Chapter 2

The moment we stepped through the front door, Liam's mother hurried over and took Sophie's hand, trying to fasten the Whitaker family pearls around her neck.

She looked reproachful. "Liam told me everything. Honestly, this is ridiculous."

"Sophie, sweetheart, I always knew you two belonged together. If it hadn't been for what happened back then…" Mrs. Whitaker noticed me by the entryway and looked away. "You were always meant to be."

Liam stepped between them. "Mom, we're joking. It's April Fools'. We're just messing around."

Mrs. Whitaker stroked the back of Sophie's hand. "Well, I wish it could stay this way."

I said nothing. I walked around them straight into the bedroom and pulled out my suitcase.

I had barely taken out two pieces of clothing when Liam followed me in.

"Claire, everyone's here today. Don't spoil the mood." He lowered his voice. "Let's have dinner together tonight. Celebrate a little."

I brushed his hand away and kept packing.

"Tomorrow, the final book in your Nightwalker trilogy launches. I invited the whole team. Think of it as a celebration dinner."

My hands stopped.

That novel had cost me three years of effort. Countless nights spent revising until dawn.

If I tore everything apart at this exact moment, tomorrow's publicity would certainly be affected.

I closed the suitcase.

"Fine. After this dinner."

Liam's face lit up. He turned and went to the living room to make calls.

Then I would treat it as my farewell dinner with the team.

Before long, Sophie leaned against the kitchen doorway and lifted her chin at me.

"Claire, since you're not exactly the wife anymore, you could at least make yourself useful, right? Liam's been killing himself running that company. You sit around this house all day. The least you can do is put dinner on the table."

Liam sat on the sofa drinking coffee and did not object.

More than half of Blue Harbor Media's catalog had been written by me, word by word, inside this house.

And now, apparently, I had become the washed-up wife they could order around.

Mrs. Whitaker chimed in. "The housekeeper has the night off. Claire, don't just stand there. People will be here soon."

I didn't want my last meal with the team to end in bitterness, so I rolled up my sleeves and walked into the kitchen.

The nausea in my stomach had not settled, and now dull cramps pulsed through my lower abdomen.

I chopped, cooked, plated, and swallowed the cramps building low in my stomach.

Sophie stood nearby with the air of a lady of the house.

"Squeeze extra lemon on the fish. Liam's hated anything fishy since he was a kid. And don't overcook the vegetables."

Several editors arrived one after another.

My senior editor, Mark Jensen, couldn't stand watching anymore. He rolled up his sleeves and came into the kitchen to help wash vegetables.

Sophie shoved him away.

"Do you have any manners? You're a guest in someone else's home, and you're trying to work in the kitchen? Are you trying to make me look bad in front of my guests?"

Mark flushed scarlet and retreated to the living room.

I carried out the last dish, a platter of glazed ribs.

A full homemade spread covered the dining table.

I had just untied my apron when the doorbell rang.

Sophie ran to open the door. Several uniformed caterers walked in, carrying large insulated catering boxes.

"I saw Claire only made home-cooked food. I was worried it wouldn't be enough for everyone."

Sophie directed the caterers to set down one elegant platter after another.

"So I put a few things on my husband's Amex."

A seafood tower. Lobster tails. King crab. Oysters. Caviar.

There was limited space on the table.

Sophie picked up the glazed ribs I had just made and dumped the entire dish into the trash to make room for her seafood.

Liam didn't care. He handed her a napkin to wipe her hands.

"You're always so thoughtful."

I could not bear it anymore and was about to step forward when someone tugged my sleeve.

Mark leaned close and pushed his phone screen toward me, his voice very low.

"Claire, look at this."

On the screen was a launch poster the publisher had sent him for approval.

On the poster, right before Claire Bennett's name, another name had been added in bold letters.

Sophie Reed.