Chapter 4

Nolan expected Reese to be angry. She was angry. She had every right to be. He would let her say what she needed to say, apologize again, and explain why leaving four people on the mountain had not been a real choice. By tomorrow, the house would feel normal. He parked the SUV in the driveway of his Boston home. "Let me go in first," Nolan told Maren,."I'll make sure Ivy’s room is ready for Lola to get some rest." Elaine adjusted her mink collar from the passenger seat. "Make sure she actually changed the sheets, Nolan. I won't have Maren's child sleeping on a dirty bed just because Reese is throwing a tantrum." Nolan unlocked the front door. The house was completely dark. Reese always left the porch light on for him. Tonight, the windows were black. "Reese?" he called out, flipping the hallway switch. Silence. The house didn't just feel quiet. It felt hollow. He left the luggage by the door and walked straight up the stairs. He pushed open the door to Ivy's bedroom, reaching for the dimmer switch. "Reese, where did you put," The words died in his throat. The room was immaculate. The bed was made. But the closet door was ajar, and a quarter of the hangers were empty. Ivy's everyday clothes were gone. Her snow boots were gone. The drawer where Reese kept her daily asthma controllers and vitamins was pulled open and completely cleared out. On the pillow, the faded rabbit plushie Ivy had slept with since she was a toddler was missing. The silver Christmas gift sat in the center of her bed. Unopened. One corner of the paper had been lifted and carefully pressed flat again. Nolan touched the ribbon. A shallow dent remained where Ivy's finger had rested that morning. For the first time, he understood that she had not forgotten the gift. She had chosen not to take it. Maren walked into the hallway, holding Lola’s hand. "Should Lola and I find a hotel?" Nolan looked at the empty bed. "It's late. Stay tonight. I'll sort this out." Even as he said it, unease tightened beneath his ribs. Reese had not packed for one angry night. He called her. The call went directly to voicemail. The family location app showed only one blue circle. His. Reese and Ivy had disappeared from the map. He refreshed it twice. Nothing changed. On the hall table, last year's Christmas photograph showed Reese kneeling beside Ivy. Nolan's hand rested on Reese's shoulder. Ivy had lost one front tooth and laughed with her whole face. A pale line of dust crossed the glass where Reese usually wiped it clean. Nolan turned the photograph facedown. Then he set it upright again. Howard was standing beside the dining table. His face looked gray. Elaine picked up a sheet of paper. "This is ridiculous," she said. "She'll calm down when you stop encouraging the drama." Nolan took the paper from her. Reese's wedding ring lay on top of three documents. The diamond faced down against the first page. Ivy's clinic report. The words blurred, then sharpened beneath his eyes: Cold-induced asthma exacerbation. Rescue inhaler unavailable. Emergency nebulizer treatment required. The second document was a formal notice of separation. The third stated that Reese did not consent to Nolan taking Ivy from her current residence or school. All further communication about their daughter had to go through Nia Patel. Elaine reached for the documents again. Nolan covered them with his hand. "This is between Reese and me." He carried everything into his office and locked the door. Grant Mercer, the family-law attorney recommended by Nolan's company counsel, answered on the second ring. Nolan described a transportation dispute, bad weather, and a disagreement Reese had allowed to escalate. Grant waited until he finished. "Did you know Ivy was having trouble breathing?" "Reese said she was wheezing, but a paramedic was already coming." "Did you have the rescue inhaler?" "Yes, but Ivy was with her mother. She wasn't alone." Silence filled the line. Through the wall, Nolan heard Lola laugh as Elaine showed her the Christmas tree. The sound made the clinic report feel heavier in his hand. Grant spoke again. "Reese filed for an emergency temporary custody order this morning. The hearing is in two days." Nolan's fingers closed around the edge of his desk. "On what grounds?" "Her attorney submitted the medical report, the call records, and screenshots of your messages." Nolan looked down at the words beneath his thumb. Grant's voice hardened. "The first exhibit is the message where you told Reese that Ivy had her."