Two days passed.
Clark barely came back to the penthouse. When he did, he just grabbed fresh shirts and left again. He didn't ask how I was doing. He didn't mention the red paper scraps he had left on the kitchen island.
On Wednesday morning, I sat at my desk and opened my laptop. I logged into the Lane Enterprises executive portal.
I pulled up the corporate health insurance ledger.
There it was.
Room 812 at Mount Sinai Hospital. A private VIP suite. Around-the-clock specialized nursing. Consultations with top oncologists flown in from Boston.
Total cost to date: eighty-six thousand dollars.
Every single cent was billed to Clark’s executive coverage. And the premium was covered, down to the last penny, by Lane Enterprises.
My father’s company was paying to keep Clark’s ex-girlfriend comfortable.
I closed the laptop with a quiet click. I picked up my car keys, put on my black wool coat, and took the elevator down to the garage.
Traffic on the FDR was light. Twenty minutes later, I walked into Mount Sinai.
The eighth floor didn't look like a hospital. It looked like a boutique hotel. The floors were carpeted in dark gray wool. Soft jazz played from small speakers hidden in the ceiling. The air smelled of fresh lilies, not rubbing alcohol.
I stopped outside Room 812. The heavy oak door was cracked open an inch.
I looked through the gap.
Mallory sat propped up against a mountain of white pillows. She wore silk pajamas. Her face was pale, but her hair was brushed smooth.
Clark sat on the edge of the mattress. He held a small ceramic bowl of chicken broth in one hand and a silver spoon in the other. He blew gently on the broth, cooling it, before bringing it to her lips.
Mallory took a sip. A tiny drop spilled on her chin.
Clark didn't reach for a tissue. He used his thumb to wipe it away, his touch slow and careful. Then he stroked her cheek, tucking a loose lock of hair behind her ear.
His eyes were filled with soft, aching warmth.
In three years, Clark had never looked at me like that. When he looked at me, he saw a balance sheet. He saw a gateway to Manhattan society.
Mallory blinked and saw me first.
Her eyes widened. Her chin quivered right on cue, and two fresh tears spilled onto her cheeks. She pulled the blanket up to her neck, looking tiny and helpless.
"Saylor..." she whispered. Her voice had that practiced tremor. "I'm so sorry. I know this isn't fair to anyone."
I looked at her. I didn't say a word. I didn't give her the fight she was clearly waiting for. To me, she was just an uninvited guest running up room service on my tab.
Clark turned around. When he saw me standing in the doorway, his face relaxed into an easy smile. He set the bowl on the nightstand, patted Mallory’s hand, and stood up.
"I'll be right outside, sweetheart," he told her softly.
He stepped into the hallway and pulled the heavy door shut behind him.
The corridor was silent. Clark smoothed the lapels of his charcoal suit—a suit I had bought him for his thirty-first birthday.
"You came," Clark said. His tone was warm and deeply relieved. "I knew you’d come around. You just needed a couple of days to clear your head."
"I saw the insurance claims, Clark," I said evenly.
He waved one hand in the air, brushing it away like dust. "That's just standard executive perks. The company handles it automatically. We can settle the bookkeeping later. That’s not what matters right now."
He took a step closer to me. His eyes were bright, filled with absolute conviction.
"Listen to me, Saylor," he said. "I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. I know what’s really bothering you. You're afraid. You're worried that once Mallory has this child, things will get messy. You think I’ll keep chasing the past."
I looked at him. I didn't blink. "Go on."
"I have a solution," Clark said. He leaned in, lowering his voice as if sharing a sacred vow. "After the baby is born, I’m getting a vasectomy."
The words hung between us in the quiet hallway.
"A vasectomy," I repeated.
"Yes." Clark nodded firmly. A proud smile touched his lips. "No more kids. Not with Mallory, not with anyone else. That baby will be my only biological child. It's a clean contract, Saylor. It’s my promise to you."
He reached out to touch my arm, his eyes pleading for understanding.
"Think about it," he urged. His voice was steady, gentle, and utterly sincere. "Mallory gets her dying wish. She leaves a piece of herself behind. Then she passes away peacefully. After that, I come back to you. I’m completely yours. We raise the child together in the penthouse. You'll never have to worry about another woman or another family."
He really believed it.
He stood there in his three-thousand-dollar suit, paid for with my credit card, pitching me another woman’s pregnancy like a corporate merger. He thought he was being noble. He thought he was giving me a gift.
I looked at his polished shoes. I looked at his perfect hair.
Three years of my life. Three years of coaching him, dressing him, and opening every locked door in New York for him. And inside the expensive packaging, he was completely, hopelessly hollow.
I didn't yell. I didn't slap his face. My knuckles didn't even tighten.
I simply stepped back, letting his hand drop into empty air.
"Saylor?" he asked, his smile faltering for a second.
I turned on my heel and began walking down the carpeted hall toward the elevator.
"Saylor, wait!" Clark called after me. His voice was patient, tinged with mild exasperation, like a father dealing with a stubborn toddler. "Don't just walk away! Be reasonable! Think about what I'm offering you!"
I reached the end of the hall and pressed the down button.
The elevator chimed. The metal doors slid open.
I stepped inside, turned around, and faced the front.
Clark stood fifty feet away, hands on his hips, shaking his head with a condescending sigh.
I didn't say a word. I just watched the silver doors slide together, cutting him out of my sight.
