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Later, from various sources, I pieced together why she'd come looking for me.

After I sold the brownstone, Richard and Ethan had moved in with her. Her apartment was already small — a one-bedroom in Park Slope.

Vivienne claimed the bedroom. She wasn't young anymore, she said. She wasn't sleeping on the pull-out couch.

So the pull-out couch became Ethan's.

It was actually okay at first. Beyond the cramped quarters, there were no serious fights.

The Sterlings thought Vivienne was wonderful — cultured, graceful, tasteful. Her apartment was small but curated, the kind of place a design blog would shoot.

Ethan told himself he'd landed in a better life. Yes, Josephine had sold the brownstone. But the three of them were going to upgrade. His father had already put money down on a new condo. Once it closed and they renovated, they'd move Vivienne over with them.

He was happy. He was even posting about it on Instagram. Silver linings. New beginnings.

Even if Caroline wasn't speaking to him, he figured — if she saw these posts, she'd soften toward Vivienne. Soon enough they'd be a happy family of four.

As for me, in his head, I was no longer in the picture.

The problem was — buying and renovating a condo takes time. For many months, they were still stuck in Vivienne's rental.

And that's where everything started cracking.