Harper pushed through the heavy glass doors of the Mount Sinai emergency building. The sharp, chemical smell of hospital bleach hit her nose. Her stomach rolled, threatening to empty the champagne she had just swallowed.
She walked to the elevators, rode to the top floor, and stepped into the quiet hallway. The door to the VIP suite was cracked open. Harper stopped and looked through the gap.
Chase was on his knees beside the hospital bed. His hands were wrapped tightly around Lila's pale fingers.
Lila leaned back against the pillows. Tears streamed down her face. "I lost our baby, Chase," she whispered. Her voice was weak, trembling, and entirely theatrical.
The word baby hit Harper's brain like a physical strike. Her ears rang. Her fingers curled into tight fists, her nails biting so deeply into her palms that the skin nearly broke.
Chase pressed his lips to Lila's knuckles. His face was twisted in agony. "It is not your fault. I should have protected you."
Harper kicked the door. The heavy wood slammed against the wall with a loud bang.
Chase jumped up as if he had been burned. He spun around. He stared at Harper's soaked hair, her ruined dress, and the dirt on her hem. A brief flash of shock crossed his eyes.
Lila gasped. She pulled the white hospital blanket up to her chin, shrinking back against the headboard. She let out a terrified whimper.
Chase's jaw tightened. He took three long strides toward Harper. He kept his voice low, but the anger was thick. "Why did you make yourself look like a disaster? Are you trying to stimulate her condition on purpose?"
Harper looked at the man standing in front of her. He looked like a complete stranger. She let out a short, cold laugh. "Do you remember whose wedding day it is?"
The door to the adjoining suite opened. Harrison Young stepped out. He adjusted his expensive watch and looked at Harper with absolute authority. "Keep your voice down, Harper. You are the future matriarch of this family. Show some tolerance."
Harper did not blink. She stared directly into Harrison's eyes. "Your entire family is paying the price for a mistress's lie."
On the bed, Lila suddenly began to gasp for air. Her chest heaved. The heart monitor beside the bed started beeping rapidly.
Chase turned red. He grabbed Harper by the shoulders and shoved her violently backward out of the room. Harper's back slammed into the metal doorframe. A sharp, blinding pain shot through her shoulder blade.
"If anything happens to Lila, I will never forgive you," Chase yelled. He turned his back to her and screamed for a doctor.
Harper stood in the hallway. She watched the nurses rush past her into the room. A sudden sense of absurdity washed over her. She stopped fighting. She turned around and walked down the long corridor toward the elevators.
As she walked, she grabbed the massive diamond ring on her left hand. She yanked it over her knuckle, scraping the skin. She tossed it directly into a red biohazard bin sitting against the wall.
She stepped into the elevator. The mirrored walls reflected her bruised forehead, her red cheek, and her dripping hair. She took a deep breath. She pulled out her phone and dialed her private attorney.
"Draft an uncontested divorce agreement immediately," Harper said. Her voice was completely flat.
Harper walked out of the hospital lobby. The rain had stopped. The cold Manhattan wind hit her wet clothes, drying the moisture and making her brain painfully clear.
She walked to the street, hailed another cab, and rode back to the Upper East Side. She used her fingerprint to unlock the door of the Young family penthouse. The massive floor-to-ceiling windows displayed the glittering lights of Central Park.
She walked straight into the master bedroom. She went to the back of the massive walk-in closet and pulled out a plain black suitcase. She ignored the rows of designer bags and shoes Chase had bought her.
She threw her pre-marriage business suits, her laptop, and three finance textbooks into the suitcase.
She walked over to the vanity mirror. She picked up a pair of heavy metal scissors. She grabbed the front of the expensive wedding dress and cut straight down the middle, tearing the fabric apart.
Harper stepped out of the ruined dress. She put on a sharp black suit. She pulled her wet hair back into a tight, high ponytail. Her eyes in the mirror looked sharp and dangerous.
The front door of the penthouse beeped. Chase walked in. He looked exhausted. His tie was pulled loose around his neck.
He stopped in the doorway of the bedroom. He looked at the shredded wedding dress on the floor and the black suitcase on the bed. His eyebrows pulled together.
He walked toward her, holding his hands out. "Lila is asleep. I can stay here with you tonight." His voice sounded like he was offering her a charity handout.
Harper stepped to the side, avoiding his hands as if he carried a disease. She looked at him with pure disgust.
She reached into her pocket, pulled out her lawyer's business card, and slapped it hard against Chase's chest.
"Divorce," Harper said.
