Sorry, Husband Expired

Silver Creek Hospital, RiveraWhen someone said Peter Cooke showed up at OB-GYN with a girl, I laughed it off.Then I saw him—arm around a sobbing Cindy Bisch, his mentor's daughter—and my stomach tanked.Phoebe Palmer, my old classmate from our PhD days abroad, came out with the prenatal report. She shot Peter a look as she handed it over. "Baby's fine. But she needs to chill. She's close to her due date, so watch her diet."She kept it professional, but yeah, the tone had teeth.Peter, totally unaware Phoebe and I went way back, just nodded all cool and thanked her.I stood there, watching him walk off with his arm around Cindy. That's when my phone buzzed.Hands shaking, I pulled it out.Phoebe.She shouldn't have sent it, but she did—an ultrasound, then a message:[How long has Peter been hiding this from you?]I didn't answer. Just opened the image.[Gestational age: 38 weeks.]So yeah. He'd been lying to me for a year. From the second he slept with Cindy to now—he ne

I still wanted to give him a shot—give us a shot after ten years.He froze mid-scoop, guilt flashing in his eyes. The room went still. His mouth opened like he had something to say... but nothing came out.The clink of the bowl hitting the table broke the silence. I looked up. Peter was grinning. "Didn't you always want to hit up an amusement park? Your birthday's coming. I'll take you."I didn't say a word. Just kept stirring my soup like it had answers.Days passed. Cindy kept blowing up my phone, bragging about how sweet Peter was being.I watched him cook for me, squeeze out my toothpaste, kiss me good morning and goodnight. But all I saw were two different versions of him—and I was stuck somewhere in between.***Peter was up early on my birthday. By the time I was dressed, breakfast was already waiting.He smiled. "Come eat, Yuna. After this, we'll head out. Got us a spot at that place you've been dying to try."Later, when I came out fully ready, he clipped a Tiffany ne

I stared at the cold pasta. "I've decided. I'm going. But I'm divorcing Peter."She paused, then said softly, "Alright."She never liked him—not even from the start. I probably should've seen it sooner—Peter ditching his morals the second Cindy snapped her fingers.She was his late mentor's only daughter. Peter, ever the responsible guy, had promised to look after her. So whatever she wanted, he gave.Even if it meant giving her a kid."I'll book your ticket. Lionel will be there to pick you up."Lionel Rinehart. Childhood friend. Aunt Sophia's golden student.After the call, the divorce agreement hit my inbox. I headed to Peter's study to print it and found a folder full of his chats with Cindy.All sweet words and flirty messages. He kept telling her not to hope for more—but I knew better.Cindy already owned a part of him.He let her believe in the fantasy. Let her stomp all over me.But I didn't love him anymore. Not even a little. Calm, steady, I copied every single mes

Peter stopped the intern who'd talked to Yuna that day."Is she off today?"Emma stepped back like he reeked. "Dr. Zander already quit.""What? Why?"She laughed—mean and loud. "You and your little mistress have a kid now. Why would you care?"Chill hit him like ice water.Then she shoulder-checked him and walked off.His ears rang. Blood pounded.Yuna wasn't supposed to know.Cindy swore it was safe doing her checkups there. Said no one would ever notice—hidden in plain sight.Peter didn't even remember getting home.The living room looked like a graveyard—Floyd roses wilted, birthday cake in the trash.Even the ring? Yuna had tossed it.He stumbled into the closet. Her clothes? Cleared out. Books, docs—vanished.The study door creaked open. Divorce papers sat on the desk, signed.The screen still glowed with his chat history with Cindy.A flash drive sat on top. Hands shaking, he plugged it in.Photos. Videos. Messages. All from Cindy—sent to Yuna.One video played.

Lionel handed me a lobster. "Try it. It's our chef's specialty."I blushed. "Thanks."The Rineharts had that cozy, wholesome vibe—like, instant comfort. By dessert, I actually felt... okay.After dinner, Aunt Sophia gave me a little shove toward the patio."Yuna."Lionel's voice—low, smooth—floated over from behind me.He was standing in the glow like some kind of angel. Annoyingly perfect.I crossed my arms. "What? Here to roast my ex or my trash taste in guys?"He laughed, then gently tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "Why would I mock you? You didn't wreck your marriage—he did.""Lionel..."His smile messed with my head. My heart was basically a marching band.We didn't say anything. Just stood there on the porch while crickets did their thing in the background."Yuna," he said quietly, "I'm honestly glad you finally saw Peter for who he is."I turned, caught off guard.He chuckled, soft and low.Then—"Because now I finally get to stand next to you and say... Yun