Chapter 2

Edward did come to the hospital, like he promised he would this afternoon.

But he wasn't waiting outside my room, or with my mom in the lounge.

He was sitting with a woman.

Most of her face was hidden behind a big monstera plant, but I could see her arm linked with Edward's intimately.

Edward tilted his head, his lips moving as if he was whispering something to her.

Then he smiled, a smile I hadn't seen in a long time.

It wasn't the professional smile he wore at work, not the soft one he saved for Lila, but a smile that said nothing else in the world mattered except the woman.

He lifted his hand and brushed the back of his fingers softly against the woman's cheek.

She tilted her head slightly backward, revealing most of her face. Her whole manner radiated total acceptance and trust.

She looked impossibly young, her skin perfect. Her pale‑blonde hair was loosely pulled back, with a few stray strands falling beside her ears.

Her rounded belly made me stop in my tracks.

For a moment, everything felt frozen in the air.

I saw Edward bend down and gently kiss her forehead.

She leaned into his embrace, looking up at him with a sweet, shy smile as she whispered something.

Lila tugged at my sleeve. "Mommy, the café's over there. Why are you standing here?"

I didn't answer. Instead, I let go of her hand. "Sweetheart, stay here by this pillar, okay? I need to check something over there. I'll be back soon."

I have no idea how I made it across those mere 60 feet.

All I could see was that monstera plant looming larger and larger before my eyes.

I walked around the side of the plant and stopped in front of the bench.

Edward and the woman looked up together.

Edward's smile froze, as if someone had hit the pause button.

His eyes trembled sharply, and he instinctively leaned back, but his hand stayed firmly around her waist.

She was the very definition of "young and beautiful."

She had a petite, oval face, a delicate nose, and lips with a slight upward curve. Her big, gray-green eyes fluttered with the right touch of panic.

"Mr. Stone, who is this? Is there some kind of misunderstanding?" she asked.

I stared at her face. Suddenly I felt an absurd urge to laugh.

Misunderstanding? Huh?

Was your pregnant belly a misunderstanding?

Was clinging to my husband's arm a misunderstanding?

You called him "Mr. Stone" like it was second nature—was that a misunderstanding too?

"Who are you?" I demanded.

She didn't answer. Instead, she cowered behind Edward, her fingers gripping his shirt in a death grip.

Edward finally let go of her waist and stood up.

"Olivia, don't make a scene here," he said in a low voice.

"I asked who she is," I repeated, my voice icy.

"Diana Price," Edward said, his Adam's apple bobbing. "She's a colleague. You don't know her."

"A colleague? Since when do you take your colleague to a prenatal checkup?"

Diana sucked in a soft breath, like a frightened little animal.

She glanced up at me with those gray-green eyes, then quickly looked down, her lips trembling. "I'm sorry. I didn't know... Mr. Stone told me he and his wife weren't getting along and had already separated. I..."

"Separated?" I cut her off. "I make him breakfast every morning, see him off to work, and wait for him to come home for dinner every night. When did we separate? How come I never got the memo?"

Edward frowned and stepped forward, positioning himself in front of Diana. "Olivia, this is a hospital. Diana can't take any stress right now. Let's talk about this at home."

His final words were like a key, unlocking a door I'd kept tightly shut in my heart.

All those clues I'd forced myself to ignore over the past six months came rushing out.

I recalled the scent of perfume on Edward's collar, the "D." flashing on his phone, his business trips doubling, how his time with Lila had shrunk from three days a week to half a day, and our sex life going from dwindling to nonexistent.

I had kept telling myself that burnout was normal in a marriage. He was always so busy, and I needed to be understanding. But all that patience only got me a pregnant "colleague" instead.

"Is the baby she's carrying yours?" I asked, locking eyes with Edward.

Edward fell silent. After a while, he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "Yeah, it's mine."