Chapter 7

Phuket’s rainy season arrived without warning. I dashed into the hotel with a folder clutched to my chest, water dripping from my hair to stain the marble floor in dark patches. My assistant chased after me, phone in hand. "Ms. , sourcessay Noah Smith got bail and is searching worldwide for you..." "Tell legal to send a restraining order to his hospital room." I peeled off my soaked silk scarf, catching a glimpse of my bruised under-eyes in the elevator mirror. By the time I finished the last email at midnight, lightning flashed outside the floor-to-ceiling windows. The bedside humidifier diffused lavender mist as I reached for the pregnancy test under my pillow. The faint pink double lines were darker than last week, like a stubborn flower blooming on a snowy plain. I’d undergone IVF abroad, hoping to reclaim the child I’d lost. "Baby, Mommy misses you so much." The phone vibrated on the nightstand—my mother’s video call. On screen, she was arranging a nursery, sta