Chapter 2

I headed back to the bedroom. Nolan's presence was everywhere.

In the closet, his dress shirts still hung in a perfectly neat row. On the nightstand sat the business magazines he had to read every night. In the bathroom, his toothbrush was still next to mine.

I lay on the bed and thought about the past three years.

I remembered how Nolan had once stayed up all night fixing the music box I'd smashed. Whenever I woke up hungover, there would always be warm water and anti-hangover tablets by the bed.

Every time he came home from a business dinner, no matter how late it was, he would go to the guest room to shower and wash up first so the smell of alcohol wouldn't bother me.

As my mind drifted, a wave of nausea suddenly hit me. I ran into the bathroom and dry-heaved. When the feeling finally passed, it occurred to me that I'd forgotten to tell Nolan I was pregnant.

The comments turned frenetic again.

[Nolan's true love is here! She's at the villa's gate!]

I walked over to the window. Down by the wrought-iron gates stood a woman in a white dress with flawless makeup.

…

I opened the gates and the door.

The woman gave me a once-over, then smiled knowingly.

"So, you're Nolan's wife?" She paused. "Sorry. Ex-wife now."

I leaned against the doorframe and yawned. "And you are?"

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and started introducing herself.

Her name was Celia Sanders. Between the lines, she made it clear that she and Nolan had grown up together. They were practically childhood sweethearts. She also said that he'd gotten drunk that night three years ago because she'd left the country.

Now that she was back, of course he had to get divorced.

The comments went wild again.

[Celia is so pretty!]

[Lyra West, time to feel insecure!]

[Are you guys blind? Let's be honest here. Lyra is better-looking than Celia.]

[No girl-on-girl hate! Also, why do I feel like they don't look alike at all?]

[Same here. Is Lyra really just Celia's stand-in?]

Celia pulled a photo out of her bag. It was an old picture of her and Nolan back in high school. The two of them were standing side by side. He wasn't smiling, but his eyes were visibly much softer than usual.

Celia's tone was gentle, but there was a sharp edge of mockery in her gaze. "He's never loved you. You're just a replacement."

I stared at the photo for three seconds. "He was a little chubbier back then than he is now. His face was rounder."

Celia froze.

I added, "Thanks for telling me all this. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known what he looked like in high school. Can I keep the photo? I'd like a souvenir."

The comments started buzzing.

[That's what you took from all this?]

[I'll never understand Lyra's thought process.]

[But why is this weirdly satisfying?]

[Celia just got shut down so hard. I'm screaming!]

Celia's expression darkened, and she said coldly, "You really are something else. But you know what? It doesn't matter since Nolan has already chosen me. Do you know why he left the villa to you? Because he's about to move into my place."

I tilted my head, thinking it over. "Oh, good for him. At least he won't have to sleep at the construction site anymore. Manual labor is exhausting."

My voice was sincere and showed no hint of jealousy.

Celia was utterly speechless. As she turned to leave, she tossed one last line over her shoulder. "People like you deserve to get dumped."

The door swung shut. I leaned back against it and slowly slid down into a squat. It wasn't that I wasn't sad. It was just that my sadness always came half a beat later than others.

I rested a hand on my abdomen, which was still flat. I whispered, "Sweetheart, it looks like your dad's off to be someone else's father now."

I zoned out for a while, then picked up my phone. I wanted to text Nolan to tell him I was pregnant.

I'd just unlocked the screen when the comments suddenly flooded in.

[Oh my God! Mr. Steele really is working at a construction site!]

[He's got blisters on his hands… I actually checked ahead again. Nolan really does end up filthy rich. Can someone explain what's going on?]

[Can't help you. I want to know, too.]

[Celia just called Nolan and asked for his address. She's driving to the construction site right now!]

I stared at the comments flying past before me, completely forgetting what I'd been about to do.