Chapter 1

Henry: [Happy first birthday to my babies!]

The message popped up just as I was scrubbing dishes in the kitchen.

I wiped my hands and tapped into the family group chat. The photo showed two adorable twins, all dolled up in matching blue overalls, with a cake in front of them and a big "1" candle stuck on top.

The sender? My husband, Henry Carter.

I stared at that photo for what felt like forever. Henry and I had been married for five years, but we didn't have any kids.

The chat was blowing up.

Family Member A: [Henry has kids now?]

Family Member B: [How beautiful! Talk about good genes!]

Family Member C: [Congratulations!]

There were a lot of messages. I didn't dare scroll through any of them.

I turned off my phone and set it face down on the counter.

Night had already fallen outside the window.

*****

Ten minutes later, my mother-in-law, Sharon Carter, called.

"Natalie, did you see the photos in the group chat?" There was a strange excitement in her voice. "Henry told me today's the twins' first birthday."

I held my phone but didn't say a word.

"Don't overthink it," she said, her tone softening. "If you could have kids, would Henry need to go this far?"

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.

"Just get some rest, okay?" Sharon said and then hung up.

I stood there, frozen in place for a long time.

The phone screen kept lighting up and going dark, notifications from the family group chat popping up nonstop. I didn't even bother to check.

Henry wasn't coming home again tonight. He said he was on a business trip, which was his third one this month.

I put my phone on silent and walked into the bedroom.

Our wedding photo sat on the nightstand, Henry and I, beaming at the church doors. Hard to believe that was five years ago.

I remembered all the tests from those five years. Hysterosalpingography. Hormone panels. Hysteroscopy. The stack of medical reports kept growing, and I went alone for every single one.

Every time Sharon saw me, she'd ask, "Still no baby?"

I tried herbal teas that tasted like ditch water, vitamin cocktails, and this weird cleanse Sharon swore by. The worst was when she handed me a jar of black sludge, some secret family recipe from her hometown, she said.

I choked it down for three months and threw up for three months.

Henry would always say, "Don't stress about it. Let nature take its course."

I believed him.

But now, Henry was proudly posting about those twins in the family group chat, and they were already a year old.

So that meant the kids were conceived almost two years ago. Two years ago, I was still choking down that black sludge.

I lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

My phone lit up again. It was a message from Emily Carter, Henry's little sister.

Emily: [Natalie, don't take the group chat stuff to heart. You know how Henry is...]

The message was left unfinished, trailing off with three dots.

I didn't reply.

The next morning, I went to work as usual.

My colleagues at the law firm were giving me strange looks. I knew it was probably because someone had seen the messages in the group chat. Henry's cousin had interned at our firm and connected with some of our partners on social media.

"Natalie, are you okay?" Sophia Shaw asked as she walked over with her coffee.

"I'm fine," I replied, forcing a smile.

She gave me a glance and let it go.

At noon, Henry texted me.

Henry: [I'll be home for dinner tonight.]

I replied with a single word.

Natalie: [Okay.]

He sent another message.

Henry: [We'll talk about the stuff at home when I get back.]

I didn't reply.

At seven o'clock sharp, Henry walked through the door.

He stood in the entryway, kicking off his shoes. He looked worn out, his suit jacket draped over one arm and his tie hanging loose around his neck.

"Have you eaten?" I asked.

"Not yet. I wanted to have dinner with you," he said, coming toward me with a smile, arms reaching for a hug.

I slipped out of his reach and went to the kitchen to bring out the food.

We ate in silence.

Halfway through the meal, Henry set down his fork. "Natalie, about the group chat..."

"I know," I cut him off.

He looked stunned. "You know what?"

"You have kids," I said, picking up a piece of roast. "Twins. They just turned one."

"Natalie, let me explain."

"Don't bother." I looked him in the eye. "Let's just finish dinner."

His mouth opened and then closed.

The rest of the meal was painfully quiet.

Afterward, I started loading the dishwasher. Henry lingered in the doorway, shifting his weight, words caught somewhere in his throat.

"What is it now?" I asked without turning around.

"It was an accident," he said, his voice tight and strange.

"An accident?" I shut off the faucet and turned to face him.

"I have no feelings for her. It was just..." He stopped.

"It was just what?" I shot back.

"Just a mistake," he muttered, eyes on the floor. "I wanted to end it. She insisted on keeping the babies."

"So the twins were just an accident." I nodded. "And the business trips, three times a month for the last two years, were those just accidents too?"

His face shifted. Uneasy now.

"Let me ask you something." I held his gaze. "Did Sharon know?"

He stayed silent.

"What about Gary?"

Still, not a word.

"And Emily?"

He looked away.

I let out a short laugh. "Alright." I pulled off my apron and tossed it on the counter. "That answers that."

I turned, walked into the bedroom, and shut the door behind me.