“So, it’s official. How does it feel?”

Hope could tell from Melissa’s expectant smile that the therapist already knew the answer.

“Fucking amazing. On the way here, I even did seventy-five on the LIE with the rest of the hooligans. Part of me almost wants to get pulled over so I can go, bam, that’s my face right there.” In addition to having a legal name, date of birth, and social security number, Hope no-middle-name Miller was now the proud carrier of an actual, legit New York State driver’s license. “Sometimes I wake up, and it all seems too good to be true. It’s like I’m finally one integrated person with a past, present, and future.”

“So, you were on the LIE. Does that mean you were in the city?”

“Just for a couple of days.”

Hope and Lindsay were keeping the cottage for now, so she had chosen a therapist in East Hampton for her twice-a-week sessions. Once the owner came back to town, maybe she would move to the city, or she and Lindsay could be like the fancy people who “split time” between two “homes.”

“You mentioned during Monday’s session that Lindsay was going to pack up Scott’s things from her apartment.”

“That happened yesterday.”

“Is that why you went into the city? To be there?” An arched brow signaled that Melissa, once again, assumed she knew the answer.

“It’s not like that. I go into the city a lot. I have to. Lindsay works there, and I’m with Lindsay.” With each passing day, Lindsay seemed more comfortable about the idea of them being together and had finally (thank God) stopped trying to label it.

“Okay, but you did mention on Monday that you weren’t totally convinced Scott was going to remain out of the picture.”

Hope avoided her therapist’s intense gaze. “I just thought she might be upset when he picked up his stuff, so it was a good idea for me to be on standby. He was there for all of two minutes. They didn’t even hug to say goodbye or anything. I’m pretty sure he’s gone for good. Frankly, if I had to guess, he’ll be engaged in a year to some woman willing to let him prove to himself he can be a good husband and father.” It had been so obvious to Hope all along that Scott cared less about Lindsay as a person than about his desire to have a marital do-over. “The irony is that she would have married him a year ago if he hadn’t told her the truth about cheating on his first wife.”

“But then their relationship would be built on a lie.”