Chapter 2
The first one was from Edward's sister, Isabelle Sinclair.
It read: [Eddie! Mom just fainted. She's in the ER! Why aren't you answering your phone?]
It was sent at 8:40 PM.
Edward's head was spinning.
He rushed to the entryway and saw the landline cord had been yanked out.
He grabbed his phone and dialed Isabelle's number.
"Eddie, you finally picked up!" Isabelle said. "Mom's okay now. She had acute gastroenteritis and low blood sugar. She'll be on an IV drip until tomorrow morning.
"Where are you? And where's Claire?
"We tried calling her too, but her phone's off. When Mom passed out, she kept calling for her..."
A cold sweat broke out on Edward's back.
He hung up, rushed back to the bedroom, and pulled the covers off her.
I lay there, eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling.
"My mom's in the hospital," Edward said, his voice rough.
"I know," I replied.
"You knew?"
I sat up.
I said, "Isabelle called me at three and told me your mom might drop by for dinner, so I said okay.
"So I started making dinner at five.
"Then at five forty, you called and said you weren't coming home for dinner.
"At six, Isabelle called again and said your mom wasn't feeling well on the way over, so she was going home to rest for a bit.
"Then at seven, you called and told me not to come to the wedding.
"Before I turned off my phone, your mom hadn't fainted or anything."
Edward just stood there, stunned.
I continued, "Whatever happened after I turned off my phone isn't my problem.
"If Isabelle could get a hold of me, she could've reached you too.
"She couldn't get through to you because you were at the wedding and missed her call.
"It wasn't because I turned mine off."
Edward stood by the bed, his lips moving, but no words came out.
I lay back down, turning my back to him.
"I'll go to the hospital tomorrow," I said. "But tonight, I'm going to sleep."
Edward sat in the living room for half the night, chain-smoking.
At seven the next morning, his phone rang.
It was Alan Jones, the butler from the Sinclair Manor.
"Mr. Sinclair," Alan said. "Kurt just saw something on his phone and blew up.
"He wants you and Mrs. Sinclair to come back to the manor right away.
"Also, you need to let Miss Summers know too.
"Kurt said this has to be cleared up today."
Edward gripped his phone, his fingertips cold.
He had no idea what his grandfather had seen.
But Edward had a bad feeling.
Some things, he just couldn't keep under wraps anymore.
The Sinclair Manor was out on the edge of town.
It was a historic mansion dating back to the early 1900s, still standing strong.
Edward's grandfather, Kurt, was ninety-two, but he was still as tough as ever.
The Sinclair family's empire included three hotels, two pharmaceutical companies, and a shop in the antiques district.
Officially, everything was still under Kurt's grandfather's name.
Edward was just the acting caretaker for now, not the real owner.
When I married into the Sinclair family, Kurt personally officiated the ceremony.
He took my hand and said, "Claire, from now on, the Sinclair family's fortune is in your and Edward's hands."
At nine in the morning, Edward and I arrived at the manor.
Nina was already there.
She was sitting on the couch in a simple, understated dress, her eyes red and puffy.
When she saw us walk in, she stood up.
"Kurt, I'm here today to explain what happened yesterday," Nina said.
Kurt was sitting in his rosewood armchair, not even bothering to look up.
"Nina," he said, his voice calm but firm. "Where did you get that bracelet?"
Nina's hand froze.
She'd purposely left the bracelet at home today.
He wasn't asking where it was; he was asking how it ended up on her wrist.
He already knew.
Nina lowered her head.
"Eddie let me borrow it for the day," she said softly. "He said the bridesmaids needed a little something to match our dresses.
"I'm just here to give it back."
She took a velvet box out of her bag and set it on the coffee table.
Kurt didn't even glance at it.
He said, "That bracelet was left by my wife for my granddaughter-in-law.
"You wore it for a day, and now everyone in town has seen it.
"You're giving it back. But is there any point now?"
Nina's tears started falling, her eyes red and puffy.
"Kurt, I really didn't know the bracelet meant anything special. Eddie never said a word," Nina choked out.
Kurt finally looked up. "Edward, is that true?"
Edward's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed.
"Grandpa, I never told Nina what it meant. This is all on me," Edward admitted. "This is all on me."
Kurt laughed.
But it was the kind of laugh that sent chills down one's spine. He was not angry, just completely disappointed.
Kurt continued, "Edward, your wife has been part of the Sinclair Family for two years. Hasn't she been the one taking care of everything for us, no matter how big or small?
"When your dad was in the hospital, she was there around the clock, looking after him.
"When your sister was going on blind dates, Claire was the one who went through every single guy, making sure to pick the right ones for her.
"When your mom needed a check-up, Claire made sure to book the appointment a whole month ahead.
"In this family, everyone remembers that Claire is the daughter-in-law of the Sinclair family, except you.
"You're the only one who seems to forget."
Edward's face went pale.
Kurt turned to look at me.
"Claire, let me ask you a question," he said.
He grabbed a brown paper bag from the little table next to his armchair and slid it over to me.
He said, "I've taken stock of everything the Sinclair family owns.
"Inside is the paperwork for transferring ownership of the three hotels and two pharmaceutical companies.
"I'm transferring the ownership of the hotels and pharmaceutical companies to you.
"I can't trust Edward anymore."
The living room was dead silent.
Nina's face went completely pale.
Edward opened his mouth. "Grandpa—"
Kurt waved him off. "Claire, will you accept it or not?"
I stared at that brown paper bag for what felt like ages, my mind blank.
Outside, the old locust tree's leaves were rustling in the wind.
I reached out my hand.
The moment my fingers touched the brown paper bag, Nina suddenly broke the silence.
She said, "Kurt.
"I have to tell you something right now.
"It's about Mr. Sinclair and me.
"Two years ago, we registered our marriage."
"Legally, I'm the real Mrs. Sinclair—the first one."
My hand stopped dead on the brown paper bag.
Edward was frozen in place, like he'd been struck by lightning.
Kurt's face went dark, just like a thundercloud.
As for me, I quietly pulled my hand away.
I looked up at Nina and gave her a faint, knowing smile.