Chapter 3

This morning, Ethan told me our new house was not safe for our baby.

By afternoon, I discovered it was perfectly safe for another woman.

I was packing my suitcase in the guest room when I noticed it. I was checking my list of baby supplies. A few newborn clothes and tiny blankets were missing.

Then I remembered. Last month, a package was delivered straight to the new address. Ethan told me he put the items in the nursery.

He kept telling me to wait. He said he would bring them back.

I decided not to wait anymore. I grabbed the silver key and drove there myself.

I unlocked the front door of our new house expecting to smell fresh paint. I expected an empty home.

Instead, the air smelled like expensive vanilla perfume.

In the entryway, I saw Ethan's indoor shoes. Right next to them sat a pair of pink women's slippers.

My heart gave a hard thump.

I walked down the quiet hallway. I reached the master bedroom.

The door opened from the inside.

Natalie stood there in silk pajamas.

For a second, I forgot how to breathe. A sharp pain twisted in my chest.

My future home. My husband's friend. In sleepwear, opening my bedroom door.

She blinked. She did not look panicked. She just looked mildly surprised.

"Oh, Claire," Natalie said softly. She tilted her head. "Why are you here?"

She asked it naturally. She made me feel like an unexpected guest in my own home.

I gripped the strap of my bag. Anger burned in my throat, but I forced my voice to stay calm.

"When did you move in?" I asked.

Natalie gave me a very apologetic little smile. She looked almost helpless.

"A few weeks ago," she said easily. "My apartment had a huge plumbing leak. It was a total mess. Ethan said this place was just sitting empty anyway, so he offered to let me crash here."

My stomach dropped. A few weeks ago.

That was the exact same week Ethan hugged me crying. That was the night he promised we would move in together.

Instead, he moved her in.

I looked at the bed again.

I didn't know whether Ethan had slept in it with her.

I knew he had given her the room he kept telling me wasn't ready.

That was enough to ask about.

I walked past her. I went straight to the baby room.

I froze in the doorway. This room was supposed to be a nursery. Now, it was a storage space.

The tiny newborn clothes I bought were gone from the shelves. They were stuffed roughly into a brown cardboard box in the corner.

Someone had pushed my baby's things aside. They made room for Natalie's pink yoga mat and a set of weights.

Natalie followed me inside. She glanced at the cardboard box.

"I am so sorry about the mess," she said gently. "Ethan told me I could use this empty room for my morning yoga. He said you guys would not need it for a long time."

Arguing with Natalie would only turn Ethan's lie into a contest between two women. I reached for the box instead.

I walked over and picked up the box.

Natalie watched without offering to help.

I didn't ask her to.

Downstairs, I put on my shoes beside hers. The heel of one slipper was flattened from use.

She was comfortable here.

I was carrying my baby's things out in a bag.

I had spent weeks worrying that asking again would make me seem impatient. She hadn't needed to wait at all. He had opened the door for her while keeping me outside.

That evening, Ethan came home.

He took off his tie. He poured me a glass of warm water. He looked like the perfect, caring husband.

I sat on the couch. My hands were cold. I decided to give him one last chance to tell the truth.

"Ethan," I asked quietly. "Can we move into the house this weekend?"

He stopped.

"Not yet. Give it more time." He sighed. "I won't put you or the baby at risk."

He didn't hesitate.

I stared at him.

He could have told me Natalie was staying there.

He could have explained when she arrived or when she would leave.

Instead, he used the baby again.

I had gone to that house because I was tired of waiting.

The truth pressed against my throat, but I only pulled my hands from his.

"Okay," I said.

He smiled. He thought I was just disappointed about the delay.

"Hey, don't be sad," he said, trying to cheer me up. "We can still start getting ready. Let's go pick out the baby crib this Friday."

He rubbed my shoulder affectionately.

"I will leave work early and meet you at the furniture store," he promised. "We will choose the best one together. Just the two of us."

I nodded.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I took it out.

It was a new message from my sister, Nora.

"After he leaves the house, I will come pick you up."