Chapter 02

"He told you he's going to marry Vivienne?"

Nora set down her glass too hard, making the latte slosh; two tables over, someone glanced their way before returning to their own business.

Elise was meeting Nora, her high school best friend, at the café where they usually met. She'd been telling her everything that happened the night before.

"Elise," Nora pressed. "Did Callum Voss really say that to you?"

Elise answered calmly, fingers brushing the rim of her green tea cup. "Yes. Like I said. Callum said he's going to marry Vivienne. In four weeks our marriage will be over."

"And you just agreed? Didn't even try to stop him?"

"What could I do?" Elise replied flatly. "I'd been anticipating this since Grandmother passed. There was nothing left for me to do except ask for four weeks."

Nora studied her for a long moment, gauging an expression far too calm for a wife who'd just been told something so hurtful by her husband.

"El—aren't you angry?"

Elise paused for a moment. She looked at Nora, her gaze still flat.

"I don't have the energy to be angry." Elise lowered her head, sipping her now nearly-cold tea. "For the past two years I've been saving my energy for other things: making sure Leo gets treatment, building the studio from nothing, keeping life moving."

Nora's anger spilled out, turning into ache. "He announced he's marrying another woman. Why won't you fight back, even a little?"

"Fighting won't pay off my father's debts. Or change what Leo needs. I choose whatever's most useful for me and my family." Elise shrugged. "I just hope that in twenty-eight days I can stabilize everything. Work and feelings."

Nora fell silent, her voice softening. "Loving someone who doesn't love you back doesn't mean you're not allowed to be angry when they leave."

Tears welled up in Nora's eyes instantly. She knew Elise was too hard on herself. Her pride was sky-high too. Nora knew her friend's nature all too well.

"I know you love Callum," Nora said, her voice hoarse. "Why didn't you tell him that? You should fight to keep him."

Elise was quiet for a moment. Her eyes drifted to the café window.

"I don't have time for love," Elise answered, still composed. "Love takes energy I don't have. I've already spent it all just staying upright."

Nora let out a long sigh. Her friend was truly stubborn. "You said you asked Callum for four weeks. What do you actually want out of those four weeks?"

Elise turned the cup in her palm, choosing her words. "I want to feel, just once, what it's like to be Callum's wife. To go to events without feeling like a stranger. To go home in the same car. To stand beside him without thinking about any agreement at all."

Nora's expression softened. Tears spilled from the corners of her eyes. She looked at the friend who had carried every burden alone all this time: caring for her brother, burying her father, enduring insults from another family, and still pushing forward to build her life.

Elise wasn't a weak woman. She was strong. Her nature was like bedrock, hard to break. But that was exactly what made Nora ache for her.

Elise was too hard on herself, refusing to let herself cry or feel tired.

After her family's company collapsed, Elise focused only on staying standing. Enduring, to rebuild her family's business. Focusing on her brother's treatment. She never even allowed herself to rest through any of it. Even at her father's funeral, Elise had kept a flat expression. Not a single tear fell.

"I'm here," Nora said, covering Elise's hand with her own. "Whenever you need me, day or night—I'll come to you."

Elise smiled faintly, a small laugh escaping for the first time since the divorce announcement the night before.

"Thank you. I know you'll have wine and a good movie ready for me."

"Of course." Nora wiped at her tears, which only fell harder. Seeing Elise not shed a single tear made her own flow even more. "I'll get your favorite drama ready. But you have to let yourself cry this time. Don't keep holding it back like you are now."

Elise raised her glass as if making a small vow. "Deal."

Nora laughed. She patted her friend's shoulder gently. If only she could carry even a little of Elise's burden, things might be easier. But Elise never wanted to share her burdens with anyone. No matter how hard things got, Elise never let herself become a burden to others.

***

"I told you a long time ago, Mama did. That girl was never right for you."

Elise arrived home before dinner. As she stepped onto the porch, she stopped in her tracks.

The sound of Diana Voss's laughter, Callum's mother, filled the living room. Loud, full—like something held in for a long time and only now released. The laugh of someone who'd waited far too long for good news.

Elise didn't step inside. She just stood at the threshold.

From where she stood, she could see part of the living room: Callum on the sofa, a coffee cup on the table in front of him, his back to the door.

On the sofa across from him, Diana, in a cream-colored coat with her hair perfectly combed, sat with her back straight.

Diana crossed her arms. "That girl was never right for our family."

Callum didn't respond. He only made a short sound in his throat.

"When will everything be official? Mama wants to arrange a family dinner. Vivienne has wanted a proper introduction to everyone for a long time now."

"There's still a process that needs to be finished."

"How long?"

"Four weeks."

A brief silence. "Four weeks? For what? Just let the lawyers handle everything—"

"Are you two talking about me?"