Chapter 1

Six months after a car crash left me in a wheelchair, I discovered my husband was four days away from marrying another woman.

I had come to the Oakridge Hotel to show Everett that I could finally cross the city alone in my wheelchair.

It was the first time since the crash that I had made the entire trip without asking him, a nurse, or anyone else for help.

I thought he would be proud of me.

Instead, through the half-open doors of the grand ballroom, I saw a white floral arch.

Everett stood beneath it with Marlowe, his new executive assistant, holding both of her hands.

"I can't believe our wedding is only four days away," Marlowe said softly, smiling up at him. "I'm so happy, Everett."

Everett smiled back.

Then he reached up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

My fingers locked around the metal rims of my wheelchair.

That gesture hurt more than the wedding flowers.

Six months ago, after the doctors told me I might never walk again, Everett had sat beside my hospital bed and promised nothing about us would change.

Now he was looking at another woman with the same tenderness he used to save for me.

I couldn't breathe.

"Mommy!"

A familiar little voice suddenly rang through the ballroom.

My heart jumped.

Nico.

For one stupid second, I thought my five-year-old son had seen me waiting in the dark hallway.

I even started to lift my hand.

But Nico never looked toward the door.

He ran straight past my line of sight in his tiny black tuxedo, holding a velvet pillow with two gleaming rings.

He stopped right in front of Marlowe and held up the pillow.

"Here are the rings, Mommy," he beamed.

Marlowe kneeled down and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, my sweet boy."

Everett patted Nico's head, his face glowing with absolute pride.

My raised hand froze in the air.

The blood rushed out of my head, leaving my entire body ice-cold.

I had fed Nico, bathed him, and stayed awake through every fever since the day we adopted him as an infant. But standing between Everett and Marlowe, he looked like a perfectly natural piece of their family.

I did not push the doors open. I did not scream.

I slowly lowered my hand, rolled my chair back into the shadows, and pulled out my phone.

Inside the ballroom, Everett's phone buzzed. He let go of Marlowe, walked into a quiet corner, and answered.

"Hi, Tessa," his voice was warm and patient.

"Where are you?" I asked.

"I am at the medical center," he lied instantly. "I am talking to Dr. Whitaker about your new physical therapy schedule. We are going to get you walking again, honey. I promise."

"What about Nico?" I asked, my voice completely flat.

"He is at kindergarten. I will pick him up at four."

His lie about the clinic was perfect. His promise to cure me sounded completely real.

"Okay," I said. "See you tonight."

I hung up the phone. I turned my wheelchair around and headed straight for the elevator.

Once outside the hotel, my eyes landed on Marlowe's black SUV parked near the entrance. A sudden, violent spike of panic hit my chest

I forced my shaking hands to steady, pulled out my phone again, and dialed a private investigator I had used for past corporate audits.

"Conrad," I said calmly. "I need a comprehensive background check on Everett's assistant, Marlowe. And I need you to arrange a discreet DNA test between her and my son, Nico."

"I will need physical samples for the DNA test," Conrad replied.

"I will get them tonight. I need the truth in four days."

Three hours later, Everett came home.

He walked through the front door, dropped his briefcase, and hurried straight to my wheelchair. He knelt on the hardwood floor and placed his warm hands over my numb legs.

"Did you rest well today?" he asked.

He began gently massaging my calves, exactly how the physical therapist had instructed. His eyes were full of absolute devotion.

"I talked to the specialist for an hour today," he said softly, kissing the back of my hand. "No matter how long the recovery takes, I will be your legs. I will never leave you."

He was rubbing my legs to keep my blood flowing. But his jacket still smelled faintly of the white lilies from the wedding arch.

He promised to be my legs for the rest of my life.

He just did not tell me he was already walking down the aisle with someone else.