Chapter 2

Estelle’s POV

His back was to me in the doorway and I could see how tightly he gripped the doorknob. He was waiting for my answer.

Then I thought about Lyndsey’s name flashing on his phone screen seconds after we’d signed those papers.

The pregnancy test kit was sitting right there in my purse on the counter. I could grab it, show it to him right now, and make him see.

But what would that change? He’d already decided I was a liar. He’d already chosen her.

“Nothing,” I said quietly.

He turned partway around. “Nothing,” he repeated, and his lip curled up. “What good news could you possibly have anyway?”

He felt terrifyingly unfamiliar now. I wondered, if I disappeared from his life forever, would he even notice? Would he remember me at all, even for a second?

I stared at the man I had loved for so many years, and the tears spilled over before I could stop them. My throat tightened, and no words would come.

He glared at me, his Adam’s apple moving as his anger showed, then slammed the door and stormed out. I pressed my hand to the frame, listening to the roar of his engine fading into the distance. 

Our love died today.

I pressed my hand to my belly and whispered, “Did Mommy do something wrong? Should I have told him about you?”

I slowly shook my head. I kept hearing what Harrison had just said, how he thought I would use a child to make excuses, how little faith he had left in me. He did not love me anymore. The person he loved was Lyndsey.

The silence pressed down on me until I couldn’t breathe right anymore. 

Finally I made myself move. I walked upstairs and pulled my suitcase down from the closet shelf. Dust scattered everywhere and I coughed, my throat already raw from crying.

I packed my bags and wiped away every trace of myself from this house, knowing it would soon belong to Lyndsey, then I called my best friend, Daisy.

“Oh my god, Estelle.” She grabbed my suitcase and set it by the wall, then steered me to her couch. “Sit. What happened?”

I told her everything. The cake, the photo, Harrison’s accusations, the divorce papers. 

“That absolute bastard!” Daisy jumped up and started pacing. “Fake photos? And he just believed them? After three years?” She spun around. “Estelle, I’m so sorry. This is completely insane. How could he do this to you?”

“His ex called him,” I said dully, staring at my hands. “Right after we signed. Lyndsey.”

Daisy’s eyes went wide. “Wait. You think—you think he wanted this? That he set up the whole thing just to have an excuse to leave?”

“I don’t know.” I shook my head slowly. “Maybe. The timing was too perfect. And he didn’t even try to believe me. He just…he wanted it to be true.”

“That’s sick.” Daisy sat back down next to me and grabbed my shoulders. “Listen to me. You’re going to be okay.” She took a breath. “What are you going to do now? Do you have a plan?”

I didn’t answer right away. My hand drifted down to my stomach, pressing lightly against the flat surface.

“I’m pregnant,” I said.

Daisy’s mouth fell open. “What?”

“That’s what I was going to tell him tonight.” I looked up at her. “But I didn’t. And I’m not going to.”

“Estelle—”

“I’m keeping it.” My jaw clenched. “The baby. I’m going to have it and raise it myself. I don’t care how hard it is.”

Daisy stared at me for a long moment. “Are you sure? You don’t have to do this alone. Have you even confirmed the pregnancy?”

“I took a home test this morning. But no, I haven’t been to a doctor yet.”

“Then we’re going.” Daisy stood up and grabbed her purse. “Right now. Let’s go to the hospital and make sure everything’s okay.”

I let her pull me to my feet. “Okay.”

The hospital waiting room was crowded when we got there. We sat for almost an hour and Daisy held my hand the entire time, chattering about nothing important. I knew she was trying to distract me and I loved her for it even though I couldn’t focus on a single word she said.

Finally they called my name and we went back to the exam room. During the ultrasound, the tech suddenly stopped.

“What?” I tried to sit up but the doctor put a gentle hand on my shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” she said quickly, smiling. She turned the screen so I could see it better and pointed at two distinct shapes. “See this? And this right here?”

“You’re having twins,” she announced happily. “A boy and a girl.”