Chapter 1

After my brother died, my wife turned into someone who got angry over everything.

I went in the middle of the night to fix my sister-in-law's leaking pipe, and my wife smashed a cup.

I spent a weekend helping my sister-in-law's son with his homework, and my wife tore up our wedding photo.

Today my sister-in-law just nicked her hand slicing vegetables, and I was rushing over with medicine when my wife climbed straight up to the rooftop on the thirtieth floor.

The wind was freezing. Her face was streaked with tears, and she pointed down at the street and screamed at me:

"Elijah Lawrence, if you dare step out that door today to go take care of her, I'll jump. I'll do it right in front of you!"

I glanced at my watch, annoyed. My sister-in-law was still waiting for me in the ER.

"Is threatening to kill yourself the only trick you've got left?"

"My brother's gone. She's a widow, all alone. Can't you have a little pity? Do you have to be this selfish?"

I turned around and walked straight into the elevator.

This time, I would not indulge that ugly temper of hers.

...

I drove fast, ran two red lights on the way.

When I stopped outside the hospital, I didn't even lock the car before I rushed into the ER lobby.

The ER was packed.

I spotted Zoe Lambert right away, sitting in a plastic chair by the window.

Her head was down, her shoulders shaking with quiet sobs. She looked so pitiful.

I strode over.

"Zoe, is it bad? How badly are you hurt?"

The moment Zoe looked up and saw me, her eyes went red, and she threw herself straight into my arms.

"Eli, I knew you wouldn't leave me on my own."

"I'm so useless. I can't even cook a meal for my boy without slicing my hand open, and now I've dragged you out here in the middle of the night."

"Ruby Fox wasn't angry, was she? If I'm coming between the two of you, I'd rather just be dead."

She wiped at her tears as she talked, trembling a little against me.

Only then did I see the bandage on the index finger of her left hand.

There wasn't even a trace of blood soaking through.

But my anger had long since flown out the window, and all that was left was guilt and the ache of seeing her like this.

My brother had died young, leaving behind a widow and a fatherless child.

Looking after them was simply what a younger brother was supposed to do.

I reached out and patted her back gently.

"Don't think like that. Ruby's just got that fierce temper. Once she's done throwing her fit, she'll settle down on her own."

"My brother's gone. You've got me to look after you and Chad Ellison now."

"If anything happened to you, how could I ever live with myself?"

Zoe leaned against my shoulder, sobbing.

Completely ignoring the odd looks from the people around us.

I stood there, my whole mind fixed on how to comfort her.

I had completely forgotten that half an hour ago, Ruby had been standing at the edge of that thirtieth-floor rooftop.

In the freezing wind, her face wet with tears, threatening to die if I walked out the door.

At the time I'd only thought she was being unreasonable.

In our few years of marriage she'd only gotten worse, more and more childish.

Even jealous of my dead brother's widow. There was just no fixing her.

"Uncle, I'm hungry."

A small hand tugged at the leg of my pants.

It was my nephew, Chad.

His mouth was turned down, his whole face full of grievance.

"Mom cut her hand on the knife, and nobody made me any dinner."

I crouched down at once and ruffled his hair.

"Good boy, Chad. Uncle's going to take you to buy something good right now."

"What do you want to eat? Anything you want today, I'll get it for you."

Chad's eyes lit up, and he pointed at the fanciest sushi place across the street.

"I want that one! Mom says that one's the most expensive and the best!"

I didn't say a word, just took his hand and headed out.

Zoe called after me in that sweet, coaxing voice.

"Eli, don't spend too much. That place is hundreds a head."

"Zoe, as long as the two of you eat well, I don't care how much it costs."

I turned and went in and boxed up two big bags of sushi.

It came to almost two thousand.

But I didn't mind one bit.

I had just carried the takeout to the doorway of the ER lobby.

When the phone in my pocket started buzzing.

I pulled it out. It was Ruby's best friend, Naomi Pruitt.

I frowned and hung up right away.

Every time Ruby threw a tantrum, she sent Naomi in to plead her case.

I was not going to give her that satisfaction today.

The second I hung up, the phone rang again.

I answered, irritated, and laid into her before she could get a word in.

"Naomi, can you tell Ruby to quit the act?"

"She's a grown woman, still pulling this jumping-off-the-roof stunt. If she's got the guts, she should actually jump!"

On the other end, Naomi's voice broke into a desperate sob.

"Elijah, you animal! Ruby really jumped!"

I let out a cold laugh.

"How much did she pay you to help her put on this show?"

"Trying to trick me into coming back? Not a chance."

"Tell her my sister-in-law hurt her hand today. I have to stay at the hospital with her."

Naomi was screaming curses at me down the line.

But I didn't want to hear any of it, and I hit the button and hung up.

Right then, a shrill ambulance siren rose from far off, coming closer.

The ambulance braked hard and stopped outside the ER entrance.

The rear doors were yanked open.

Several medics came charging in, pushing a gurney, running like mad.

"Move! Everybody move!"

"Pregnant woman, fell from height, multiple fractures in both legs, prep for resuscitation!"

I stepped aside without thinking.

The gurney tore past, grazing my shoulder.

On it lay a woman covered in mud and water.

In the instant it passed, I saw a hand hanging off the side of the gurney.

Around the wrist was a red string, with a little gold peanut charm hanging from it.

I had tied that on her myself, on our first wedding anniversary.

The dress that woman on the gurney was wearing was the cream one Ruby had worn out the door this morning.

Only now, the dress was stained dark red with blood and mud.

Something roared in my head.

That woman was Ruby.