Chapter 4

Claire remembered what Nathan had said on the phone two nights ago.

‘We had something to celebrate today.’

It certainly looked like everyone in Riverton was celebrating.

Their divorce had barely made a ripple. Lily’s return had everyone talking.

Claire closed the app and was about to go to sleep when a message from Sophie appeared.

‘I thought you were divorcing my brother. Where did you take your mom?’

‘On a trip. We’ll be back in a few days.’

‘My brother and Lily are back together! Get home and finish the divorce. I don’t want Lily getting called the other woman.’

Claire stared at "back together" and laughed coldly.

She was still Nathan’s wife, yet Sophie was giving her orders? Claire wasn’t going to let herself be pushed around.

‘Nathan’s the one holding things up. If you don’t want your precious Lily called the other woman, then beg me to come back.’

As if Sophie Brooks would ever ask her for anything.

‘Could you stop posting pictures of your mom? It’s disgusting. You might not care if people laugh at you, but my brother does.’

Heat rushed through Claire.

‘I’ll post pictures of my mother if I want to. It’s none of your business.’

‘She’s ugly. You’re going to scare everyone who follows you. Does she look good to you? Anyone can see there’s something wrong with her head.’

Claire threw back the covers, got out of bed, and called Sophie through the app.

Sophie didn’t answer. Claire called again and again.

Finally, another message came through.

‘Stop calling me like some crazy woman! If you weren’t dragging out the divorce, I would’ve blocked you already.’

‘That’s fine. When you become a doctor, I’ll post screenshots of what you said about someone who’s been seriously ill. Let’s see who wants you treating them.’

‘You wouldn’t dare.’

Claire looked at the photo of her mother on her phone’s lock screen. She slid down the wall, crouched on the floor, and buried her face in her arms.

By morning, she was still angry. Her chest felt tight.

Doctors were supposed to care about people. But every Brooks she knew seemed colder than the last.

Margaret had apparently heard about the trip too. Early that morning, she messaged Claire.

‘Why did you go to Linden Valley? Claire, you should have finished the divorce paperwork before leaving.’

Claire typed, ‘I’m already here. What good does telling me that do?’

Then she thought about the $500,000 the Brooks family had given her and the care they were paying for. She deleted her reply.

‘I’m sorry. I’ll be back in a week. The divorce will happen. You don’t need to worry.’

‘As soon as possible,’ Margaret replied.

Just another cold demand. Claire was sick of the way they treated her.

—

Claire had finally begun to calm down when Nathan called.

She assumed he wanted to talk about the divorce.

Their last conversation hadn’t given her the closure she’d hoped for. She was only human. They’d spent a year together. Surely there was something to say after all that time.

Out of those 365 days, there had to be one or two worth remembering.

And she had grievances of her own. If she didn’t tell him now how much he’d hurt her, she might never get another chance.

She answered.

Nathan’s cool, familiar voice reached her ear.

“A patient has been harassing Lily and followed her home. I told her she could sleep in your room.”

Claire went blank for a few seconds. Then she took a breath and almost laughed.

“It’s your apartment. You can decide who stays there. You don’t need to tell me.”

“I do,” he said, sounding as though he were reciting a rule. “The apartment belongs to both of us.”

Claire rolled her eyes. Was he making sure he had a record of asking? She hadn’t said she wanted the apartment.

“Lily didn’t bring any clothes,” Nathan added. “I told her she could borrow your pajamas.”

Claire frowned. Did she still have pajamas there?

Oh, right. She’d forgotten to take in the laundry from the balcony.

“Fine.”

If neither of them minded Lily wearing her clothes, Claire wasn’t going to ask for them back. They could keep them. She wanted nothing more to do with either of them.

She was about to hang up when Nathan spoke again.

“Linden Valley has plenty to see. Bring your mother home for now. You can go back another time. Don’t put off what needs to be done.”

A woman’s voice called from his end of the line.

“Nathan! I burned the eggs! Come here!”

“I have to go,” he said.

He hung up before Claire could answer.

She stared at her phone and laughed without humor. Hadn’t he told her there was no rush?

Apparently he’d only been polite. Lily was already staying in their apartment.

Nathan cared so much about doing the right thing in public. Of course he wouldn’t want Lily’s reputation damaged.

He hated the smell of cooking so much that Claire had barely dared to use the kitchen all year. When she did cook, she boiled things. The apartment had never felt like a home.

Now Lily was frying eggs there.

Claire pressed her lips together. So much for that rule.

“Claire? How do I flush this?”

Her mother was calling from the bathroom.

Claire’s heart dropped. She set down the phone and hurried over.

The brain surgery had affected Diane’s mind. Sometimes she forgot how to do the simplest things.

Claire calmly showed her how to flush the toilet and listened as her mother talked about everything they’d enjoyed on the trip.

Seeing how happy Diane was, Claire looked over the places they hadn’t visited yet.

The Brooks family could keep demanding that she come back. Let them wait.

She and her mother had put up with their contempt for a year. Her mother had been left like this after surgery, yet everyone acted as if the Brooks family had done them a tremendous favor.

Claire watched Diane with the tenderness she might have shown a child.

Her mother’s happiness mattered more.

Once she made that decision, Claire stopped worrying about Nathan. Lily had moved into their home. What was left to discuss?

When Claire returned to Riverton, they could make the divorce official. That would be the end of it.

Back in Riverton, Nathan was finding life at home irritating without Claire there to handle it.

When he went to pay the electricity bill, he didn’t even know the account number. He had to call her and ask.

In some ways, Nathan had traditional ideas about marriage. He expected to focus on his career while Claire took care of the household.

He told her to pay the bill on her phone. Claire thought, ‘It isn’t my home anymore’, and ignored him.

There was something else bothering him, too.

Nathan hadn’t had sex in two weeks. He was a married man with needs, and he had no interest in taking care of them himself.

One night, restless and unable to sleep, he heard a clatter outside his room.

He frowned and got out of bed.

In the dim living room, he could make out Lily’s figure. She was barely dressed, the neckline of her top slipping off one shoulder. Its hem covered so little that her long legs were almost entirely bare.

Nathan pulled his door shut behind him.

“Go put some clothes on. I found you pajamas.”

Lily gave a soft laugh. “What’s wrong? I’ve been away a year and you’ve turned shy? I’m letting you look for free. Don’t you want to? Am I not pretty?”

“Get dressed.”

“You really don’t want to look?” she asked. “Is your wife prettier?”