Chapter 2

"Just stress," I lied, leaning back against his warm chest. "The doctor said I just need to rest."

Grant breathed a sigh of relief. He tightened his arms around me and buried his face in my hair.

"I told you not to work so hard at the flower studio," he murmured softly.

He picked me up easily, carried me to the sofa, and went to the kitchen. For the next hour, he cooked my favorite dinner. He brought me a glass of warm milk and a blanket.

Before we went to sleep, he kissed my forehead.

"I canceled my morning meetings for tomorrow," he said quietly. "I know tomorrow is the anniversary of the day we lost our baby. I’m going to stay home with you."

My heart physically ached.

He remembered. He remembered the darkest day of my life, and he wanted to be there to hold my hand. He had always remembered the moments that hurt me.

His care wasn't an act. He truly loved me.

But his love was no longer exclusive.

He simply did not understand that he had now become one of them.

The next evening, I attended Grant’s company dinner for his new family housing project.

I wore a black evening gown. Grant held my hand the entire night. He introduced me to investors with deep pride in his eyes.

When it was time for his speech, he stood on the brightly lit stage. He looked incredibly handsome.

He looked right at me in the crowd and smiled.

"I have built thousands of houses," Grant said into the microphone, his voice deep and sincere. "But my wife, Sophie, is the one who taught me what a home truly is."

The crowd erupted in applause. The other wives at the table looked at me with deep envy.

Everyone thought we had the perfect marriage. Nine years, and he still looked at me like I was his entire world.

When he returned to the table, he kissed my cheek and poured me a glass of warm water instead of wine.

One of the women beside me smiled with envy.

"Nine years of marriage, and he still only has eyes for you. Some women spend their whole lives hoping to be loved like that."

I looked at Grant’s hand around the glass.

Only hours earlier, that same hand had rested protectively over Paige’s pregnant belly.

The tenderness had looked just as real then as it did now.

"Grant," I asked softly, my voice perfectly calm. "Do you think a man can love two women at the same time?"

His hand paused.

He looked at me, a little confused by the question, but his eyes remained steady.

"Maybe some men deceive themselves into thinking they can," Grant answered seriously. "But if you truly love someone, you wouldn't make her suffer that kind of humiliation."

I smiled faintly. "What if that person was you?"

Grant reached out and gently held my face. His thumb stroked my cheek.

"If I ever did something like that to you," he said, staring deep into my eyes, "then the punishment I’d deserve most is coming home one day and never finding you again."

I stared back at him.

Remember this, I told him silently in my heart. Remember you said this.

Half an hour later, Grant’s phone vibrated on the table.

He glanced at the screen. In a split second, the calm, confident CEO vanished. His face turned completely pale.

He stood up so fast his chair scraped loudly against the floor.

"There was an accident at the construction site," he told me hurriedly. "A worker is badly hurt. I have to go to the hospital right now."

He kissed my forehead quickly. "Take the driver home. Don't wait up for me."

He practically ran out of the banquet hall.

I didn't take the driver. I took a taxi and followed his car.

He didn't go to a public hospital near the construction site. He drove straight to a private maternity hospital across the city.

When I walked through the sliding glass doors, I saw him standing at the emergency desk.

He was out of breath. His expensive tie was thrown over his shoulder.

"Paige Mercer," Grant said to the nurse, his voice shaking with panic. "She is twenty-one weeks pregnant. She called me and said she was bleeding."

"Are you the emergency contact?" the nurse asked.

"Yes. I am the father," Grant said without hesitation.

"Any allergies?"

"None. She takes her prenatal vitamins every morning. Her blood pressure was slightly low at her checkup last week," Grant answered fluently.

He knew every detail of her pregnancy.

I stood behind a decorative pillar, watching my husband sign the emergency medical forms for his mistress.

Ten minutes later, the doctor came out and told him Paige and the baby were safe. It was just a minor scare.

Grant closed his eyes and leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. He looked like he had just survived a war.

He walked into Paige’s ward. The door was left slightly open.

Through the crack, I saw him sitting on the edge of her bed. He held Paige’s hand tightly in both of his. He leaned down and kissed her forehead, whispering words I couldn't hear.

This wasn't just a man taking responsibility for a mistake.

He was terrified of losing her. He cared about her.

"Mr. Lawson," a nurse said as she walked into the room with a chart. "Don't worry too much. You've been here for all five of her previous checkups. The baby is growing very healthy."

Five checkups.

Every time he told me he was in a meeting, he was here.

I stepped back into the shadows as Grant walked out of the room to take a call.

My mother-in-law, Diane, rushed down the hallway and grabbed his arm.

"Is the baby okay?" she asked anxiously.

"They are both fine," Grant rubbed his tired eyes.

Diane sighed in relief. Then she lowered her voice. "Grant, you almost had a heart attack tonight. You can't keep doing this. How long are you going to hide this from Sophie?"

Grant’s face hardened. "She can never know."

"Then what about Paige and the boy?" Diane asked. "They are going to live in Willow House. You can't keep them a secret forever."

Grant leaned against the wall. He looked exhausted, but his tone was absolute.

"I will take care of Paige. I will give her and the child everything they need," Grant said firmly. "But I will never divorce Sophie. I am not losing my wife."

He thought he was God.

He thought he could manipulate reality, keep his stable, loving wife at home, and raise a second family across town. He never planned to choose.

I didn't cry. The pain had burned past the point of tears. It was just a cold, hollow silence inside my chest.

I turned around and walked out of the hospital into the cold night air.

I pulled out my phone and opened the chat with my lawyer.

I need the divorce papers ready by tomorrow afternoon.