Chapter 4

My fever had finally broken by the next morning, though I still felt weak and lightheaded.

Karen, on the other hand, was full of energy. She was on a video call.

"Hannah, the ocean here is gorgeous," she said. "We should've brought you with us."

A laugh sounded from the other end of the call. "What are you talking about? Justin's married now."

Karen chuckled. "So what if he's married? He'll always be your Justin."

She turned the phone toward me. The woman on the screen wore flawless makeup.

"Hi, Zoe," she said.

I gave her a small nod.

Karen smiled and said, "You know, Hannah's always been such a sweetheart. When she was little, she'd run straight into Justin's arms every time she saw him."

She always knew exactly where to stick the knife, then acted like she'd done nothing wrong.

I got to my feet and started packing.

Justin asked, "What are you doing?"

"I'm switching hotels."

"Why?"

"This room isn't meant for three people."

The smile on Karen's face froze. "Zoe, are you saying I'm in the way?"

I stuffed my toiletry bag into my suitcase. "Yes."

The room fell silent. Justin strode over and pressed a hand down on my suitcase. "Zoe, watch your mouth."

"No."

"She's my mother!"

"So?" I looked him straight in the eye. "She's your mother. Not the third person on our honeymoon."

Justin's face darkened.

Karen's eyes immediately welled with tears. "Justin, forget it. This is all my fault. Now that you're married, your wife comes first. I won't matter to you anymore."

Justin let go of my suitcase and turned to hold her. "Mom, don't say that."

She'd probably played this card before. And it worked every single time. This time was no different.

When he turned to look at me, all I saw was disappointment in his eyes. "Zoe, my mom just wants to spend a few more days with me."

I held his gaze. "And what about me?"

He said nothing.

I pressed on, "On the second day of our marriage, your mother is sleeping in our honeymoon suite. Our plans have been changed. Not a single photo was taken of me. I was burning up with a fever, and no one even cared. So tell me, Justin. What does that make me?"

His lips parted, but no words came at first. Finally, he said, "Don't make it sound so awful."

I let out a quiet laugh. "So you do know how awful it sounds."

Just then, my phone buzzed. It was a confirmation from the hotel.

"Dear Ms. Myle, the private beachfront honeymoon dinner you reserved for two has been changed, at Mr. Hudson's request, to our Mother & Son Celebration Package. The floral arch, couple's cake, and private photography session have been updated to a family-themed setup. Please confirm these changes."

Below the confirmation was the note I'd left when I made the reservation.

"I'd like to surprise my husband for our honeymoon. If possible, could you reserve a quiet table with the best sunset view?"

I stared at the message. The phone suddenly felt cold in my hand.

Justin saw it too. The color drained from his face. "Zoe, let me explain."

I held up my phone. "A Mother & Son Celebration Package?"

Karen got to her feet and said with practiced innocence, "The restaurant said the honeymoon package was much more expensive. I figured it was just a photo setup anyway. Changing the theme didn't really matter.

"You two are young. You'll have plenty of chances to take photos together. But I'm getting older. How many more chances will I have?"

Justin lowered his gaze. "It's just… It's not every day Mom gets a chance to travel with us."

I stared at him. Then, to my own surprise, I laughed.

I'd waited an entire year for that honeymoon dinner. I'd made the reservation a month in advance. To get that table, I'd even paid triple the usual deposit.

I'd wanted to surprise my husband. But he'd given it to his mother.

I opened the hotel's booking page. One by one, I canceled every reservation I'd made. The refund notifications began popping up on my screen.

Only then did Justin panic. "What are you doing?"

I looked up at him. "I'm going home."

Karen's voice sharpened. "You can't be serious! What kind of family takes a vacation together and has one person fly home alone?"

I pulled the mothball-scented shawl from my suitcase and dropped it into the trash.

"You wanted me to look like a proper wife," I said. "I'm afraid I can't live up to your standards."

Justin stepped in front of the door. "Zoe, calm down."

"I am calm."

"You're really going to make this big of a deal over something so small?"

"I should've said this a long time ago." I looked him in the eye and spoke each word with certainty. "Justin, I want a divorce."

…

On the way to the airport, I received a message from Justin.

"Can you stop being so stubborn? Mom's been crying so hard she can barely breathe. Just come back, apologize, and we can put all of this behind us."

I replied with a screenshot of the hotel's confirmation and typed, "Hope you and your mom enjoy the honeymoon."

It was a long time before he replied, "Zoe, don't use divorce to threaten me."

I looked out the window as rows of palm trees slipped past. Then I typed one last message, "It's not a threat. It's a notice."

The world fell silent after I turned off my phone.

I wasn't about to sacrifice my honeymoon just so he could play the devoted son.