Chapter 4
In mid-September, I went for my first prenatal checkup. In the ultrasound room, the doctor slid the probe across my stomach.
"Everything looks normal. We've got a heartbeat," the doctor said, pointing at the screen. "See? That's it right there."
The screen showed nothing but a blurry blob to me, but the sound "thump-thump-thump" was fast and strong.
My nose tingled, but I fought back the tears.
Right then, the comment drifted across my vision.
[James has no idea she's pregnant. Not that he'd care if he did. This character is just a plot device, and the kid is too. In the later chapters, this baby doesn't even get a walk-on part.]
No walk-on part.
In "that story," this child didn't even deserve a mention.
I stroked my belly and whispered, "It's okay. Mommy doesn't need you to be in their story. I'll give you a great life of our own."
After leaving the hospital, I stopped by a cafe near the entrance and grabbed a hot chocolate.
It was autumn, and the wind in Maplewood County was starting to get a real bite to it.
I stood on the sidewalk, sipping my drink and watching the world go by. Mothers on scooters dropping their kids off at school, old men pedaling carts full of produce, and young people yawning on their way to work.
They were all just regular people, living regular lives. And so was I. That was exactly where I belonged.
*****
When I got back to the diner, Mary had already helped me haul in the flour for the afternoon prep. "Sarah, you've got to stop lifting these heavy bags. If you need a hand, just holler."
"I will. Thanks, Mary," I said.
"And another thing, that Tom from the auto shop seems like a decent guy," Mary said, lowering her voice. "If you ever feel like—"
"Mary," I cut her off. "Right now, all I care about is bringing this baby into the world. Nothing else."
Mary sighed but let the subject drop.
That night, as I lay in bed, the comment flared up again. This time, it was a long paragraph.
[New chapter update! James officially took the reins at Oceanview Holdings. His first order of business was an aggressive buyout of the Suttons' biggest rival, a little homecoming gift for Emily. She was moved to tears on the spot.]
[Their romance is finally heating up. James took Emily back to his old university and confessed his feelings under the willow tree.]
["I spent three years in some godforsaken hole," he told her, "and I spent every single day thinking of you." Omigod, so sweet!]
I stared at the ceiling.
He was thinking about her every single day.
Was he thinking of her when he came to my diner every morning for a breakfast burrito? Was he thinking of her when he tucked me in at night? Was he thinking of her when he warmed my feet in his hands during the winter?
I rolled over and buried my face in the pillow.
Stop it. I had to stop.
James was dead. As far as I was concerned, he was six feet under.
*****
October arrived, and the first autumn rains began to fall over Maplewood County.
I was three months along. The morning sickness had let up a bit, but I'd dropped a lot of weight.
When I opened the diner in the morning, Mike, one of my regulars, took one look at me and shook his head. "Sarah, you've got to eat. Your face is as pale as a sheet."
"I'm on it, Mike," I replied.
"It's no walk in the park raising a kid on your own. If you run into any trouble, just say the word. My wife and I won't leave you high and dry," Mike said.
I nodded and tossed an extra hash brown into his bag.
That was the thing about a small town. Folks were really caring, and word got around fast. If someone was in a pinch, the whole neighborhood knew about it.
Ever since James "passed away," the locals had gone out of their way to take care of me.
Linda at the farmer's market always rounded my total down.
Tom from the shop was constantly fixing things around the place for free. And even old Joe from the card room across the street would holler from the sidewalk, "Save a couple of burritos for me, kiddo!"
These people didn't know James had faked his death. They just saw a young woman who'd lost her husband and was carrying his child.
Their kindness was worth way more than the 30 grand James had left behind.
One night in mid-October, while I was closing up the diner, the comments started scrolling like crazy.
[Holy crap! Plot twist!]
[Emily found out James was married before. She dug into his past in Maplewood County and discovered he actually tied the knot with some diner lady.]
[Emily's hitting the roof. She's demanding James get a divorce right this second. James told her the woman thinks he's dead, so there's no need. The marriage will just be voided automatically after three years.]
I stopped wiping the counter.
So that was his plan. He hadn't forgotten; he was just letting time sweep the "problem" under the rug.
After three years, a "widow" like me would either have the marriage dissolved or I'd eventually file for a death certificate myself.
By then, his record would be squeaky clean.
How thoughtful of him.
[Emily's not having it. She wants James to handle it personally. She said she won't have her future husband still be married. James hesitated for a second, then said he'd send someone to take care of it.]
I gripped the rag tightly. Was he sending someone to get me to sign the divorce papers or to make me disappear for good?
The comment gave me the answer.
[James had his guys bring a 1.5 million dollar check to Maplewood County and told Sarah to sign the divorce papers. The book mentioned giving her enough money to make sure she vanishes quietly.]
The price of my silence had jumped from 30 grand to 1.5 million in no time flat. Talk about inflation.
I locked the diner and sat there in the dark, my hand resting on my belly as I stared into space. The comments kept scrolling by.
[Honestly, I can't wait for Sarah to show up. The scene where she makes a stink in Oceanview City was gold.]
[Some small-town country bumpkin dragging a banner to the front gates of Oceanview Holdings, screaming, "James, give me back my husband!" while security hauls her off—that had me cracking up.]
The banner. The security. The broken leg.
Sitting there in the shadows, I smiled bitterly.
Just watch me. I'm not going. Not for the life of me.