Chapter 4

Elliot eventually sent Rachel away.

He had discovered that I truly had nothing to do with what happened at the bakery. A few local troublemakers had gotten sick after eating there and trashed the place in retaliation.

He looked at me guiltily.

"I'm sorry, Josie. I let my temper get the better of me."

I stared at him as though he were a stranger who had nothing to do with me.

Two decades together had meant less to him than Rachel's tears.

"Josie, things are complicated right now. Can you give me a little more time?"

Elliot held tightly to my hand. No matter how hard I tried to pull away, he refused to release me.

I lowered my eyes and gave a bitter smile.

No one played the devoted husband better than Elliot. He knew exactly what to say to make me believe he loved me, even as every choice he made proved otherwise.

Looking down, I asked, "Elliot, are you going to keep lying to me?"

He shook his head urgently. "No. Never again. I promise."

A notification chimed, but my heart remained completely still.

Even then, he was lying.

What Elliot called love had become meaningless, yet I had let it keep me trapped for so long and cost me more than I could ever recover.

That night, the private investigator continued sending me photographs.

Elliot and Rachel had gone to the beach together, where they walked along the shore and collected seashells.

They were recreating all the memories Elliot and I had once shared, only they looked happier than we ever had.

I typed a brief reply. "That's enough."

I had already seen enough. There was more than enough evidence for me to file for divorce, and more than enough for me to finally stop denying the truth.

While packing my belongings, I found a tiny pair of socks I had secretly knitted when I first learned I was pregnant.

At the time, I had been filled with so much happiness.

I used to imagine Elliot discovering them by accident one day, then pictured the surprise and joy that would appear on his face.

But nothing had gone the way I hoped.

Just then, the bedroom door suddenly flew open with a crash.

Several of Elliot's bodyguards rushed inside, grabbed me, and forcibly dragged me to the hospital. Sometime during the ordeal, the socks slipped from my hand and fell to the floor.

Elliot stood outside an operating room, his expression frantic.

"Josie, Rachel's baby has a congenital liver condition. The transplant registry says you're the only perfect match."

My voice was hoarse. "So what? Are you asking me to donate part of my liver to your bastard? Are you asking me to risk my life for him?"

Elliot tightened his grip on my hand.

"They only need a small section of your liver. There may be some lasting complications, but that's all. The baby is innocent. I'm begging you not to be so cruel."

Cruel?

That one accusation felt like a knife to the heart, and I laughed at how ridiculous this all seemed.

Rachel's child was innocent. But what about mine?

My baby should've been born into a complete family with two parents who loved each other. Instead, that life was gone before it ever had the chance to begin.

Keeping the baby had felt impossible, and letting them go had broken me, yet what had my child done to deserve any of it?

I bit down hard on my lip, so much so that it drew blood.

"No."

"Jocelyn Cox!" Elliot shouted my name as though he had finally reached a decision. "I was the one who saved your life back then. Can't you save his now?"

Something inside me snapped.

"What did you just say?" I asked.

Elliot closed his eyes. "This is the last time I'll ask this of you."

The last time.

He had said those words more times than I could count.

Every notification that marked another lie seemed to plague me like a nightmare.

A bitter smile crossed my face.

"Fine, but you'll have to promise me something after the surgery."

Elliot froze before relief and excitement flooded his expression. "Whatever you wish for, consider it done."

This time, no notification sounded, but it didn't matter anymore.

Elliot still hadn't released my hand when the nurses began wheeling me into the operating room.

"Josie, please believe me. I'll explain everything," he said.

I looked at him calmly. "Alright. Just don't forget what you promised me."

It was the first lie I had ever told him, and it would also be the last.

After the surgery, I would divorce Elliot and make sure I never saw him again.

He remained where he was, visibly relieved. Then, without warning, a notification chime rang inside his head.

Ding!