A poignant and emotional tale about Mia, a woman trapped in a loveless marriage that was built on a business arrangement rather than affection. Married to Kyle Branson, a successful and detached businessman, Mia's life is an unacknowledged shadow to his true love—her younger stepsister, Taylor. When Mia unexpectedly discovers she is pregnant with twins, the news shakes her world, especially since her marriage contract forbids pregnancy. As Mia grapples with the reality of carrying Kyle's children, she faces not only the crushing weight of their cold, contractual relationship but also the sting of betrayal as Kyle continues his affair with Taylor. Mia’s internal battle intensifies as she navigates the emotional turmoil of being invisible to the man she once loved and the looming secret of her pregnancy.
View MoreMiaI walked Kyle to the door, both of us moving quietly to avoid waking the children.He nodded and stepped into the hallway, his footsteps echoing softly as he made his way to the elevator. I stood in my doorway until I heard the elevator doors close, until the building settled back into its late-night quiet.I sat holding the butterfly keychain, thinking about the house that was apparently now mine. I could picture every room, every corner where memories lived like dust in the sunlight. The house where I'd been happy before I'd learned that happiness was something that could be taken away by adult choices and adult failures.The next afternoon arrived gray and cold, with the kind of dampness that seeped into your bones and made everything feel heavier. I stood outside Bright Beginnings Preschool with the other parents, my breath forming small clouds in the December air as I waited for dismissal. The key Kyle had given me sat in my pocket.The school doors opened, and children began
Mia's POVI sat across from Kyle in my kitchen.Kyle's hands were resting on the table between us, and I could see the fine tremor that ran through his fingers. The IV site on his arm had begun to bruise more deeply, a purple-black mark."Mia," he started, but I held up my hand."Wait." I pushed back from the table, my chair scraping softly against the kitchen floor. "I need to check on them."I pushed the door open just enough to slip inside, breathing in the familiar scent of bubble bath and the faint mustiness that seemed to cling to all children's bedrooms. Both boys were asleep in their twin beds, Alexander on his stomach with one arm hanging off the mattress, Ethan curled into a tight ball with his favorite stuffed elephant clutched against his chest.In the soft light from the hallway, they looked impossibly young. I knelt beside Alexander's bed, brushing a strand of dark hair away from his forehead. His face was peaceful in sleep. I pressed my lips gently to Alexander's templ
KyleUncle. I looked at this child, this perfect small person who shared my DNA but not my history, and felt something break inside my chest. He was beautiful in the unconscious way that children were beautiful, all potential energy and curiosity and trust in the world around him. His pajamas were slightly too big for him, the sleeves covering his hands except for his fingertips. There was a small scar on his forehead that hadn't been there in the photographs, probably from some minor childhood accident that I hadn't been there to prevent.This was my son. My child. A human being I'd helped create but had never really known."He is sad," Mia said quietly, her voice gentle. "But he's okay. Why don't you go back to bed, sweetheart? It's very late."Alexander looked between us again, his four-year-old brain trying to process this."Are you sick?" Alexander asked."Yes," I said before Mia could answer. My voice came out rougher than I'd intended, scraped raw from cigarettes and fighting
KyleThe elevator ride to the fourth floor was a masterclass in uncomfortable silence. Mia stood as far from me as possible in the small space, her arms crossed, her attention focused on the numbers counting upward. I could smell her shampoo—something floral and clean that reminded me of the early days of our marriage when everything had seemed possible."Jesus, Kyle." Mia's voice was barely above a whisper. "What were you thinking?""I wasn't.""That's been your problem from the beginning."The elevator chimed softly as we reached her floor. Mia led the way down a hallway.She stopped, keys jingling softly as she unlocked the door. "Take your shoes off," she whispered as we entered the apartment. "And be quiet. Madison's still adjusting, and loud noises make her anxious."I slipped off my shoes, feeling the give of carpet under my feet, breathing in air that smelled like home—coffee, children's shampoo, the lingering scent of whatever they'd had for dinner.The apartment was dark ex
Kyle's POVThomas's face went through a series of emotions in the amber wash of the streetlight, "You son of a bitch. You don't get to do this."."Do what, exactly?" I kept my voice level, businesslike. "Show up here looking like death and throw your martyrdom in my face." Thomas stepped closer,"You think you get to play the noble dying husband now?""I never claimed to be noble.""No, you just acted like it." Heat flared in my chest."I know you left Mia bleeding on marble stairs while you chased after your psychotic step-sister. I know she spent months in that hospital alone, grieving children you refused to believe were yours. I know she called your name when she was hemorrhaging after giving birth to your sons, and you weren't there because you were too busy playing dead." I pressed my back against the building's brick facade, feeling the rough edges scrape through my coat. The texture grounded me, reminded me that I still existed in physical space even when everything else fel
Kyle's POVThomas stared at me for a long moment, shock, anger, and something that might have been pity. The pity was the worst part."Jesus Christ, Kyle." Thomas ran his hands through his hair.I took another drag from my cigarette, tasting blood at the back of my throat. The nicotine wasn't helping anymore, wasn't providing the chemical calm it once had. Everything tasted like copper pennies and medical antiseptic now."I'm stating a fact." I said, my voice carrying the rasp.Thomas's hands clenched into fists at his sides. "Don't.""Don't what? Tell the truth?" I flicked ash onto the sidewalk between us, watching it scatter in the wind. "You swooped in the moment I disappeared. How long did you wait, Thomas? A week? A month? Or were you already circling before I left?"The streetlight cast harsh shadows across Thomas's face, highlighting the tension in his jaw. He was bigger than me now. The kind of man who could lift Mia effortlessly, who could throw a football with Alexander in t
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