Chapter Two

Nora's POV

Twenty-five days left until the divorce went through.

Graham's account usually did nothing but repost company news. For the past five days, it looked like someone else had taken it over.

During the day, he took Vivian rowing on the lake, their oars breaking up the sunlight on the water.

At night, the two of them showed up on the rooftop terrace of the hotel next to the amusement park, with parade floats rolling by below.

I saw every post, every picture.

As for the drone show he'd promised me before he left, I figured he'd forgotten about it the second he walked out the door.

The bedroom was a mess. Clothes were spread all over the bed, and my suitcase lay half open on the floor.

I'd just shoved a pile of sweaters into it when my phone rang. It was Owen Pryce, Graham's assistant.

"Ms. Ellison, there's a drone show on the Harrow Bridge tonight at eight. Whatever you do, don't forget."

He sounded like he was practically begging. "If you don't show up, Mr. Thorne's going to throw me off the roof."

Five years married, and Owen was the only other person who knew the truth about us. He was stuck in the middle and didn't have it easy, so I told him I'd go.

As the cab pulled onto the ramp to the Harrow Bridge, I stared out the window and let my mind drift.

The month we got married, Graham had put on a drone show for me on this same bridge. Over a thousand drones lit up the night sky and spelled out my name.

Back then, Owen had secretly given me a heads-up too, so I'd have time to get dressed up. Just like today.

Same bridge, same messenger. Only I wasn't that girl full of hope anymore.

The bridge was packed. A few TV news vans were parked along the road, and camera crews were busy setting up their shots.

Something about this felt off.

I pulled out my phone and called Graham, but the line was busy. I tried again and got the same thing.

Honestly, I couldn't even say what I was hoping to hear from him. I kept calling and calling. He never picked up, and he never showed up either.

It was almost eight.

Someone next to me was gushing to a friend. "I heard Mr. Thorne set this whole thing up for his wife! We're getting a free taste of how the richest guy in town does romance!"

I stopped in my tracks.

As far as the public knew, Graham was single. So whoever this "wife" was, it definitely wasn't me.

The north end of the bridge had the best view. Nobody knew that better than me.

I was already here. Might as well take a look. It wasn't like the drones owed me anything.

The crowd pushed me forward bit by bit. By the time I got my footing, there was no one left in front of me.

So I saw everything.

In the best spot on the bridge, Graham was holding Vivian from behind, his chin resting on top of her head.

Over a thousand lights rose up from the river into the sky. First they came together into a beating heart, then slowly drifted apart and spelled out: Welcome home, Vivian.

The cheering kept getting louder until my ears hurt. But even through all that noise, I could still hear the sweet things Graham was murmuring to Vivian.

A reporter squeezed through and held a mic up to Vivian. "Ms. Hale, how are you feeling right now?"

Graham looked down at her like he couldn't wait to hear what she'd say.

Vivian blushed and took the mic. But before she could say anything, Graham glanced over the crowd and looked straight at me.

He went stiff. My name slipped out before he could stop himself. "Nora..."

It was like someone had hit pause on all the noise around us.

One by one, people followed his gaze until every pair of eyes was on me. Even the lights in the sky seemed to dim for a second.

Vivian looked at me, then up at him. "Who's that?"

Graham opened his mouth and swallowed hard, but not a single word came out.

I walked forward with all those eyes on me and gave everyone an easy smile. "Hi, everyone. I'm Nora Ellison. I'm Graham's..."

Panic flashed across his face, and he reached out to stop me.

I didn't give him the chance. "Cousin."

The second it was out, the knot that had been sitting in my chest just loosened.

"The family sent me to check out the future Mrs. Thorne. I didn't mean to crash the party. Sorry about that."

Graham's shoulders visibly relaxed. He even gave me a small nod, like he was proud of me for knowing my place.

He'd never wanted our marriage out in the open, and neither had anyone in the Thorne family.

Whenever someone asked who I was, they only ever had one answer ready for me: his cousin.