Chapter 2

Blake pulled out his phone, looking devastated.

"Ethan, please stop lying. Evan just messaged me. Look. He says you locked him in the house so you could force Claire to cancel Ruby's surgery."

His eyes were red. The sight of a grown man fighting back tears drew sympathetic looks from everyone around us.

I stared at the screen in disbelief.

The messages really were from Evan's smartwatch account.

"Mr. Mercer, Daddy locked me in."

"I think he went to find Mommy. You have to stop him."

Claire looked at me with disgust.

"I told you to stop using him to manipulate me. Your jealousy is sickening. Blake and I are close, and you completely lose your mind over it."

She shook her head. "You don't deserve to be Evan's father."

She turned to leave with Blake.

All I could see was the security footage of Evan walking out of our house. I'd watched it over and over.

"Stop!"

I looked straight at Blake.

"You said you found a child who was a match. Where are his parents?"

They needed a guardian's consent. Claire knew that, too. I could see it register on her face.

"You just won't let this go, will you?" she snapped. "Why do you always assume the worst of everyone?"

I wasn't imagining malice. I'd already seen it.

She'd come to me herself and asked me to let Evan give Ruby a kidney.

"It could save her life," she'd said. "Children recover quickly. He'll be fine."

I'd nearly lost my mind.

"Does Evan matter to you at all?"

When I refused, she packed her bags and walked out of our house.

She didn't even come back for his birthday.

That was when I finally understood. I couldn't trust this woman with anything.

"You're right. I don't trust you." My voice rose to a shout. "Nobody sacrifices their own son to save their lover's daughter!"

Claire slapped me so hard I hit the floor.

"You're beyond help. Blake and I are not having an affair. Apologize to him. Right now."

Blake looked wounded and indignant.

"I've always respected you, Ethan. How could you say that about me?"

He pressed a hand to his chest. "Your marriage falling apart isn't my fault. Claire's only helping me because of my daughter."

He was crying, but there was a challenge in his eyes when he looked at me.

Claire clasped his hand.

"I can't believe this is who you've become. Why can't you show Blake a little kindness? He's never had a malicious bone in his body. His child is sick. Of course he needs someone beside him."

Her voice sharpened. "He was the one who told me not to get angry when you started lying about Evan. And this is how you repay him? By trying to stop me from saving his daughter?"

Blake caught her arm. "Let it go. Don't blame Ethan. It's my fault. Maybe Ruby just wasn't meant to survive."

My cheek throbbed. I could feel it swelling.

When I lifted my head, blood ran from the corner of my mouth down my neck.

Claire stopped mid-accusation.

"Ethan… You're…"

She seemed to realize just how hard she'd hit me.

Her hand reached for me before she'd finished speaking. "I didn't mean to. Come here. Let me clean that up."

She closed her fingers around my wrist.

I grabbed the pen cup from the counter and struck her with it.

Blood ran from the cut on her head. She stared at me, stunned.

"You hit me?"

I'd always been gentle with her.

Now I looked at her and felt nothing but hate.

"Claire. I want a divorce."