The Stranger in the Mirror(15)

Valentina is the most perfect baby I could have ever dreamed of. At four months, she’s already sleeping through the night, and the only time she cries is if she’s hungry or needs to be changed. I could sit and stare at her all day. Julian is as besotted as I am, and we practically argue over who gets to hold her. Julian was so sweet and hired a part-time nanny to come and help now that he’s gone back to work full-time so that I can have some time to myself, go back to a yoga class here and there. He took a month off to help me when Valentina was first born. I have friends whose mothers came to stay with them, but of course that’s not an option for me, and I think Julian sensed how alone I felt. Over the years I’ve yearned for my parents, especially my mother, but never as much as when I became a mother myself. Julian pampered me that first month, made all my meals, made sure I rested in between feedings, massaged my back. He’s made up for all the misery and loneliness in my life before I found him.





Julian set down the book. It was too painful to read anymore. A part of him knew that eventually he would have to move on, to accept that Cassandra’s absence was permanent, but he couldn’t yet. Even if he could forget, he had a duty to his daughter to bring her mother back home. And he remained very concerned about his wife’s mental state. In the months before she disappeared, she’d been confused, forgetful. She’d started taking a heavy dose of antianxiety and depression meds, all left behind. After she’d disappeared, the detective kept pushing him, implying that maybe she had just decided to leave on her own. All he’d had to do was show him that her purse, her phone, and all her IDs were still at the house. What woman starts a new life with no money, identification, anything?

More importantly, she would have never left their daughter. No, Julian was convinced that something had happened to cause her to forget who she was. To forget him and Valentina. But they would never forget her. He wouldn’t ever stop looking until she was back home where she belonged.





??13??

Blythe




Blythe hadn’t slept well the night after the bridal appointment. The scar on Addison’s arm was unmistakably from a suicide attempt. Once she thought about it, she realized that Addison always had her arms covered. She thought back to the numerous times over the summer she had invited Addison to the club for tennis or swimming, and Addison always had an excuse for why she couldn’t make it. Even at their engagement party, on a ninety-degree day, Addison had been in long sleeves.

When Blythe got home from the fitting, she’d called Gabriel to confront him. He’d admitted that Addison had a matching scar on the other arm, and that she assumed she’d tried to take her own life. But he was quick to add that she had no recollection of it.

Blythe had been furious. “You didn’t think to tell us? Gabriel, this is very serious.”

There was a long moment of silence on the other end of the line. “What do you want me to say? I didn’t tell you because I knew this is exactly how you would react.”

“How do you expect me to react? God only knows what’s in her past, and now this—”

“Mom. Stop. I don’t care. I only care about her future. Our future. Maybe she’ll remember one day, and maybe she won’t. In either case, I’ll be with her every step of the way.”

She’d bitten her tongue, knowing that if she didn’t, she’d go too far and push him further away. “We’ll talk about this later.”

Now she headed to the kitchen, where Ted was sitting with the paper and his coffee. She leaned down to give him a peck on the lips.

“Based on the way you tossed and turned all night, I presume you’re still upset,” he said.

She took a seat across from him and pushed her hair back behind her ear. “Yes, of course. Aren’t you?”

He sighed. “I’m not thrilled to learn that she did something so desperate. But we don’t know why.”

She arched an eyebrow. “Does ‘why’ really matter? Clearly she was unbalanced. You don’t slice your wrists up to your elbows unless you’re serious about ending your life.”

“I know, sweetheart, but there’s nothing to be done about it. Gabriel has made up his mind.”

She rose from her seat and started pacing. “I’m aware. He gets that stubborn streak from you.”

He laughed good-naturedly. “You can’t pin this one on me. Weren’t you the one always praising him for his empathy?”

She wasn’t in the mood. “Of course I’m glad he’s kind, but he doesn’t have to throw his life away trying to save a wounded bird. It’s too much. She’s so closed-off, Ted. I try. I try so hard, but it’s like hitting a brick wall.”

He gave her a sympathetic nod, then stood. “Everything will work out. I’m going to head over to the gallery after I stop at the bank. You coming in?”

“Later. I’m meeting Darcy at the club for lunch first.”

“Is that a good idea?”

“She asked if she could get my advice on something. And just because Gabriel and she are no longer a couple, that doesn’t mean she isn’t still a part of our lives.”

He put his hands up in surrender. “Fair enough.”

Darcy had called the night before, asking if she’d meet her at the club because she wanted to get her take on something. Blythe had hesitated only a moment before agreeing. While she realized that it might seem disloyal to Addison, they’d been close with Darcy’s family for years, and her mother had been one of Blythe’s best friends until her devastating sudden death from a heart defect two years before. Gabriel and Darcy had dated since high school, spending summers and school holidays together when they attended colleges in different states. Blythe wasn’t about to turn her back on her now.