly picking up on something strange.

Claire opened her eyes, looking confused. "The woman who died?"

"The woman who was brought in with you," Susan explained.

"I don't know her," Claire said right away. "When I woke up, I was already in the hospital. Everything before the accident is a blur. I can't remember anything clearly."

Susan frowned. "The traffic cops said you two were found near the same car."

"That car wasn't mine," Claire said, her face turning paler. "I had a few drinks last night and called a designated driver. The driver was a woman, but I didn't get a good look at her."

Designated driver? I stared at her in shock, my mind flickering with broken fragments of memory.

In the heavy rain, windshield wipers flailing back and forth nonstop. Claire in the passenger seat, her eyes red and puffy. She'd kept repeating something to me over and over. My hands were clamped tight around the steering wheel.

So it really was only the two of us in that car. But I wasn't the driver she hired. Why was she hiding it?

"Let's not ask any more questions," Henry said, stepping in front of Claire. "She just went through emergency treatment. She needs to rest."

Susan didn't press further. She sealed the bag of personal effects and handed it to the cops waiting outside.

When my coat was taken away, Claire let out a quiet sigh of relief.

That tiny shift in her expression made me feel uneasy for the first time. What really happened before the crash? Why was she keeping something to herself?

"Henry, my head's killing me," Claire murmured.

Henry bent down and looked into her eyes. "Are you feeling sick?"

"A little."

"I'll get someone to check you out."

"Will you stay with me?" Claire asked, holding onto his sleeve with her fingers.

Henry didn't say no. He pushed her bed out of the ER.

As they passed by my body, Claire suddenly turned to look at me.

There was a white sheet over my face, but she kept staring at me for a long time. She didn't look scared at all. It was more like she was double-checking to see if I was actually dead.

I didn't follow Henry. For the first time since I died, I chose to stay by Claire's side. I wanted to know how much she actually remembered.

But once she was wheeled into the exam room, she kept her eyes closed the whole time.

Henry stood outside, waiting for her.

*****

A little after seven in the morning, Henry's phone rang again. But it wasn't Linda this time. Adam's name popped up on the screen.

Henry's face went cold as soon as he saw the caller ID. He didn't answer.

Adam called again. And then again.

Finally, on the fourth call, Henry picked up. "What do you want?"

"Where's Emily?" Adam's voice was urgent. "She didn't come back to the hospital last night, missed the online meeting with the overseas center this morning, and her phone's been off all day."

Henry let out a cold laugh. "Shouldn't you be the one who knows where she is?"

There was a brief silence on the other end. "Henry, what are you trying to say? Wasn't she supposed to go abroad with you? Why are you pretending you don't know now?"

Standing there in front of him, I suddenly felt like the whole thing was ridiculous. I hadn't told Henry about my plan to study abroad. It wasn't because of Adam. It was just that Henry never liked it when I talked about work.

Back then, I was so happy to share with him that the hospital had managed to save a cat that had fallen all the way from the tenth floor.

He only said the food was getting cold.

Later, I told him I'd gotten my advanced certification in veterinary surgery.

He said a certificate didn't mean anything.

After that, I stopped talking about anything about my work.

The night my acceptance letter came, I waited for him in the living room until two in the morning.

When he finally came home, he carried the scent of the perfume Claire always wore.

In the end, all I asked was if he wanted to have dinner at home tomorrow.

He didn't say a word.

After that, I kept my acceptance letter to myself.

"Emily applied for a solo program," Adam said, barely holding back his anger. "She never said she was going abroad with me. And she has to confirm everything today, or she might lose her spot. Henry, did she come home or not?"

"No," Henry replied coldly. "She can go wherever she wants. It's up to her."

"You're her husband," Adam snapped.

"Not for much longer," Henry shot back, and hung up on him.

I was stunned. Did he know I wanted a divorce? No, no way. The divorce papers still sat on the dining table. Unless he had intended to leave me all along and never spoken a word of it.