I’ve been camped out at the hotel for a week since the confrontation with Jack and Aubrey in my apartment. I was just starting to wrap my head around the idea that my husband has been money laundering on behalf of my father to banks in the Caymans, or handling some other less than ethical businesses for him, but now this?
I’ve been working from the hotel bed every day, rescheduling all meetings and calls and handling only the most pressing matters. Eating has been nearly impossible, but out of sheer will, I’ve ordered room service, even though it mostly goes untouched. My mind keeps replaying the moment Aubrey walked out in her underwear, her hands on my husband’s skin. His easy smile that I haven’t seen in months, not since I messed up and had my own extramarital....whateverwith Jason. To escape my thoughts, I’ve forced myself out of the hotel for some fresh air.
Walking in Central Park feels like just the kind of refresh I need, but as I pass one of the fountains my mind is drawn back to a day years ago with Jack, right after my graduation at Columbia.
The sun is warm on my cheeks, golden and perfect. Columbia’s lawn buzzes with laughter, clinking champagne glasses, and the flash of cameras. I’m still clutching my diploma with both hands, afraid that if I blink, I’ll wake up and find this whole day was a dream.
But then Jack touches my arm and everything sharpens into focus.
He’s smiling—wide, boyish, that kind of grin that makes you forget your name. “Come here,” he says, guiding me away from the crowd with a hand on my back. “Just for a second.”
I laugh. “Jack, where are we going? I’m supposed to meet my dad at the photo tent—”
But then he stops walking. And drops to one knee. The world quiets. I hear someone gasp. Maybe me.
“Ellie.” He looks up at me with those impossibly blue eyes. That charming, disarming smile.
“We’ve only been together six months,” he says, loud enough for the crowd gathering to hear. “But when you know... you know. Right?”
My breath catches.
“I knew the first time you rolled your eyes at me during that guest lecture,” he continues, making the small group around us chuckle. “You were so sharp, so beautiful, so completely uninterested in being impressed.”
I cover my mouth with my hand. He pulls a tiny velvet box from his pocket. Opens it. The diamond catches the sun like a spark. “I knew I’d spend therest of my life chasing that spark,” he says. “If you’ll let me.”
A pause. The whole commons is silent now.
“Elyse Valentinja Thomas,” he says, voice steady, “will you marry me?”
The breath whooshes out of me. Tears sting my eyes before I can stop them. “Yes,” I whisper. Then louder, with a watery laugh: “Yes.”
The crowd erupts in cheers. A group of undergrads whistles and applauds. Jack stands, slips the ring onto my shaking finger, and pulls me into his arms. We’re both laughing, crying, kissing through it. And then—
“My baby girl!” My father barrels through the crowd, arms wide, eyes glassy with tears. He hugs us both, tight and proud. “I can’t believe it,” he says, voice thick. “I mean, I can—I’ve known for a while—but still. You found your forever, Ellie.” He squeezes my shoulder. “And Jack... you’re the only man I’d ever trust with taking care of her.”
Jack gives him a grateful nod, pulling me in tighter.
“I’ll protect her with my life,” he says, and somehow, in this moment, I believe him.
My heart feels too full, stretched at the seams.
I look down at the ring. Then at Jack. Then at my father. Two strong men. Two great loves. And I think—how did I get so lucky?
The lawn blurs around me. The world spins in soft, perfect colors. Today is everything. Today is the beginning of forever. And I’ve never felt more loved.
I settle at the edge of the bubbling water, letting the sunshine warm my face. I lie down on the pink granite wall that surrounds the fountain and try to calm my racing mind for the first time in a week.
“El—” my husband’s voice cuts through my peace. “It’s about time you left that fucking hotel. I’ve been emailing, calling, texting—”
“Ugh—what—are you following me now? I blocked you for a reason, Jack,” I say, not even bothering to open my eyes. Maybe if I ignore him, he’ll go away.
“Please, just hear me out for a minute. There’s so much you don’t know.”
“Oh, I’m aware. I know this may come as a shock, but I don’t want to know anymore, Jack. I really don’t. Take a hint.”
“I can’t. I won’t. You’re my wife, El, please just hear me out.”
I don’t reply. I don’t want to hear him out, but I also don’t have the words to fight him anymore. The truth is I never did, and maybe that’s why I gave in to him so easily over the course of our marriage. I thought I could trust him to be in charge, but that may be my greatest error of all of them over the years.
