She was waiting for me on the center bridge, leaning against the railing with the watch dangling from two fingers over the river.
When she saw me, she smiled.
“Mrs. Frost,” she said. “Actually, I only called you here because I wanted to test something.”
I already had a bad feeling.
“What.”
She lifted the watch slightly. “Between you and me, who do you think Ethan likes more?”
I had no patience left for her games. I stepped forward to take it from her.
She pulled back.
My indifference must have irritated her more than tears ever would have, because the next second she let go and dropped the watch into the water.
Something in me snapped.
I slapped her.
Hard.
She clutched her face and started to speak—then her eyes darted past me.
A sports car had screeched to a stop nearby.
Before I could turn, she shoved me over the edge.
And jumped in after me.
The river was ice-cold.
Water rushed into my ears, nose, mouth. My body plunged deeper, dragged down by my coat, by shock, by the violent current. Somewhere in that blur I saw the faint gleam of the watch sinking through green darkness.
I dove after it.
My lungs burned. My fingers finally caught the chain.
I turned upward, kicking hard for the surface, but Sophie grabbed onto me in blind panic and nearly dragged me back under. By the time her hold loosened, my vision was already going gray.
Then I heard a splash.
Ethan had jumped in.
Even through the blur, through the pounding in my skull and the lack of oxygen, I saw exactly what happened next.
He swam to Sophie.
Without hesitation.
He pulled her toward shore, lifted her up, called her name over and over in panic.
He never once looked at me.
Not once.
I don’t know where the last of my strength came from, but somehow I forced my body to the surface and clawed my way back to the edge of the river alone. Sunlight hit my soaked skin. I coughed until it felt like my lungs would tear apart.
Then I stood.
And watched my husband giving another woman CPR.
I wrapped my fingers tightly around my grandmother’s watch and walked toward the road.
Only when I was about to pass him did Ethan finally look up.
“Lily!” he called. “You can swim, so I saved Sophie first. Are you okay?”
I stopped for one second.
“I’m fine.”
Sophie stirred and opened her eyes. Ethan let out a long breath of relief. Then he reached for me.
“Come on. I’ll take you home.”
Before he could say more, Sophie whimpered behind him. “Ethan… my head hurts…”
He froze.
I saved him the choice.
“You should take care of her. Don’t worry about me.”
He nodded too quickly. “All right. I’ll bring her to the hospital and then come straight back to be with you.”
I looked at him with red eyes he could not see in that light.
That wasn’t what I meant.
What I meant was: from this moment on, you never have to worry about me again.
The seven years of pain you gave me are over.
I let go.
I got into my car and drove home.
The housekeeper had already prepared ginger soup. There was a diamond set waiting for me on the table.
“Mr. Frost said he’ll come back tonight and have dinner with you.”
I almost smiled.
We were already divorced.
What dinner?
I went upstairs, changed clothes, packed the last of my bags, and brought them downstairs.
The housekeeper stared. “Mrs. Frost…?”
“When Ethan gets back,” I said hoarsely, “tell him to take a good look at the document he signed a month ago. Tell him that in my story, Ethan Frost has been written out for good.”
Then I left.
At the door, I slid off my wedding ring and dropped it into the trash can.
My purple sports car disappeared into the night.