The penthouse was dark. Only the low pendant lights over the kitchen island were on.
I had already taken off the ivory gown. I hung it in the back of the closet and put on a plain black sweater and gray trousers. My phone lay face-down on the marble counter. It hadn't stopped vibrating for three hours, but I ignored it. Next to my hand was a glass of water. I nudged the coaster with one finger, lining up the edge with the vein in the stone.
At ten past two, the front door clicked.
Clark walked in. He had loosened his tie and draped his suit jacket over one arm. His hair was messy. He looked exhausted, but his eyes were bright with a strange, nervous energy.
He didn't rush over to hug me. He didn't apologize. He didn't ask how I got home from The Plaza.
Instead, he set a brown paper bag on the island and pulled out a barstool across from me. He reached into the bag and took out a thick stack of bright red paper and a pair of silver craft scissors.
He folded the first sheet in half.
*Snip. Snip.*
Tiny scraps of red paper fluttered onto the white quartz counter.
"She's asleep now," he said. His voice was quiet, gentle, like he was still in the hospital room. "I got her a private suite at Mount Sinai. The doctors ran tests, but it's bad, Saylor. Six months. A year at best."
I watched his hands. He was cutting out traditional double happiness characters. The kind couples hang on windows for a wedding.
"What are you doing, Clark?" I asked.
"She always wanted these," he murmured. He didn't look up. His fingers moved with practiced care. "When we were in college, she used to cut them out of flyers. She dreamed of having them at her wedding. Just something small. Something real."
I felt the cool marble under my palms. "Her wedding."
Clark set the scissors down. He folded his hands on the counter and looked right into my eyes. His expression wasn't guilty. It was warm, patient, and completely reasonable.
"We need to talk about how we handle this," he said.
"Do we?"
"Saylor, look at me." He reached forward, but I didn't move my hands, so he stopped just short of touching my fingers. "I know tonight was a shock. You were embarrassed. People gossiped. That's natural. But you have to be the bigger person here."
I didn't answer. I just looked at him.
"Mallory is dying," he continued. His tone was soft, like he was explaining basic math to a child. "She left me years ago because she didn't want to drag me down. She suffered alone for three years. I can't turn my back on her now. I want to give her a wedding. I want to make her my wife before she's gone."
The grandfather clock in the foyer ticked. *Tick. Tock.*
"And her biggest dream," Clark said, leaning closer, "is to have a baby. A child is her legacy. She wants to leave a piece of herself behind in this world."
"A child," I repeated. My voice was completely flat.
"Yes." Clark nodded, entirely earnest. "She's strong enough for that right now. We don't have much time, so we have to start immediately. And once she passes..." He let out a small, reassuring breath. "Once she's gone, I'll come right back to you. We'll have our wedding. We'll pick up right where we left off."
"And the baby?"
"You'll raise it with me," he said, as if the answer was obvious. "As our own. You have the resources, Saylor. You have the best home, the best doctors, the best schools. It makes sense. You'll be an amazing mother to that child."
He picked up the scissors again and began trimming around the edge of a paper character.
"You know how much you mean to me," he added smoothly. "You're my future. This is only temporary. It's six months of your life to give a dying girl some peace. It's a noble thing to do."
I looked down at the bright red paper shavings scattered across my clean counter. They looked like drops of fresh blood on snow.
Three years. I paid off his debt. I bought his clothes. I gave him a seat on my father's board. And this was what he brought to my kitchen counter.
Clark put the scissors down and smiled at me. It was his signature smile—the charming, disarming one that had convinced me he was a good man.
"You love me," he said softly. "And you're a good person, Saylor. I know you'll do the right thing."
The room was dead silent. I could hear the hum of the refrigerator.
I looked at him for five seconds. I didn't yell. I didn't cry. My chest didn't heave.
"And you think I'll agree to this?" I asked.
Clark let out a soft, fond chuckle. He shook his head slightly, as if my question were cute.
"Of course you will," he said. "Because you love me."
I stood up.
My stool slid back across the floor, making a clean, sharp sound. I smoothed the front of my sweater. I didn't touch the glass of water.
"Sleep in the guest room," I said.
Clark blinked, caught off guard for half a second. Then his smile returned, easy and relaxed. He nodded slowly, looking at me with gentle pity, clearly thinking I just needed time to process my shock.
"Take the night," he whispered. "We'll talk in the morning."
I turned around and walked down the hallway. I didn't look back. Behind me, the scissors started snipping again.
