Chapter 1 - THE WOMAN WHO WAS NEVER GOOD ENOUGH
Six months earlier, Emma Mercer still believed that the worst thing a person could lose was a marriage.
She would later realize that she had been wrong.
Sometimes, the worst thing was losing your ability to trust your own memories.
That night, the Mercer kitchen looked perfect.
Everything was expensive.
Everything was spotless.
Everything was carefully chosen.
The marble counters reflected the warm pendant lights. Crystal glasses stood untouched beside a bottle of wine. A vase of white roses sat in the center of the island.
It should have felt peaceful.
Instead, Emma knew something was wrong the moment Julian walked through the door.
He did not kiss her.
He did not ask how her day had been.
He placed a thick medical folder on the kitchen island.
Emma looked at it.
“What is that?”
Julian removed his coat.
“Your fertility records.”
Emma’s stomach tightened.
“Why do you have those?”
“Because I’m tired.”
The words came without emotion.
Emma slowly stood.
“Tired of what?”
Julian opened the folder.
“You.”
She stared at him.
He pushed several pages across the marble.
“Six years.”
Emma swallowed.
“I know how long we've been trying.”
“No.”
Julian looked directly at her.
“You don't understand.”
He tapped the documents.
“Six years of appointments. Six years of medications. Six years of specialists. Six years of excuses.”
Emma’s eyes burned.
“My doctors said we needed more testing.”
“We did the testing.”
“Both of us.”
Julian smiled coldly.
“Did we?”
Emma froze.
“What does that mean?”
Before Julian could answer, footsteps sounded behind her.
Chloe Bennett entered the kitchen.
She was wearing a fitted red dress.
Emma stared at her.
Then at Julian.
“Why is she here?”
Chloe smiled.
Julian did not.
“She has something to tell you.”
Emma felt something inside her collapse.
Chloe placed one hand over her stomach.
“I’m pregnant.”
The room seemed to tilt.
Emma looked at Julian.
He did not look surprised.
“You knew?”
Julian nodded.
Emma whispered:
“How long?”
“Long enough.”
Her hands trembled.
Chloe stepped closer.
“Emma, I didn't want things to become ugly.”
Emma laughed once through her tears.
“Then why are you standing in my kitchen?”
Chloe said nothing.
Julian closed the folder.
“You need to leave.”
Emma stared at him.
“This is my home.”
“No.”
Julian picked up her suitcase.
“You lived here.”
He threw it toward the doorway.
Emma flinched.
“Julian…”
“Get out.”
She looked at the man she had loved for six years.
She wanted him to stop.
She wanted him to apologize.
Instead, he pointed toward the door.
“Chloe is giving me something you never could.”
Emma’s lips trembled.
“A child?”
Julian said nothing.
Emma walked toward the door.
Then Julian delivered the sentence she would remember for the rest of her life.
“You were the problem.”
Outside, rain had begun to fall.
Emma stood on the sidewalk with one suitcase beside her.
Behind her, the door closed.
Across the road, a man stood beneath the porch light of an old farmhouse.
Garrison Blackwood.
He had watched everything.
Emma wiped her face.
“I’m fine.”
Garrison looked at the suitcase.
“You don't look fine.”
“I said I'm fine.”
He nodded.
“All right.”
He turned to leave.
Emma suddenly called after him.
“Why are you helping me?”
Garrison stopped.
“I'm not.”
May you like
He looked back.
“Not yet.”
