I'd thought we would have plenty of chances to see each other again.
But then Chad said he wanted to meet me, that he had something important to give me.
I arrived at the agreed spot and waited for hours before he finally showed up.
He handed me a puzzle and told me, "If you ever run into trouble, open it up."
Right then, my phone buzzed twice and the screen went black. Dead battery.
No one could have predicted that my mother's condition would deteriorate so suddenly.
Because of Chad. Because of that puzzle. I missed the call from the hospital.
I missed my mother's final moments. She died without ever seeing her daughter.
"Your mother-in-law keeps so many flowers in this old house. You have to water them every couple of days. Doesn't that get exhausting?"
Lily's voice snapped me back to the present.
I smiled at her. "My mother-in-law's been so good to me. Watering a few flowers is nothing."
"Besides, the house my mom left me is right next door. I can pop over and check on it whenever I want."
Lily grinned. "Oh, we all know your mother-in-law adores you. That heirloom bracelet on your wrist alone is worth eight figures."
We locked up the house, still chatting, and walked out through the courtyard.
A black Bentley sat parked by the gate. A man in a tailored suit leaned against it, and the moment he saw me step out, he crushed his cigarette under his heel.
Wallace Walker closed the distance between us in two strides, slipped the bag from my hand, and pulled me into his arms. His lips found mine in a soft, unhurried kiss.
Lily groaned in protest. "You two have been married four or five years. How are you still this disgustingly sweet?"
"Go be lovey-dovey somewhere else!"
Wallace looked thoroughly pleased with himself. "We plan on being this disgustingly sweet for the rest of our lives. I'm afraid you'll just have to keep watching."
The words had barely left his mouth when a voice carried over from down the street.
"Jade, who is he?"
