Chapter 2
William probably wanted to explain, but I’d already shut the door in his face.
After showering, I slipped into bed. I was about to fall asleep.
But William slid in beside me, wrapping his arms around me.
“Emberly,” he whispered. “I’ve told you before, you can rely on me. Why didn’t you knock if you weren’t feeling well? Isn’t this baby mine too?”
I ignored him, rubbing my eyes lazily as if I was too sleepy to respond.
But he leaned in, pressing a kiss against
- me.
The sickly sweet scent of roses
overwhelmed my senses.
“You forgive me, right?”
I felt so disgusted that I could barely
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breathe. I closed my eyes tighter and faked
sleep.
Eventually, he let me go.
The glow of his phone lit up the room as he got out of bed. The mattress dipped, then bounced back as he left.
I already knew what I’d find. I grabbed my phone and checked.
Sure enough, Lilah had a new Facebook update.
The picture showed William cradling her feet in his lap, warming them.
The caption read: [The shower may be late, but your love never is.]
It was the middle of the night, yet everyone seemed wide awake, their comments pouring in.
[Maya Whitlock: OMG, this is the sweetest thing ever!]
[Nate Rivera: You guys should get back
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Chapter 2
together already! It’s obvious he’s still into you!]
[Cleo Corbin: Girl, don’t let a good man like him get snatched away by certain women!]
I didn’t have to guess who certain women
meant.
My parents died in a car accident years ago, leaving me with no one to rely on.
For William’s friends, a woman who couldn’t give anything to her man was
useless.
I thought William would agree, but his response surprised me.
[Don’t say that. Emberly and I are doing fine.]
The next morning, I stayed in bed on purpose, refusing to make breakfast.
Normally, William would’ve yelled at me now, but today he was in the kitchen, cooking.
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Lilah sat at the counter, watching him with. excitement.
He didn’t even need to be asked. He handed her a fork. “Here, try this.”
They looked like a perfectly normal couple
-him cooking, her tasting.
Turns out, he could make an effort. Just not
for me.
But it didn’t matter. Once the surgery was. over, I’d leave this place for good.
“William, you’re amazing! These are all my favorites!” Lilah gushed.
William smiled softly. “I know what you like, so I’ve been practicing.”
I glanced at the table. The dishes were all the same few he’d always cooked–the only ones he knew how to cook.
Back when we first got together, he’d make these meals for me too. I remember once,
I’d made the mistake of asking for something different.
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His reaction was instant. “You eat what I make. Relationships are about
compromise.”
I believed him then. I thought we were both compromising.
Now, seeing those same dishes on the table made me sick.
I covered my mouth and bolted to the bathroom, throwing up until I was shaking.
When I came back, Lilah set down her fork and scrunched her nose dramatically. “Ugh! It smells awful in here!”
William was used to this–my morning sickness had started months ago–but his ex’s comment made him frown.
“Take your breakfast to the other room,” he told me.
I felt a deep chill in my chest, and I lost my appetite to eat. I set my fork and knife down with a little too much force, and clatter of the plates echoed in the room.
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William probably thought I was upset. “Pregnancy’s making you moodier by the day,” he hissed from the dining room.
Then, they went back to eating, laughing and chatting as though I didn’t exist.
It wasn’t until their meal was over that
William finally came to me in the other
room.
“Get up. We’re going out.”
My body ached–my feet, my back. I didn’t
want to move.
But he grabbed my wrist and pulled me to my feet, commenting, “You’ve been stuck in the house too long. No wonder you’re so petty!”
It wasn’t until we stepped outside that I
realized it wasn’t about me at all.
Lilah wanted to go out. They just wanted me to tag along.
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