Chapter 2 - The Family He Chose
Marcus expected me to scream.
He had prepared himself for tears, accusations and desperate promises. I could see it in the defensive angle of his shoulders.
Instead, I closed the folder.
“How far along is she?”
His expression shifted.
“Almost twelve weeks.”
“And when did your relationship begin?”
“That’s complicated.”
“It’s actually a simple question.”
Marcus walked toward the window.
“We became close during the Denver conference.”
The Denver conference had taken place eight weeks earlier.
I remembered the dates because Ethan had developed a fever that weekend. Marcus had promised to return early but extended his trip by two days.
“If she is almost twelve weeks pregnant,” I said, “the pregnancy began before Denver.”
Marcus turned sharply.
“Ultrasound dates aren’t always exact.”
“Did Penelope tell you that?”
“She has already spoken to her doctor.”
“Have you?”
His silence answered me.
Marcus rubbed his forehead.
“I know what you’re trying to do.”
“I’m trying to understand the timeline.”
“You’re trying to make her look dishonest because you cannot accept that I chose her.”
Those words were almost impressive in their cruelty.
I looked at the man I had defended for twelve years and realized he needed me to be jealous. If I questioned the pregnancy, he could dismiss me as a bitter wife. If I remained calm, he would have to confront the facts.
So I gave him exactly what he wanted.
“I accept your choice.”
He blinked.
“What?”
“I won’t contest the divorce.”
For the first time that evening, Marcus looked uncertain.
The following Sunday, he invited his family to our home and announced his new relationship.
Eleanor Hale listened with an expression of carefully performed sorrow.
“My heart breaks for the children,” she said, while placing a supportive hand on Penelope’s shoulder.
Penelope wore a pale blue dress that emphasized the small curve of her stomach.
Sophie sat beside me on the sofa. Ethan remained close enough that his knee touched mine.
Marcus’s sister Celeste smiled at Penelope.
“A baby is still a blessing.”
“Not when it begins with betrayal,” I replied.
Eleanor frowned.
“There is no reason to create an ugly scene.”
I almost laughed.
Marcus had brought his pregnant mistress into our home, but my refusal to celebrate was apparently what made the scene ugly.
Marcus’s father, Richard, asked whether the children would remain in the mansion.
“The house belongs to Julianne,” Marcus admitted.
A tense silence followed.
The property had been purchased through my family trust before our marriage. Marcus had always allowed people to assume it belonged to him.
Eleanor recovered first.
“Surely Julianne won’t force the father of her children out.”
“I won’t,” I said. “Marcus is welcome to remain until the divorce is finalized.”
Penelope’s smile disappeared.
She had evidently expected to move in immediately.
After dinner, I found her standing in my bedroom doorway.
She looked at the photographs on my dresser—our wedding, Sophie’s birth, Ethan asleep on Marcus’s chest.
“I never meant for anyone to get hurt,” she said.
“Then you chose a strange method.”
She lowered her voice.
“Marcus said your marriage had been over for years.”
“Did he also tell you that we were trying for another child last winter?”
Her face changed.
Only for a second.
But it was enough.
“No,” she whispered.
I studied her carefully.
“Penelope, who were you seeing before Marcus?”
Her hand moved protectively over her belly.
“That’s none of your business.”
“It became my business when you used your pregnancy to dismantle my children’s home.”
She stepped backward.
“Marcus loves me.”
“Perhaps he does.”
That answer unsettled her more than anger would have.
As she walked away, a white envelope slipped from her handbag and landed near the door.
She did not notice.
I picked it up.
The return address belonged to a women’s health clinic in New York.
May you like
Across the front, someone had written one word in blue ink:
ULTRASOUND.
