Chapter 3

There was something Jonathan didn't know about himself. He had a genetic condition that should have made it impossible for him to father a child. Any woman should have been impossible. Except Selene. Her genes were a one-in-a-million match for his. Together, they could produce a healthy baby. Apart from her, no one else on earth could.

When the doctor explained it to her, even he had looked stunned.

"Selene, what a coincidence! A pairing this rare, you were genuinely made for each other."

Selene had smiled, embarrassed and proud at the same time. Jonathan's company had just "gone under" at the time. He was barely functioning. She'd decided not to tell him until things got better. She wanted to spare him.

“Jonathan, you should know. The first child you lost will also be the very last one. You will never have another one. Not with Vivienne. Not with anyone. You don't deserve to be a father. You don't deserve to be anyone's husband.”

She gripped the phone hard enough that her knuckles went white.

The next day, Selene was discharged.

She checked herself out of the hospital alone. Jonathan didn't show up until she was already on the sidewalk waiting for a ride.

"Selene, why didn't you call me? I'm your husband." He came up behind her with a sheepish grin. "Did you not want me to pick you up? Is the car too embarrassing?"

Jonathan pulled her against his chest.

"I promise you, one day I'll buy you the most expensive car in the city. I'll put your name on the title. I'll buy you a house. A real one."

He kept talking the whole time he was bundling her into the beat-up sedan. When he leaned over to buckle her in, he produced a bouquet from the back seat.

"What do you think? Pretty, right? These flowers weren't cheap. I went to the florist yesterday and asked them to set aside whatever they couldn't sell. Then this morning I trimmed the stems and put them in fresh water. Look how perfectly they bloomed."

The corner of Selene's mouth twitched. She wasn't smiling at the flowers. She was laughing at the version of herself who used to fall for this.

For three years Jonathan had been buying her affection with garbage. Wilting bouquets, discount-bin chocolates, drugstore perfume. And every single time, she'd thrown her arms around his neck.

“Babe, you're the best.”

“You're so thoughtful. I love it.”

Now Selene wanted to throw up. That was when she noticed the small ring tucked into the center of the bouquet. Her fingers trembled. She pulled it out.

"Surprise, baby." Jonathan plucked it from her hand. "Took me months of paychecks. Here, let me put it on you."

A sapphire ring. He moved it toward her finger. She pulled her hand back.

"Drive first," she said flatly.

He laughed. "Looks like someone's in a mood. Fine. We'll do this at home."

The car eased away from the curb. Selene stared out the window. Her stomach kept rolling.

She wasn't stupid. She could see, even with the naked eye, that the "sapphire" was a lab-grown zircon. Worth maybe twenty bucks.

That was who she was to Jonathan. Not even worthy of a real flower. Not even worthy of a real stone.

Her chest twisted so hard she could feel her own pulse in her teeth. Like a fist in there, squeezing, tearing, drawing blood.

Halfway home, his phone rang.

"Hello, I'm on my—"

"Jonathan. Where the hell are you? Off picking up your wife? Or are you trying to crawl back to her? I miss you. The baby misses you. If you don't come back right now I'm walking out. I'll burn this place down. The mansion you bought me."

Jonathan's face shifted. He glanced sideways at Selene. Her expression didn't change.

"Yes, sir," he said into the phone, voice professional. "I'll be there shortly."

He hung up, turned to her with practiced regret. "Sorry, babe. My boss needs me to redo a deck. He's freaking out. I can't drop you off, but maybe..."

"Fine." She didn't wait for him to finish. "Pull over. I'll grab a ride."

The car stopped. Jonathan leaned in to kiss her. Selene turned her head away.

Something flickered behind his eyes. Cold, and quick. Then he drove off without looking back.