Temporary Guest

The night my stomach hurt badly enough to leave me sweating, I came home from the hospital alone.

Rain was coming down hard, and water had pooled outside the condominium entrance. The moment I stepped into it, my shoes and socks were soaked.

The elevator reached the twenty-first floor. I pressed one hand against my stomach and used the other to enter the code.

The smart lock lit up.

[Access denied.]

I thought I'd read it wrong and entered the code again.

Access denied.

On the third try, the alarm went off, its shrill sound exploding through the hallway.

The pain forced me to brace myself against the wall as my vision darkened.

Footsteps sounded inside, but they weren't Marcus's.

Sophie called through the door, "Who's there?"

Her voice was soft, as though I'd frightened her.

Gritting my teeth, I said, "It's me — Natalie."

The other side of the door went quiet for several seconds, but she didn't open it.

A moment later, Marcus called me.

The first thing he said wasn't to ask what was wrong.

Instead, he said, "Natalie, stop pressing the lock. Sophie just fell asleep, and you woke her up."

I held my stomach, unable to straighten my back through the pain.

"I can't get inside."

"Don't you have the code?"

"The lock says my access has expired."

There was a two-second pause on the other end.

Then he said, "The system must be glitching. Go sit in the convenience store downstairs for a while. Don't make a scene at the door. Sophie's emotionally unstable right now."

I laughed once, though my lips had gone cold.

"Marcus, my stomach hurts. My medicine is inside."

His tone softened, but impatience still pressed beneath it.

"The store sells antacids. Buy a box to hold you over. I still have something to take care of, so I'll be back later."

He ended the call.

I stared at the handle. This was my condo.

I'd paid seventy percent of the down payment. The mortgage came out of my account, and I alone carried the home improvement loan.

Yet another woman was living inside while I was locked out.

He was telling me to buy medicine at a convenience store.

Behind the door, Sophie said quietly to her phone, "Marcus, should I let Natalie in? She sounds angry."

Marcus immediately lowered his voice. "Stay out of it. Her stomach makes her irritable. Don't let her scare you."

As I listened, my fingers slowly slipped from the door handle.

Even when I was in enough pain to crouch outside my own door, all he saw was a bad temper.

I stopped knocking, sat in the stairwell, and opened the smart lock app.

The dashboard loaded slowly.

A few seconds later, the user list appeared.

First: Sophie Clarke.

Access level: Administrator.

Note: [Sophie's emergency access.]

Second: Marcus Reed.

Access level: Administrator.

Third: Natalie Foster.

Access level: Temporary guest.

I stared at the words "temporary guest" for a long time.

I hadn't entered the wrong code. I'd been demoted inside my own home.

Marcus finally returned at one in the morning.

He carried medicine, and the sweet orange scent Sophie always used clung to his clothes.

When he saw me sitting on the stairs, he frowned. "Why didn't you go buy medicine?"

I looked up at him. "Who changed the code?"

Marcus froze.

"Sophie was afraid her ex-husband, Kyle, might show up, so I changed it temporarily. I forgot to tell you."

Forgot. Such an effortless word.

He'd forgotten to tell the owner the new code, yet he'd remembered to register Sophie's fingerprint and give her administrator access.

He reached out to help me. "Come inside first."

I avoided his hand and stood on my own.

Sophie peeked from behind the door, her eyes red.

"Natalie, I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to take over your home.

"Marcus said we shouldn't open the door for anyone at night. I... I didn't know whether I was allowed to open it."

Marcus instinctively stepped in front of her.

"She's been emotionally unstable lately. Don't upset her."

Watching him shield her, I suddenly no longer wanted to ask anything.