Begonia Court.
Fresh out of the shower, Naomi launched herself onto Claire’s bed like a missile.
“Hugs!
Claire, you smell amazing~”
Claire laughed so hard she nearly toppled over, retaliating with a tickle attack.
“You shameless woman, hands off!”
Mid-scuffle, Naomi hissed sharply.
“What does your arm hurt?
Let me see!”
Claire flipped on the light and found a deep bruise blooming across Naomi’s arm.
Naomi laughed it off, sheepish.
“Oh, that.
I figured I’d let him get one good hit in, then sue for assault later hold it over him so he’d back off from bullying you.
Didn’t expect him to actually swing first.
Guess the Ashfords still come out on top no matter what…”
Something ached sharp in Claire’s chest.
She grabbed the ointment Weston had given her and worked it gently into the bruise.
“Don’t go home for a few days.
Stay here with me.
Tell your parents it’s a work trip so they don’t worry.”
“They wouldn’t notice either way.
I could hang myself in my own living room and my parents would think I’d taken up interior decorating.”
That landed harder than Claire expected.
Naomi had always been the capable one growing up, but her parents had inexplicably doted on her younger sister instead no matter what she achieved, she may as well have been invisible at home.
“Claire, why so quiet?
Are you mad at me?”
Claire shook her head, but tears slid down anyway.
“I will get my divorce certificate next week.
Don’t do things like this for me.
It breaks my heart.”
Naomi made a small, muffled sound, then bounced off the bed and dug through her bag, pulling something out and pressing it into Claire’s hand.
“Here is a housewarming gift.
I was going to give it to you after dinner.”
Claire looked down at the small paper talisman, warmth spreading through her chest.
“A blessing charm?”
“Mm-hm.
Went with a client to Sacred Lantern Temple a few days back everyone swears it’s the real deal.
I prayed for you, drew you a fortune slip too.
Came up as good luck.
Claire, everything’s about to turn around for you.”
Claire folded the talisman into a small pale-yellow origami crane, setting it at the base of her bedside lamp.
The warm light caught the folds, making the little crane look almost alive.
May everything go smoothly.
May every wish come true.
The next day.
A string of phone calls jolted Claire awake all for Naomi.
First: fired.
Second: her lease terminated, told to move out immediately.
Third: her father, furious, accusing her of dragging the family’s name through the mud, telling her to stay far, far away.
Naomi’s eyes went red, forcing a smile that came out more like a wince as she sipped the seafood porridge Claire handed her.
“It’s fine.
I own my choices.
I didn’t want to go home anyway.”
“I’m a top-tier salesperson.
Companies fight over people like me.
Finding a new job is the least of my problems.”
She said it mostly to convince herself, head bowed.
But Claire watched tears drip steadily into the bowl, and something in her chest tore, slow and deliberate.
Buzz
Sister-in-law flashed across Claire’s screen.
She took the call into the kitchen.
“Hello?”
“Claire, how’s your friend’s job hunt going?
Ethan stood up for me so hard last night, leaned on her boss directly.
I wonder if she’ll even keep her position!”
Rosalind’s voice climbed, thick with barely concealed satisfaction.
Pop
The toaster ejected a slice, filling the kitchen with the warm smell of milk bread.
Claire’s eyes landed on the unwashed kitchen knife in the sink.
Weston’s words surfaced unbidden.
Even without skin or teeth, a tiger’s still a tiger.
It always has claws.
“Claire?
Are you even listening?
Ethan was so upset seeing me hurt last night, no matter how I tried to calm him down, he insisted on”
Claire hung up mid-sentence.
After breakfast, she slid a card across the table to Naomi.
“Go get your things.
Move in with me.
Take your time job hunting, call it a vacation.
Use this if you need money.”
Naomi didn’t hesitate, tackling her into a hug and planting a quick kiss on her cheek.
“Much appreciated, boss!
I will be your most devoted little sidekick from this day forward!”
After a full morning in the lab, Claire got called out to a nearby café around noon Margaret, waiting for her.
“The divorce certificate’s ready,” Margaret said, no preamble.
“But I can’t hand it over just yet.”
“What do you need from me first?”
Claire kept her voice level.
She’d hesitated to cash in the agreement outright before, knowing full well that any deal with Margaret came with strings attached.
But Naomi’s tears, and Whisper only just recovering from the stress of everything she couldn’t wait any longer to close this out.
“One of Ethan’s projects has hit a snag,” Margaret said.
“He desperately needs to land an investor Gerald Reed.
You’ve met his wife.”
Claire understood immediately.
She’d once given Mrs.
Reed a potted orchid as a courtesy gift, and the woman had adored it.
Gerald Reed was known industry-wide for being completely devoted to his wife.
If he caught even a whiff of Ethan’s entanglement with his own brother’s widow, the deal would collapse instantly.
“I know everything that happened yesterday.
Whatever grudge you’re holding, don’t let it touch Ethan’s business.”
“He’s finally locked down dinner with the Reeds tomorrow evening, at her place.
Play along, keep your composure, and consider it your last night performing as Mrs.
Ashford.
Do that, and the certificate’s yours.”
Claire hesitated.
“What about my sister-in-law”
“She’s hospitalized.
I have people watching her.
You don’t need to concern yourself with that.”
Just the mention of Rosalind soured Margaret’s expression.
Some paper cranes folded twenty-something years ago, and Ethan’s still hung up on the woman who made them.
Unbelievable.
That afternoon, once the lab work was done, Claire changed and headed to the hospital to “check in” on Rosalind.
“Claire?
What brings you by?
Looking for Ethan?
He went out for dessert sit, he’ll be back.”
Same as always.
Showing off.
Claire sat.
Rosalind asked, “How’s your friend’s job situation?”
Claire answered plainly.
“She got fired.”
Rosalind laughed softly.
“Ethan, honestly, over something this small…”
“If I asked him to, he’d get her rehired in a heartbeat.
Want to bet on it, sister-in-law?”
Rosalind’s brow furrowed, suspicious.
“Are you trying to provoke me?”
Claire picked up a paring knife and began peeling an apple, slow and even, her voice as calm and gentle as ever.
“Not provocation.
Just clarity.
Since you seem intent on interfering in my marriage, I figured I’d remind you three years married to Ethan wasn’t for nothing.”
“And?
You’re still ending up alone regardless.
Oh, by the way Ethan ordered me a diamond bracelet, over three million, just to convince me to take my medication.”
Claire watched the apple peel spiral down in one long, unbroken ribbon, and smiled.
“Sister-in-law.
Care to make a wager?
You’ll be checking yourself back into this hospital by tonight.”
She held out the peeled apple, something sharp and challenging glinting behind an otherwise harmless expression.
Rosalind smacked it out of her hand.
Right as the door swung open Ethan.
The apple rolled to a stop against his shoe with a soft thud.
His brow creased, eyes landing on Claire.
“What are you doing here?”
Claire rose, white dress falling in soft lines, hair half-pinned back and flowing over her shoulder, expression settling into something gentle, almost demure.
“Ethan.
Could I speak with you alone?”
Rosalind moved instinctively to stop him but he’d already turned and walked out.
“Let’s talk outside.”
Claire offered Rosalind a small, knowing smile before following him.
The door was left slightly ajar.