Chapter 2

I set the design drawings on the table.

"Who gave you permission to touch the study?"

Rosalie explained at once, "It's not being torn out right now."

"The designer just drew it up ahead of time. If we have kids down the road, we won't want to go through all that again."

I looked at her.

"Down the road?"

She pressed her lips together.

Evan took the drawings.

"The designer just tossed off a plan. Why are you fixating on one children's room?"

"If you're only staying two years, why change the layout?"

"Can't we live a little more comfortably for those two years?"

He folded the drawing.

"I paid for the renovation myself. I didn't ask you to spend a cent."

I took out my phone and opened our joint bank account.

Three days ago, sixty thousand dollars had been transferred to a renovation company.

The note read: first installment for residential remodel.

I turned the screen toward him.

"Whose money is this?"

Evan's face darkened instantly.

"I can't touch our joint account?"

"You can."

I put the phone away.

"From now on, my salary won't be transferred into this account."

He froze for a second.

"Stella, what's that supposed to mean?"

A voice suddenly came from the doorway.

"What's it supposed to mean? Family lends her a place to stay, and she's actually keeping a tally."

Diane walked in with two relatives.

Clearly Rosalie had just called them over.

The moment she came in, she went to take Rosalie's hand.

"You're getting married tomorrow. How are you going to face anyone with your eyes all swollen from crying?"

Rosalie lowered her head.

"Mom, let it go."

"If Stella doesn't want me here, I'll go stay at a hotel tonight."

Diane immediately turned to me.

"This house has sat empty for years. What's the harm in letting her live here for two of them?"

"Your mother loved you so much. She'd never want to see you fighting with your own family like this over an empty house."

I looked at her.

"So that's why you moved all of her things out?"

Diane choked on that.

Evan said in a low voice, "We only put them away for now."

"And the photo album?"

No one spoke.

I asked again, "Why is the study being turned into a children's room?"

Rosalie's eyes reddened again.

"Stella, I already said it's just a design."

"Bruce's parents thought the house was small, so I figured we could put the study to use."

"If you don't like it, I won't change it."

Every sentence out of her was a retreat.

But from start to finish, no one asked whether this was even a house they had any right to remodel.

Diane sighed.

"Rosalie's getting married tomorrow."

"Now that all of her in-laws' relatives know she has a wedding home, if you suddenly throw her out, what will people think of the Matthews family?"

"You're well-off, you don't need this place. She just got married, and this is the hardest time for her."

"Isn't it only right for a sister-in-law to give her little sister-in-law a hand?"

Evan rubbed the space between his brows.

"Enough."

He turned to me.

"Let's get the wedding over with first."

"We'll deal with the house later."

Later, again. Find the furniture later, discuss the renovation later, talk about the house later—as long as Rosalie needed it right now, anything that belonged to me could be taken first.

I was about to speak when Rosalie lifted her hand to wipe her tears.

Her sleeve slid down a little.

And suddenly I saw the thing on her wrist—a thin gold bracelet, with a very faint scratch on the inside.

When I was little and didn't know any better, I'd nicked it with a pair of scissors.

After my mother died, that bracelet had stayed locked in the jewelry box in my bedroom.

I stared at her hand.

"Where did that bracelet come from?"

Rosalie stopped short and instinctively tugged her sleeve down.

But Evan spoke first.

"I gave it to her."

I slowly turned my head.

He still didn't think it was any big deal.

"You never wear it anyway."

"Rosalie's getting married tomorrow, and Mom says she needs a nice piece of gold to bring as her keepsake."

He paused.

"I'll buy you another one later."