Chapter 2

2.

[Present Day - December 16th]

I sat on the edge of the bed, playing that recording over and over.

It wasn't just the comment about the baby. There were others―dozens of voice notes going back months.

"God, I miss your body..."

"Tonight was amazing. Emily is at a conference in New York, we have the whole weekend..."

"She's so obsessed with getting pregnant, she doesn't even notice I'm gone..."

Every word felt like a knife twisting in my chest.

I opened their chat history.

The contact was saved as "My Sweet Sophie." The background was a photo I had never seen―Liam and Sophie kissing by Lake Michigan, the sunset turning their silhouettes gold.

The timestamp on the photo: October 20, 2019.

Our wedding anniversary.

I scrolled up. The messages were endless, dating back six years―right after our honeymoon.

One message made me gasp for air.

Liam: "Emily wants to start trying for a baby next year. But don't worry, you're the one I really want."

Sophie: "What if she gets pregnant?"

Liam: "She won't. I'll make sure of that."

My phone slipped from my hand.

"I'll make sure of that."

What did that mean?

Suddenly, the last three years flashed through my mind.

The "accidental" birth control failures. The excuses about "bad timing." His refusal to see a fertility specialist because he insisted on "conceiving naturally."

He had been playing me the whole time.