Chapter 1

"Nora, you're back," Mark Carter said.

I wheeled my suitcase inside and froze at the entryway.

An unfamiliar woman was sitting on the living room sofa, holding an infant in her arms, while another baby lay in the crib beside her.

Fraternal twins.

Inside my suitcase was a luxury Swiss watch I had picked out for Mark in Riverside City. I had spent hours choosing it, convinced he would love it.

"Mark went out for groceries and will be back in a minute." The woman stood up with a practiced smile, playing the hostess in my own home. "You must be Nora. I'm Sophie Lane."

I looked at the necklace she was wearing—it looked strikingly familiar.

The door swung open. Mark stood at the entrance carrying bags of groceries, his face instantly darkening with dread.

"Nora, how come you're... Weren't you supposed to arrive tomorrow?"

I just looked at him, not saying a word.

*****

"I can explain," Mark said.

He set the groceries down and walked toward me. I took a step back, and he stopped.

"Nora, it's a long story..."

"How old are the kids?" I asked.

He hesitated. "Fourteen months old."

I quickly did the math in my head. I left for Riverside City a year and three months ago.

Which meant the moment I walked out the door, they had already moved in together.

"Does your mother know?" I asked.

"Yes," he replied.

The living room fell dead silent. Sophie stood aside holding one of the babies, a smug look in her eyes. The other baby in the crib woke up and began to whimper softly.

"Nora, I—" Mark started.

"I'm going to unpack my things first," I said.

I wheeled my suitcase down the hall. Passing the master bedroom, I saw baby bottles and diapers on the nightstand, with the closet standing wide open, packed entirely with another woman's clothes.

They weren't mine.

"You can take the guest room," Sophie called out behind me. "The babies are in the master bedroom, so it wouldn't be convenient."

I didn't look back, just turned into the guest room.

After closing the door, I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at my hands.

They weren't shaking.

I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my chat history with Mark. During my year away for training, I sent him over three hundred messages. Most of his replies were just "Okay," "Sure," or "Get some rest."

Nine video calls in total across the entire year, the longest lasting barely five minutes.

All this time, I thought he was overwhelmed with work; turns out, he was simply busy playing father to another woman's children.

Mark's parents arrived for dinner. The second his mother walked through the door, she scooped up one of the babies, beaming with a smile I had never seen on her face before.

"Oh, my precious grandbaby, did you miss your grandma?"

Spotting me, the broad smile on her face immediately stiffened. "Oh... Nora, you're back."

"Mom," I replied.

"I'm glad you're home, really," she said, passing the baby to Sophie and tugging me down to sit beside her. "Nora, I know Mark was wrong, but the kids are here now. Can't you try to be the bigger person and let it go?"

I looked at her. "Mom, what do you mean?"

"The Carter family finally has heirs to carry on the name. That's a blessing," she said, patting my hand. "Sophie's got it tough, raising two kids all by herself. Now that you're back, you can lend a hand."

"Mom, you can't just say it like that," Mark cut in.

"What did I say wrong?" She glared at him before turning back to me. "Nora, I won't interfere in whatever went on between you two, but the children are innocent. If you make a huge scene out of this, nobody wins."

Mark's dad sat there smoking, not saying a word.

I nodded. "Okay, I understand."

Mark's mom let out a sigh of relief. "That's the spirit."

Sophie gave a smug smile. She put her son in the stroller and walked over, making sure everyone could hear her.

"Nora, I know you're upset, but look at reality. You were gone for a whole year—who was here taking care of this house? I gave birth to his children, and Mark's heart is with me. If you can accept that, we can still get along. But if you can't..."

She paused, casting a deliberate glance down at her stomach before flashing a loaded, provocative smile. "Then all bets are off."

My eyes settled on the necklace around her throat.

Then it clicked. That was the necklace I'd had my eye on at the mall during our third wedding anniversary. Mark said it was too pricey and didn't get it for me.

It cost 13,000 dollars.

At the time, I thought he was right—there was no real need for it.

"Nice necklace," I said.

Sophie instinctively fingered the necklace. "Mark gave it to me."

"How much did it cost?" I asked.

She hesitated, not answering.

I let it go and just turned into the guest room.