There was no soup.
No fruit.
No medication.
No real meal.
“Claire?”
She looked up immediately.
For one wonderful second, relief completely changed her expression.
“Ethan?”
Then she burst into tears.
He let his suitcase fall and rushed to her side.
“What happened? Are you hurt? Where is everyone?”
Claire tried to rise, but pain crossed her face.
“Don’t move,” Ethan said as he knelt beside her. “Please, just stay there.”
His eyes shifted toward the bassinet.
Baby Lily slept peacefully, wearing only a thin cotton onesie beneath the lightweight blanket.
Ethan removed his coat and gently draped it over the side of the bassinet to keep out the draft.
“Where’s my mother?” he asked.
Claire wiped away her tears.
“They went out.”
“All of them?”
She nodded.
“When are they coming back?”
Claire avoided his eyes.
“January fourth.”
Ethan stared at her.
“January fourth?”
“They left for Cancún this morning.”
For several long moments, he convinced himself he had heard wrong.
Then he opened the refrigerator.
It was nearly empty.
Inside sat half a bottle of water, a jar of mustard, two ketchup packets, and one bruised apple.
The freezer had been completely emptied.
Every container of soup, chicken, pasta, and stew had disappeared.
The formula, yogurt, vegetables, juice, and meal-replacement drinks Claire’s doctor had recommended were gone as well.
A note written in thick black marker was taped to the refrigerator door.
Don’t call Ethan. He is working. Don’t create unnecessary drama.
Ethan slowly peeled the paper away.
“Did my mother write this?”
Claire answered with silence.
PART 2 — THE VACATION PHOTOGRAPHS
The first thing Ethan realized was that Claire had been trying to protect him.
She had been hurting, starving, frightened, and completely overwhelmed, yet she still feared that telling him the truth might jeopardize his job.
Diane had repeatedly warned her not to interrupt Ethan while he was overseas.
According to Claire, the postpartum nurse came only twice.
On the third morning, Diane informed the nurse that her services were no longer necessary. She insisted Claire was recovering perfectly and claimed family members would be caring for her around the clock.
Not long afterward, the grocery deliveries stopped.
Whenever Claire asked about them, Diane insisted the orders had simply been delayed.
Brooke carried several boxes of formula home, explaining that a friend had recently welcomed a baby and needed assistance.
Jason loaded frozen meals from the freezer into his car, saying they were being transferred to Diane’s larger freezer.
Claire believed every explanation because she had no reason to doubt them.
That morning, everything finally made sense.
Diane, Brooke, Jason, and Ben arrived carrying suitcases.
They packed food into coolers. They removed toiletries from the bathroom, took the warm quilt from the guest room, and packed the new shawl Ethan had given Claire for her birthday.
Brooke said the hotel could get chilly at night.
When Claire objected, Diane taped the note to the refrigerator.
“You have noodles,” she said. “You’ll survive for a few days.”
“What about Lily?” Claire asked.
“You’re her mother,” Diane replied. “You need to learn how to manage.”
They drove away before ten that morning.
Claire tried to cook the noodles, but standing at the stove left her dizzy. The pot slipped from her hands, spilling the water.
She had been eating the noodles dry when Ethan came through the door.
His phone buzzed.
