---- Chapter 5 Bennett woke with a jolt, the antiseptic smell of the hospital sharp in his nostrils. He saw Kelsey standing by the window, her back to him, staring out at the city lights. "Kelsey," he said, his voice raspy. He was surprised to see her. "You're awake," she said, turning. Her face was calm, unreadable. "What | said... at the museum," he began, a flicker of what might have been guilt in his eyes. "I was in a panic. | didn't mean it." "| know," she said simply. She didn't argue. She didn't cry. She just accepted it, and her calm acceptance was more unnerving than any fight would have been. He relaxed, relieved. She understood. She always understood. "| just... | was so scared for the baby." "Of course," she said. His eyes narrowed slightly. "Who was that on the phone earlier?" "A friend," Kelsey lied without blinking. "She's flying in tomorrow to visit for a few days." ---- "Oh. Good." He seemed to buy it completely. "That's good. I'm actually heading to the West Coast for a few days. A last- minute business trip." Kelsey watched him lie, so easily, so smoothly. He wasn't going to the West Coast. He was going to stay here, to hover over Aria, to play the part of the devoted partner. The two of them, living in their world of mutual deceit. It was almost poetic. A sad, ironic smile touched her lips. She had been married to a stranger for fifteen years. Bennett, misinterpreting her expression, reached for her hand. "Don't look so sad, Kels. As soon as Aria is recovered and the baby is born, it will all go back to normal. Just you, me, and our child. | promise." His promises were worthless, hollow things. Just then, a nurse peeked in. "Mr. Randolph? Ms. Diaz is awake and asking for you." Bennett was on his feet in an instant, the IV pole rattling as he moved. "I'll be right there." He turned to Kelsey, his face already distant. "| should go. She'll be scared." He rushed out of the room without a backward glance. Kelsey watched him go, and for the first time, she felt nothing. No pain, no anger, no sadness. Just a profound sense of release. She was free. ---- She went back to the penthouse one last time. It no longer felt like home. It was a museum of a life she no longer lived. She walked through the silent rooms, her footsteps echoing. The movers from Blackwood's discreet service had already been. Her art, her books, her personal treasures-all of it was already on a container ship bound for France. She sat at her laptop and began the final purge. She deleted her social media accounts, her email, her cloud storage. Every digital trace of Kelsey Jensen, wife of Bennett Randolph, vanished into the ether. Bennett came home late that night, his briefcase in one hand, a bag of takeout in the other. He was on the phone, his voice low and intimate. "Yes, of course I'll be there in the morning. Just have to grab a few things from home... No, she's fine. She has a friend coming. She'll be busy." He walked into the kitchen and found Kelsey standing there. He ended his call quickly. "| brought you some soup from that place you like," he said, avoiding her eyes. "I'm not hungry," she replied. She watched as he opened the fridge and started tidying up, throwing out old leftovers. He was nesting. Making space. Not for their baby, but for Aria's eventual presence in his life. He was preparing a home for his new family. ---- She remembered a time, early in their marriage, when she had been sick with the flu, and he had tried to make her chicken soup from scratch. He had been so clumsy, so earnest, burning the vegetables and overcooking the chicken. But he had done it for her. Now, he was cleaning out the fridge for another woman. That's okay, she thought. | won't need you to take care of me anymore.