LOGINNoah and David had already left for the airport. David had called me himself to tell me they were going to Italy, and now Noah was coming to pick us up?Had they changed their minds?Had something happened at the airport?Or was this somehow connected to whatever had made David cry?But the thought of being in the car with Noah, at least my mum is with us.I didn’t have to wait long for an answer, though I wasn’t sure I was ready for one.A few minutes later, my mother’s phone vibrated.She glanced at the screen.“That’s Noah. He’s outside.”I picked up her bag, and we made our way out of the hospital.The moment I saw Noah’s car, a strange feeling settled in my stomach.He was sitting behind the wheel, staring straight ahead. He didn’t even look up when we approached.My mother opened the passenger door and got in while I settled into the back seat.“Hi, Noah,” she said gently.He didn’t respond.She fastened her seat belt and turned slightly toward him.“Thank you for coming to get
“Mum, what’s wrong?”She looked at me, then shrugged as if she didn’t know how to explain it herself. Her phone was pressed against her ear, and she kept rubbing her forehead while trying to calm whoever was on the other end.“David, please. Just calm down,” she said. “We can’t do this over the phone. I’ll talk to the doctor and see if I can be discharged. Then we can all come home, and we can talk about this properly, okay?”She paused, listening.“David, please. I need you to calm down. You’re not helping yourself like this.”I frowned.David?What was going on?From the little I could hear, he sounded nothing like the man I knew. His voice was too muffled for me to make out his exact words, but there was something about the way my mother kept reassuring him that made my stomach twist.Then I heard something that made me look up sharply.Was he crying?I stared at her, trying to read her expression, but she was too focused on the call to notice me watching her.“I’m coming home, Dav
After a while, I came back to the room. How was I to take it? How was I supposed to just sit there and listen to all the deceit and affected my life.I let out a sigh, then told my mum to continue.“I told him we needed to meet,” my mother continued. “I thought if he saw me, if we sat down and talked, perhaps he would remember what we once had. I thought maybe we could fix things. But he refused.”“Did he give a reason?”“He said he would only meet me if I brought you along.”I blinked away the tears threatening to fall.Of course.Even then, he had been thinking about me.My mother gave a sad smile, but there was nothing happy about it.“So I agreed. We arranged to meet at a bar, and I told myself I would keep things casual. I wouldn’t beg him to take me back. I wouldn’t make him feel guilty. I would just talk to him and see where things went.”She paused, staring at the floor.“But when I got there, he barely looked at me.”I could almost picture it. Darrel sitting across from her,
“Mum, who is the father of the baby you’re carrying?”Her eyes widened.For a moment, she just stared at me, as if I had asked her something she wasn’t prepared to answer. Then her lips parted, but no words came out.I knew there was more to this story.Somehow, I just knew it.She looked at me with tears gathering in her eyes, and the next thing she did was apologize.“I’m sorry, Rosalie.”I frowned. “What are you apologizing for?”“I’m so sorry.”“Mum, it’s okay.” I reached for her hand, trying to reassure her even though I had no idea what was happening. “Whatever it is, you don’t have to apologize. Just tell me.”She lowered her head.Then, in a voice so quiet I almost didn’t hear her, she whispered one name.“Darrel.”I blinked.“What?”“Darrel,” she repeated, looking straight into my eyes. “He’s the father, Rosalie. The baby is Darrel’s.”I stared at her.For a few seconds, I genuinely thought I had misheard her. There was no way. After everything she had just told me, after all
I felt a knot form in my stomach. “What did Darrel do?” “He just stared at me.” She lowered her hands. “I will never forget the look on his face. He looked as though I had reached into his chest and ripped his heart out. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He asked me if any of our marriage had been real, if I had ever loved him, and whether I had been laughing at him all those years.” She swallowed hard. “I tried to explain myself, but there was nothing I could say that would make things better. I told him I was sorry, but he didn't want to hear it.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Then he left.” I stared at her. “He just left?” “He packed his things and walked out of the house. He didn't want to see me, and he didn't want to speak to me. I tried calling him, but he wouldn't answer. I sent him messages, but he ignored them.” She shook her head. “And I couldn't blame him. I had lied to him about the most important things in our lives. I had allowed him to believe y
I looked at her. “Again?” “Yes. Her condition started getting worse, and this time, things became much more serious. David was terrified. He was trying to take care of her while raising Noah, and I knew he was struggling.” She swallowed. “But even then, he continued calling me at night. We still met whenever we could. He would tell me how worried he was about Mabel, and I would listen to him. Sometimes, he needed someone to talk to, and I was there.” She looked away. “I was there for him while his wife was dying.” Her voice broke. “I know how that sounds, Rosalie. I know I should have been ashamed of myself. But I had convinced myself that David and I shared something that nobody else could understand. I believed I was the person he truly needed, even though he was still married to Mabel.” She wiped her eyes. “And when Mabel finally died, I was the one standing beside him.” The room fell silent. I thought about Noah. I thought about how he had lost his mother and how that
The first thing I saw was the steady rise and fall of his chest as the morning light filtered through the blinds, painting stripes across Noah. He was still sleeping peacefully beside me and a stupid smile touched my lips. For a second, it just felt… good. Calm.Geez, I shouldn’t be here smiling at
My eyes widened at the words that came out of his mouth. What he said wasn’t what shocked me, it was the way he said that so easily. After holding his stare for a few seconds, I turned to the window. The silence engulfed us, before I decided to break it.“Well, it’s my turn.” I said opening the do
I woke up to a pounding headache that followed me all the way to school. Maybe it was from the lack of sleep as my mind was racing all night. Or maybe from all the tears I’d shed into my pillow.After Noah kissed me yesterday, his hand was trailing down to my breast when he suddenly pulled back and
I continued to walk, burning off all the rage still boiling inside me. Home was the last thing I had in mind. My feet just kept moving until I found myself at the edge of the woods.The lake.The lake that started this whole mess in the first place. If I hadn’t come here that night, I wouldn’t have







