Chapter 2

A moment later, my father opens the door.

The guard behind him stays where he is, waiting for permission to let me into my own home.

“Gardi. You're back.”

My father steps aside.

“This has gone on long enough. You're seeing the doctor today.”

“He's right,” Vivian says, coming up beside me.

A tiny red light blinks on the little camera clipped inside her jacket.

She's still filming.

“I don't need to see a doctor.”

“You're going,” my father says.

I reach for the glass of water on the counter, but Jasper steps in front of me and presses a mug of hot tea into my hands.

For a second, the warmth makes me forget what I just heard.

During our first month together, my cramps got so bad I was doubled over, sweating through my shirt.

Jasper couldn't cook to save his life, but he made me soup from scratch, spilling half of it and burning his hand on the pot.

When it finally helped, he pulled me into his arms and let out a shaky breath.

“I'm gonna take better care of you. Next time you feel like this, let me help.”

For five years, he always made sure I had something warm to drink when I wasn't feeling well.

“Viv said you weren't feeling well.”

I force a nod, then look up and find Vivian watching my face.

She's waiting for me to smile at him, then fall apart when he turns back to her.

The tea is bait.

“Just get checked out, honey,” Celeste says, dabbing at her eye. “For us. Please.”

She loops her arm through mine and steers me toward the door, where a guard is already waiting to escort us to the car.

She sits beside me in the back while Jasper drives and Vivian takes the passenger seat.

Vivian holds his free hand, whispering and giggling until she turns around.

“Gardi, remember when Jasper brought me gardenias and told me he loved me? God, he was such an idiot. He knew I loved roses.”

She watches my face.

I'm the one who loves gardenias, and I'm the one he brought them to.

My name is Gardenia.

Two weeks ago, that would've made me cry.

Today, I smile.

“Really? Aww. You guys are so cute.”

The car brakes hard.

Jasper looks at me in the rearview mirror.

“Gardi... you okay?”

“I'm fine.” I point out the window. “Aren't we here?”

At the clinic, Celeste insists Jasper and Vivian go into the consultation with me.

“They've seen how she's been behaving,” Celeste tells the doctor.

The doctor asks about my sleep, my appetite, and what happened over the past two weeks, then sets down his pen.

“Ms. Carter, you're showing signs of anxiety. Nothing you've told me so far suggests you're delusional.”

Vivian's smile disappears.

“That can't be right. She keeps telling everyone my boyfriend is her fiancé.”

She nudges Jasper, and he immediately pulls out his phone.

“Doctor, are you sure? She's been sending me things like this every day.”

He turns the screen toward the doctor.

[Jasper, I don't know if you're crazy or I am. You're my fiancé. Why won't you admit it?]

[Why are all our photos suddenly of you and Viv? When did you swap them?]

[Today's your birthday. Last year you said you wanted to go back to the hotel where we first—]

The doctor reads the messages, then looks at me over the phone.

“These are concerning, Ms. Carter. Delusions are a possibility, but this may simply be a refusal to respect boundaries.”

The consultation room door is open, and a nurse passing outside slows down to look at me.

Vivian catches Jasper's hand and holds it in her lap.

“We've tried to be patient with her,” she says. “She's my sister.”

I hear a whisper from the hallway.

“The girlfriend brought her boyfriend's mistress in for treatment?”

“Look at the size of her. She seriously thinks she can steal her sister's boyfriend?”

Then Vivian lowers her voice, just enough to make everyone lean in.

“My stepfather's worried too. She's supposed to inherit his family, but she's been like this for weeks.”

My face burns, and my hands won't stop shaking.

I look at Jasper, desperate for him to say one honest thing.

He's watching Vivian.

She gives him a quick grin and flashes an OK sign beneath the desk, where the doctor can't see.

The red light on her camera is still blinking.