Chapter One

Bella stood outside the front door, her hand shaking as she reached for the handle.

Laughter came from inside. Natalie’s bright laugh was followed by the warm, familiar sound of her husband’s chuckle. The sound felt like a sharp knife, cutting straight through her.

She glanced down at the manila folder in her other hand. The hospital’s logo stood out like a truth she was not ready to face. With a shaky breath, she pushed it deep into her bag, burying it beneath the ordinary things inside, her wallet and keys.

She opened the door.

The scene in the living room hit her like a physical blow. Jason was on the couch, his arm draped along the back, his body angled towards her. Natalie. His first love, returned like a ghost from a past. 

Their heads were close together, admiring something on her phone. Natalie’s cloying perfume invaded Bella’s space, and as she watched, Natalie’s hand landed on Jason’s knee with a casual intimacy that screamed of history.

They didn’t even see her.

Bella’s eyes filled with tears. She turned quickly and hurried toward the stairs, desperate to reach her room before she broke down.

 “Bella?”

She stopped in her tracks. Her hand reached for the railing and clung to it tightly.

"Where have you been?" Jason asked. "Your phone was off all afternoon. I tried calling you."

"I went to the grocery store." She kept her voice steady.

She heard him stand. "You should have taken the car. Or asked Royce to drive you. It's not safe to walk that far alone."

Bella turned and looked at him then.

He wore a worried expression. That look broke her even more. Even now, with Natalie sitting on their couch, he still worried about her. But his first love had returned.

She said nothing. She turned back to the stairs and kept walking.

Behind her, Natalie said something soft. Jason replied. His voice was different when he spoke to her. Gentler. Full of a warmth Bella recognized but knew was not meant for her.

She locked the bedroom door. The moment the click sounded, her legs gave out.

She sat on the edge of the bed and let the tears fall.

After a few minutes, she reached into her bag and pulled out the folder. Her hands were trembling as she opened it.

Patient: Bella Morrison

Pregnancy confirmed: Dichorionic diamniotic twins

Gestational age: 8 weeks

Twins.

She was carrying twins.

More tears came. She thought about their three years of marriage. It had not started with love. Jason's mother had adored Bella. When Mrs. Morrison fell ill, Bella had spent months at her bedside, caring for her, keeping her company. The old woman had made Jason promise to marry Bella before she passed.

Jason had kept his promise.

But somewhere in those three years, something had shifted. Jason had fallen in love with his wife. Bella had seen it in his eyes, in the way he touched her, in the way he made sure she was always comfortable and safe.

He told her he loved her every morning before work. Every night before bed. He kissed her forehead when she was stressed. He held her hand whenever they walked together.

For three years, Bella had been happy. She had fallen deeply in love with her husband. She had believed he loved her too.

Then Natalie came back.

The moment Jason saw her, his face changed in a way Bella had never seen before. There was history between them. A connection that ran deeper than anything Bella could reach.

"She needs a place to stay while she finds an apartment," Jason had said. "She's going through a difficult time. I can't turn my back on her. You understand, don't you?"

What could Bella say? She had smiled.

Even though her heart was already breaking.

A knock at the door made her jump.

She shoved the folder under the bed and wiped her face quickly.

"Bella?" Jason's voice.

She didn't answer.

A key turned in the lock. The door opened.

Jason stepped inside and looked at her. His eyes moved over her face. Her red eyes. Her tear-stained cheeks. The way she sat on the edge of the bed. His expression changed immediately.

Bella looked away. She reached for her bag and pretended to fix the zipper.

He crossed the room and stood in front of her. "Bella. What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm fine."

"You're not fine. You've been crying." He crouched down so she couldn't avoid his gaze. "Did something happen? Did someone hurt you?"

She looked up at him then. "What do you want, Jason?"

He seemed taken aback. "I want to know what's wrong. You've been distant for days. You barely eat. You look exhausted. And now I find you crying alone in the room." His voice was quiet but firm. "Talk to me."

Bella let out a short, hollow laugh. "Talk to you? While Natalie is waiting downstairs?

Understanding flashed across Jason's face, followed by something that looked like frustration. 

Jason laughed, and it was a short, sharp sound that held no warmth in it at all.

Bella felt her face burn. She had said too much and let him see far more than she intended, and now there was nothing she could do to take it back.

Then he stopped laughing and turned to look at her, her heart dropped straight to the floor.

"Jason, I didn't mean it like—"

He crossed the room in two steps, grabbed her hand, and pulled her up from the bed. She stumbled forward and found herself inches from his face, close enough to see every detail of his expression. Even now, even with anger burning in his eyes in a way she had never once seen in three years of marriage, he was still the most beautiful person she had ever looked at, and that fact alone made everything hurt more.

"Let go of me." She tried to pull her hand free, her voice rising. "What are you doing?"

He held on for a moment longer before releasing her so suddenly that she nearly fell, and she grabbed the bedpost just in time to steady herself. The silence that followed was heavy and terrible in a way that ordinary silence never was.

"What am I doing?" His voice dropped to something dangerously quiet. "What are you doing, Bella?"

She said nothing because her heart was hammering so loudly.

"Why are you making me the villain?" He turned away and ran a hand through his hair, and when he turned back the frustration on his face had hardened into something worse

"You knew what this marriage was from the very beginning. You knew exactly what you agreed to."

Bella's breath caught in her throat. "What are you saying?”

"A contract," he said, simply and cleanly, like it had always been the most obvious thing in the world and he was baffled that she needed it explained. "That is what this was. My mother wanted it and we both agreed to it, so why are you standing here acting like I owe you something? Why are you being so pathetic?”