Chapter 3

Before I left my husband, I gave him one last chance to tell the truth.

Bennett was packing his suitcase in our bedroom.

"I have a three-day real estate conference in Chicago," he said.

He folded a dark blue silk tie.

I stood by the door.

"Bennett," I asked softly. "If I could get pregnant again, Would you want a baby?"

He stopped packing.

He walked over and held my face in his large, warm hands.

"I only need you, Nora," he whispered. "I don't need a child."

He sounded so loving.

But I knew the truth. He was preparing to accept Sabine's baby.

He kissed my forehead. Then, he walked out to his waiting car.

Ten minutes later, the front door opened again.

It was not Bennett.

Sabine walked in. She was wearing Bennett's favorite black trench coat, tossed her designer bag onto my sofa.

She walked straight to the glass coffee table.

She threw a stack of glossy photos onto it.

"Take a good look, Nora." Sabine smiled. She crossed her arms proudly. "Bennett is not in Chicago."

I looked down.

The photos showed Bennett and Sabine in a hotel bed.

He was sleeping. His arm held her bare shoulders tightly.

"He is booking a private clinic for my pregnancy check-up today," Sabine said. She touched her flat stomach. "He promised to give our baby a real home. Don't be pathetic. Stop holding onto a dead marriage."

Sabine picked up one of the photographs and tapped Bennett's face with one red nail.

"Grace tried to grab the steering wheel because you would not stop arguing with her," she said. "You have always made the people around you lose control."

My eyes lifted to hers. The police report had said only that the car lost control on the wet road. The report released to our families never mentioned Grace reaching for the wheel.

Before I could ask how she knew, Sabine slid the photograph back onto the table and smiled as if she had said nothing important.

She waited for me to break down. She wanted me to scream.

Instead, I picked up the photos, dropped them directly into the trash can, and looked at her with a calm face.

"Are you done?" I asked. "Get out of my house."

Sabine's proud smile froze. She sneered, turned around, and walked out.

As soon as Sabine left, I moved.

I drove straight to the clinic.

I found Miles and asked for an immediate check-up.

Miles wiped the ultrasound gel off my stomach. He handed me a paper towel.

"The baby is safe, Nora," Miles said gently.

I wiped my stomach. I sat up and looked straight into his eyes.

"Miles," I said calmly. "If I want to hide this child from Bennett... can you help me keep the secret?"

Miles froze. He looked at my pale face. He did not ask why.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked softly.

"If he comes here," I said. "Tell him I came in with severe bleeding. Tell him I showed signs of a miscarriage. Tell him nothing else."

Miles nodded slowly. "I will document today accurately and keep your information private. You are safe."

I went back to the empty house.

The expensive dresses Bennett bought stayed in the closet.

I only packed a small bag with my old clothes and my new identity card.

I placed the signed divorce agreement on the dining table and slid the diamond wedding ring off my finger, leaving the ice-cold metal on top of the papers next to the drug testing report.

Then, I took a pen.

I wrote one single sentence on a white note.

"You didn't want this marriage. You didn't want my child. Now, you have your wish."

I picked up my bag and walked to the front door.

I turned around and took one last look at my home of eight years.

Then, I walked out and closed the door forever.