Chapter 4

Riley quickly knocked the glass of water off her bedside table.

The sound of shattering glass immediately caught Yale's attention. Forgetting all about the doctor, he hurried to her bedside, his face filled with worry.

"Baby, you're awake! Does anything hurt?"

She shook her head slightly, her gaze drifting past his shoulder to the doctor, who looked as though he had something more to say.

Relieved that she was awake, Yale turned back to the doctor. "Sorry, what were you saying just now? I didn't catch that."

He had a nagging feeling he'd missed something important.

The doctor was about to answer when Riley gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head. Taking the hint, the doctor merely sighed and told Yale that she needed plenty of rest before leaving the room.

Once they were alone in the private hospital suite, Yale reached out to caress her cheek, his eyes full of concern. Riley turned her head away.

He seemed to understand why she was upset and immediately began apologizing.

"I'm sorry, Riles. It was my fault. I didn't even realize you'd fallen down the stairs, too. I thought..."

He trailed off before continuing, "Thank God you and the baby are both okay. I'd never forgive myself if anything had happened to either of you. I promise I'll never let anything like that happen again. Please don't be mad at me, okay?"

Riley studied his face. The lingering fear in his eyes looked so genuine that she almost wanted to laugh at the irony.

Everything he said sounded so sincere. How was she supposed to tell which parts were true and which were lies?

"I'm tired."

She withdrew her hand and closed her eyes, unwilling to play along with his ridiculous act any longer.

Throughout her hospitalization, Yale barely left her side. He made soup for her himself and patiently fed it to her one spoonful at a time. He accompanied her to every examination, carefully writing down everything the doctors told him. At night, even the slightest movement from Riley would wake him, and he'd immediately ask what she needed.

Even the nurses remarked that they'd never seen such a thoughtful husband.

Yet Riley remained withdrawn, speaking little and often spending hours staring blankly out the window.

Yale attributed her low spirits to pregnancy hormones and became even more attentive, handling her with the utmost care.

On the day she was discharged, he had an extravagant surprise waiting for her.

He took her to the most exclusive restaurant in town and reserved an entire floor so they could enjoy their meal in peace. Afterward, he accompanied her from one luxury boutique to another, buying anything that caught her eye for even a moment.

That evening, as darkness settled over the river, a spectacular fireworks display lit up the sky, forming the words "I love you."

"Do you like it?" Yale wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his chin on top of her head. "I arranged all of this just for you."

As Riley watched the fireworks burst overhead, she could almost believe things were the way they used to be.

Yale had always gone to extraordinary lengths to make her happy, leaving her feeling like the luckiest woman in the world.

Then her hand drifted unconsciously to her now-flat stomach, and the illusion shattered.

"What's wrong?" Sensing her body stiffen, Yale gently turned her around to face him. "You've seemed so unhappy lately. I'm worried about you."

He cupped her face, his thumb brushing softly over her cheek.

"Would you like to talk to a therapist? Prenatal depression is pretty common, you know. You don't have to go through it alone. Whatever's bothering you, you can tell me."

Looking into his seemingly sincere eyes, Riley suddenly asked, "If I'm completely honest with you, can you promise to be completely honest with me, too?"

Yale looked surprised for a moment before smiling.

"Of course, baby. We're husband and wife. We should always be honest with each other."

Riley drew a deep breath.

"Then tell me something. I heard you had a first love you were crazy about, someone you still couldn't get over even years after you'd broken up."

Holding his gaze, she asked, "Have you moved on from her?"

Yale's expression froze.