Page 95

My phone rang on the nightstand.

I'd like it noted that I looked at it. That's all. I looked at it, and I saw the name, and something in my chest went very still and very cold.

"Who is it?" said Gregory.

"It's Steven."

I took it outside.

* * *

I want to be precise about what happened, because I have spent a career being precise about phone calls, and that is the only one I have ever had that I would give anything to un-take.

I walked out barefoot and sat down on the low wall by the path.

"Steven." My voice came out strange, as though my throat were closing.

"Hi." He'd been awake for hours. I could hear it. "I didn't think you'd pick up."

"I'm here."

"Okay. I'm going to say the whole thing and then you can ask me questions." A breath. "Zephyr's a fake. He's an actor. Ascendant ran a background check because of a paperwork thing and there's nothing there — no practice, no clients, no anything. His real name's Billy."

I sat on that wall and looked down at the meadow.

"I know," I said.

"You — what?" His voice went up half an octave.

"I've known since the day he arrived."

There was a long pause on the other end.

"Then why didn't you say anything?"

And that, I want the record to show, is the best question anybody asked me all week. It was asked by the man whose wedding I had destroyed, and I did not have an answer for him.

"Steven, I'm sorry. That man was—"

"No — don't. That's not why I called." He was moving around a kitchen somewhere. I heard a cupboard open and then shut. "I've been up all night, and I want to say this while I've still got the nerve, so let me get through it."

"All right."

"Thank you."

"Steven—"

"I mean it. I've been so angry, and then somewhere around three this morning I got to the other side of it." His voice shook. "I keep thinking about that man standing up in front of everybody blessing us. And I was so impressed by him. I pitched him to my entire leadership team. I never checked whether he was real. And I've been sitting here thinking — what if we'd gone through with it? What if we'd gotten married and then I found out it was all a sham?" A pause. "And I don't just mean Billy. I mean us."

"Please don't do this." My stomach had gone tight.

"It wouldn't have been a true marriage. I don't mean legally. I mean it wouldn't have been true from the heart. I'd have worked out eventually that you married me because I was easy to be married to." He sniffed, and I prayed he wasn't crying. "You did a horrible thing to me in front of my entire company, and it's also the kindest thing anybody has ever done for me. Both of those are true. I'm going to be extremely angry with you again in about a week."

"You have every right to be."

"I know I do." He laughed, and there was nothing in it but bitterness. "Tell your mother I'm sorry about the ceremony."

"Steven?"