Why couldn’t men understand that some women were simply wired for curves? That no magic pill or amount of exercise would transform them into the phantom willowy creature that society strove for, an elusive goal that drove many women to years of self-doubt and hatred?

On the other hand, it showed that he cared about her health, so how could she be resentful?

But today—she swore to herself—just today, she’d indulge in what she wanted instead of what she needed. She kicked off her shoes and lay back on the comfortable white pillows, releasing a long, pent-up breath of exhaustion.

She reached over and grabbed her laptop, opened it, and signed in to her Lineage account. The screen popped up, and there stood her very own ancestral tree, looking about as lonely and forlorn as a tree could look. The main box bore her name, but it was still connected to only empty boxes around it.

Her imagination conjured up dozens of nameless figures rushing to jump ship, snipping themselves from the branches as they slipped away, eager to avoid being discovered by her.

She slammed the screen shut. Her thoughts went immediately to Ethan. She could call him, but if he didn’t answer, it would deflate her mood even more. And if he did answer, there wasn’t much she could tell him at this point. She didn’t want to argue with him about the house, and that only left her plans for her mother’s memorial, of which she had none yet. His attitude about even that would probably make her sad. He’d never understand the loss her mother’s death was to her and probably thought it was as simple as finding a beautiful lookout and scattering her ashes over a cliff and into the ocean.

Quinn felt a catch in her throat. She and her mother had been closer than most. Growing up, it was just the two of them, moving from place to place and scrimping to make ends meet. She had to give it to her mom—even without an education, she’d always found a way to provide a decent home in a semisafe neighborhood. Over the years she’d worked as a nanny or a housekeeper, and sometimes both at one time. Those positions paid the rent and put food on the table with enough money left over for Quinn to have the things she wanted.