The Key mansion was smaller than I remembered. Or maybe I’d just grown. Ethan’s mother hugged me at the door, tears in her eyes. “Aurora, it’s been ages. Come in, come in.”
“Mom.” The word slipped out before I could stop it. “Happy birthday, Caleb.”
Caleb, twenty-two and awkward, grinned from the staircase. “Thanks, Aurora. I love it.”
Ethan walked in ten minutes late. He saw me at the dining table, saw his mother serving me soup, and froze. “What are you doing here?”
“I invited her,” his mother said sharply. “What’s the problem? Is that not allowed?”
“Mom, today’s a family dinner for Caleb’s birthday. You invited an outsider. That just kills the mood.”
“We’ve always thought of Aurora as our own daughter. But you—you divorced her without telling us. We’re not done with you yet.”
Ethan’s father stood. “What were you thinking? Aurora is such a wonderful girl. You just divorced her like that? That’s unacceptable.”
I kept eating. The soup was winter melon and pork ribs—Ethan’s favorite. I’d taught his mother the recipe.
Caleb raised his glass. “Mom, Dad, Ethan—today’s my birthday. Let’s not ruin the mood. Do the birthday boy a favor.”
“Fine.” Ethan sat across from me, his eyes never leaving my face. “Aurora, have a seat. Gloves?” He gestured at my silk gloves. “Who wears gloves to dinner? Let me take them off for you.”
He reached across the table. I didn’t move. He pulled the glove off my left hand and froze.
The ring mark was gone. There wasn’t even a tan line.
“How can there not be?” Ethan whispered.
I pulled my hand back. “Mr. Key, we’re divorced. What you’re doing now isn’t appropriate.”
“The mark from the ring on your ring finger—where did it go?”
“The mark?” I flexed my bare fingers. “What mark? We’re divorced. Do those things even matter anymore?”
Ethan’s voice rose. “They matter. This afternoon, I was at the auction. I clearly saw—”
“The auction?” I laughed. “Mr. Key, I was married to you for four years. I was a housewife for four years. Where would I get the money to go to an auction?”
His father slammed the table. “Ethan, haven’t you had enough?”
Caleb stood. “Dad, don’t let her fool you all. She’s just trying to use you all to put pressure on me so I’ll get back together with her. Aurora Wen, let me make this perfectly clear to you right now—there’s no chance for us anymore.”
