Chapter 3

3

Before we left for the trip, Nora had left her dog with Lily Sterling.

She called every night to check in and see the dog via video chat.

Lily was currently playing with her own kid and the dog.

Nora watched the screen with a strange, soft look on her face.

"Lily, I'm pregnant," she said suddenly.

Lily gasped, her voice loud even through the phone.

"Oh my god! Congratulations! That was fast!"

But then, Lily's voice shifted as she realized the timeline.

"Wait, your husband hasn't even had his surgery yet. How are you pregnant?"

"Stop joking around, Nora. You almost gave me a heart attack!"

Nora's voice was dead serious. "I'm not joking. It's been a month."

The screen on the other end went dark for a few seconds.

Lily must have run into the bathroom for privacy. "Who is the father?"

Nora remained calm, her expression almost serene.

"It's Austin's. He came to see me the moment he got back last month."

"You know I never really got over him all these years."

"I love him. I really want to have a child that belongs to him."

Every word felt like a jagged blade carving into my chest.

Nora, you love Austin? You want his baby?

Then what am I? Just some reliable backup plan?

Lily stayed silent for a long time. "What about Leo? Aren't you afraid he'll find out?"

Nora's face twisted with a hint of annoyance.

"I'm obviously not going to let Leo know."

"Besides, vasectomies fail sometimes. People get pregnant anyway."

Lily sounded horrified. "Nora, this is too much, even for you."

"If he finds out, how are you going to explain the baby?"

Nora looked back at me on the bed with total indifference.

"He's getting the reversal in two days. He won't suspect a thing."

"And even if he does find out later, I'll just make it up to him."

"He loves me so much. He'll forgive me for anything."

The room was cold, but I felt a different kind of chill down my spine.

Her voice seemed to echo in the silence of the night.

I covered my ears, letting the grief swallow me whole.

I knew then that our marriage was dead.