Sylvia stepped halfway over the threshold, her white wedge sandals stopping just inside the doorway. I didn't step back. The heavy oak door rested against my shoulder, pinning her in the tight space between the frame and my body.
She offered a saccharine smile, holding up the glossy blue gift box. "Sister-in-law, I brought some pastries from that bakery Edward loves."
"We are eating dinner," I said, my voice flat.
She pressed forward, brushing past my arm, her floral perfume thick in the narrow hall. "Oh, you know Noah. He needs a little sugar to get through his math homework."
She walked straight into the dining room. I closed the door, the click loud in the sudden silence.
Noah abandoned his video game controller on the sofa and ran toward her. "Sylvia!"
"Hey, buddy," Sylvia cooed, ruffling his hair. She set the blue box on the table right next to the mortgage photocopy. She didn't look at the document. She looked at Edward. "Hi, Eddie."
"Sylvia," Edward said, his posture immediately relaxing. The tension bled out of his shoulders. "You didn't have to bring dessert."
"You work so hard," she murmured, already moving toward the kitchen. "I wanted to treat you."
I followed her, watching as she reached for the hook next to the refrigerator. She slipped my yellow apron over her head, tying the strings behind her waist in a neat bow. Three years ago, she had started doing exactly this. Coming over to 'pick up Noah,' tying on my apron, serving my husband, and eventually sliding into my bed a week after my funeral.
Noah grabbed a pastry from the box and shoved it into his mouth. "Thanks, Aunt Sylvia."
The title scraped against my ribs. I kept my face blank.
"Don't eat too fast, Noah," Sylvia laughed, wiping a crumb from his cheek. She turned toward me, leaning against the kitchen counter. "Joan, you look exhausted. Let me clean up the dinner dishes."
"Leave the dishes," I said. "I have a question for you."
Sylvia blinked, her smile faltering for a fraction of a second. "Of course. What is it?"
Edward frowned, stepping closer to Sylvia. "Joan, don't start."
"Start what?" I asked, keeping my eyes locked on Sylvia. "I just want to ask her about the new project at the company. The one she helped you submit for approval last month."
Sylvia stiffened. Her hands gripped the edge of the counter.
"What project?" Margaret asked from the doorway, leaning heavily on her cane.
"The gastro-intestinal formula," I said. "The slow-release polymer matrix."
Sylvia opened her mouth, then closed it. She glanced at Edward.
"Joan, that is proprietary company information," Edward snapped.
"Sylvia isn't an employee," I pointed out. "She's a consultant. So, Sylvia, what was the hydrophilic excipient ratio used in the clinical trial batch?"
The kitchen went dead quiet. Noah stopped chewing.
Sylvia's eyes darted around the room. "The... the ratio? Well, you know how these technical details are. The lab handles the specifics."
"You submitted the paperwork to the review board," I pressed. "You signed off on the formulation summary. Was it HPMC or a carbomer blend?"
"It was a standard blend," she stammered, her cheeks flushing a dull pink. "Edward, really, I just came to get Noah."
"A standard blend," I repeated, letting the words hang in the air. "Interesting."
Edward stepped between us, shielding Sylvia from my gaze. "Enough, Joan. You are interrogating our guest."
"She couldn't answer a basic question about the drug my lab developed," I said.
"Your lab," Edward scoffed. "You work for my company."
"I formulated that matrix," I said. "And Sylvia clearly has no idea what she submitted under her name."
Sylvia untied the apron, her movements jerky. She tossed it onto the counter. "I think I should just take Noah to the library now. Eddie, I'll call you later."
"Go ahead," Edward told her softly. "I'll handle things here."
Noah grabbed his backpack from the floor. He didn't look at me as he followed Sylvia out the front door. The lock clicked shut behind them.
"You are losing your mind," Edward muttered, rubbing his temples. He walked past me, heading for his study.
Margaret glared at me before retreating down the hall to her bedroom.
I waited until the house was entirely silent. The grandfather clock in the living room chimed eleven.
I walked down the dark hallway, avoiding the loose floorboard near the bathroom. Edward's study door was shut. I turned the brass knob slowly. It wasn't locked.
The room smelled of stale coffee and leather. The only light came from the streetlamp outside, casting long shadows across his mahogany desk.
I moved behind the desk and pulled at the top right drawer. Locked.
I reached under the desk rim, feeling along the rough wood until my fingers brushed a small piece of tape. I peeled it back, freeing a tiny silver key. Edward had hidden it there five years ago. He never changed his habits.
I slid the key into the lock. It turned with a soft click.
I pulled the drawer open. Stacks of file folders filled the space. I bypassed the tax returns and vendor contracts, searching for the thick manila envelope I knew he kept at the bottom.
My fingers found it. I pulled it out and laid it on the desk, flipping on the small reading lamp.
The label read: Project Horizon - Regulatory Submission.
I opened the flap and slid the documents out. The top page was the standard submission form Sylvia had stammered about in the kitchen. I flipped past the executive summary, my eyes scanning the technical data. It was my formulation. My exact notes, copied and pasted.
I reached the final page. The transfer of rights agreement.
Edward had sold the patent.
I stared at the buyer's signature line. My pulse pounded in my ears, drowning out the ticking clock in the hall.
The assignee name was printed in bold black ink: Meridian Health Group.
