Chapter 4

He set me down on the hospital bed and held me with such care, as if I were something precious he was cradling in the palm of his hand.

A knock at the door. I caught a flash of triumph on Rose's face before it vanished.

Adrian stood quickly. "Get some rest. You need it."

I said nothing, just nodded -- then quietly slipped out behind him.

"Adrian, Mom's already been taken to the crematorium."

"How much longer do we keep this from Lily?"

"She's emotionally unstable. The longer we can put it off, the better."

My body slid down the wall before I could stop it. I pressed both hands over my mouth to keep from making a sound.

Their voices kept drifting through.

"I only wanted to visit Mom. I didn't mean to lose my balance. I never meant to push her off the bed. I feel so terrible about it."

"Rose, it's not your fault. Nobody could have predicted her head would hit the wall like that. It was an accident."

"You've always been so kind to me. That year I ran out of money abroad, you wired me $500,000 even though you could barely afford to eat."

"I've always felt how much you care about me. But why did you end up marrying Lily?"

After a long silence, I heard Adrian's voice -- utterly devoid of emotion.

"I was bankrupt. Creditors were at my door every day. In business, people need to believe you're settled. Reliable. A wife helps with that. Lily fit the bill."

"She's tough. You're too delicate -- I couldn't bear to put you through that."

"My future was uncertain. You deserved to focus on your studies and make something of yourself."

Rose threw her arms around him.

"But I've made a name for myself now, and so have you. Can't you leave Lily and be with me?"

Adrian gently pushed her back. "I'm not going to divorce her. I do love you. But I know what she's given up for me."

"I can't marry you, but I will always protect you. For the rest of my life."

"I'll do everything in my power to lift you up."

I hid behind the wall, utterly destroyed. Ten years of love, shattered in an instant.

I'd lost my mother. I had nothing left. And in the end, it had all been a lie.

What a joke.

$500,000 -- that was the price of my hands.

One marriage -- that was what cost my mother her life.

Adrian stroked Rose's hair again, his voice impossibly soft.

"Rose, I've never forgotten that day in our first year of high school, when those guys had me cornered. You were the one who secretly called the police."

"All through high school, you'd sneak me your notes and write me letters to keep my spirits up."

"Without you, I'd probably have gone down a very dark path."

I froze. Because all of those things -- every single one -- had been me.

Sounds I couldn't bear to hear drifted from behind the door. I fought down the nausea and fled.

My phone buzzed. A text message.

"Lily, orientation is tomorrow. Have you booked your flight?"

"Yes."

In those final hours, I went to the crematorium and collected my mother's ashes. I returned to the apartment and threw away everything that didn't matter anymore.

Then I placed the divorce papers on the table, walked out the door, and boarded a plane.

Adrian Cole, you will regret this.