Chapter 1
When I needed a dilation and curettage after my miscarriage, my best friend, Emily Parker, was rushed to the same hospital for an ovarian cyst torsion.
The nurse held two consent forms and asked, "Who's the patient's family?"
My boyfriend of six years, David Bennett, stepped past me and pulled a marriage certificate from his briefcase.
"I'm Emily's husband. I'll sign for her," he said.
The room went quiet.
I stared at the wedding picture next to the certificate, unable to recognize the groom for a long time.
The man in the photo was David, the same man who held me every night but wouldn't glance at me at work.
The woman in the photo was Emily, my best friend who had spent the last three years complaining about her unhappy marriage and cursing her jerk of a husband with me.
The registration date was exactly the day when David went on a business trip to Singerport three years ago.
The nurse looked at the marriage certificate and then pointed at me.
"This patient also needs surgery. What's your relationship with her?" asked the nurse.
I didn't look at the nurse. I only looked at David.
"The baby is yours," I said. "David, tell them what our relationship is."
David clenched the marriage certificate for him and Emily and stayed silent for a few seconds.
Then he spoke in a cold voice. "She's only an ordinary employee. She learned she lost the baby, so her emotions got a bit out of control."
The looks my colleagues gave me went from shock to contempt.
I took the consent form from the nurse and signed my own name.
"He's right," I said. "We're only colleagues."
In that instant, I was done with this hidden relationship.
*****
Three days ago, at the company's annual party, only two seats were left.
One was in the corner by the door, and the other was next to David.
When I took a step forward, David lifted his hand.
"Emily, sit here," he said.
Emily walked over with a bright smile, her skirt brushing the back of my hand as she passed.
The colleagues around her immediately started teasing.
"Mr. Bennett and Emily are so in sync."
"Mr. Bennett treats his childhood friend differently. Emily doesn't need to find a seat herself."
Emily raised her right hand, showing off the diamond ring on her ring finger.
"Stop egging us on. I'm a married woman," Emily said.
Her tone was so natural that everyone laughed along with her.
David smiled as well and pulled out the chair for Emily.
I gripped the test results in my bag and made my way to the empty seat in the corner.
Earlier that morning, the hospital confirmed that I was ten weeks pregnant.
The doctor said everything looked great and slipped the ultrasound photo into a light blue envelope.
That day happened to be the sixth anniversary of my relationship with David.
I bought a pair of baby socks and tucked them, along with the report and ultrasound photo, into a gift box, planning to surprise him after the dinner.
But throughout the entire party, he didn't look my way.
The maternity and baby brand project I worked so hard on won the annual award, but Emily was the one who went up to claim the prize.
The host said that Emily's married woman's perspective brought the brand the sharpest insights.
I sat in the audience, watching every slide of the project on the screen. I'd spent nights working on it.
Even the closing line, "Being carefully chosen is the first sense of security for a family," was left exactly as I'd written it.
Emily held the trophy, her eyes curving with a bright smile.
"This project wouldn't have been possible without Mr. Bennett's trust," she said.
As everyone applauded, I lowered my head and sent David a message. [Why did Emily become the chief planner for the project?]
He took a long time to reply.
David: [You know things are complicated between us. I can't let people think you got the award because of me.]
David: [Emily's married, so nobody will suspect I'm showing her any favoritism.]
It was the same old excuse.
Because I was his girlfriend, everything I got from him had to stay in the shadows.
But since Emily was married, all the ways he favored her could be out in the open.
*****
As the party ended, it started pouring outside.
Emily stood at the hotel entrance, holding her phone and sighing, "My husband's not picking up again. Maybe he's still out with clients."
A colleague nudged Emily toward David. "Mr. Bennett, you live close to Emily. Maybe you should drop her off on your way home."
David took her bag. "Come on. Get in," he said.
I chased after them, but suddenly, a series of small, sharp pains spread through my abdomen.
"David," I called out.
He stopped in his tracks but didn't come over to me.
I pressed my hand to my stomach, wanting to tell him I was pregnant, but Emily turned back first.
"Sophie, are you feeling uncomfortable?" she asked.
When I opened my mouth, David frowned.
"Emily drank today, and her stomach's always been sensitive. She can't stand in the rain," he said. "You live far away. It's more convenient for you to call a cab."
I watched as David shielded Emily from the rain with his umbrella.
"But I don't have an umbrella either," I said.
His voice became lower. "Sophie, she's married. Are you not happy because I'm giving a married woman a ride home?"
The colleagues who hadn't left all turned to look at us, whispering.
"Don't tell me she really has a crush on Mr. Bennett."
"Emily's married. Why is she jealous about this?"
Emily walked back toward me and took my hand.
"Sophie, don't overthink it," she said. "I'm married. I wouldn't go after your man."
Her hand was warm, and she sounded as genuine as she always did when comforting me.
For some reason, I felt a tinge of shame.
"That's not what I meant," I said, letting go of her hand and taking a step back.
David didn't say another word. He guided Emily into the car protectively.
As the car pulled away, I saw Emily sitting in the passenger seat.
That used to be my exclusive seat, the only thing from David I was allowed to have.
To avoid suspicion, I couldn't take his car to the office, couldn't take an elevator with him, and couldn't call him by his name in front of our coworkers.
But Emily never had to avoid anything like that because she had a husband.
It wasn't until one in the morning that I finally managed to get a cab.
When I got home, the living room lights were still on.
Emily came out of the bathroom, wearing my new nightgown.