Chapter 1

Fiona adjusted the position of the seared scallops on the porcelain plate. Her hands trembled slightly, a fine vibration that traveled from her fingertips up to her wrists. She pressed her palm flat against her abdomen, feeling the smooth silk of her dress beneath her fingers, and then the firm, hidden secret beneath that. A smile touched her lips.

The dining table gleamed under the soft light of the chandelier. Two crystal flutes stood sentinel beside an ice bucket holding a bottle of Dom Pérignon. A small, square card sat next to it. "Three Years," it read in elegant gold script. Three years of a marriage that felt more like a business transaction, but tonight, that was going to change.

The doorbell rang.

Fiona's heart leaped. She wiped her hands on a kitchen towel and hurried toward the foyer, her heels clicking against the marble floor. He was early. He actually remembered.

She pulled the door open, her smile already wide.

It wasn't Emmanuel.

The doorman stood there in his brass-buttoned uniform, holding a flat, unmarked cardboard box. "Delivery for you, Mrs. Meyers."

Fiona's smile faltered. She took the box, the cardboard feeling heavy and cold. "Thank you."

She closed the door and leaned against it, staring at the box. No return address. No name. Just a plain brown wrapper. She set it on the console table, the excitement draining out of her like water from a cracked basin.

Her phone buzzed in her clutch.

She pulled it out. The screen lit up with the contact name: Emmanuel.

Relief flooded her, hot and sudden. She swiped to answer, pressing the phone to her ear. "You're early! I was just-"

"Fiona." His voice cut through the line, sharp and impatient. Background noise buzzed behind him-car horns, sirens, the murmur of a crowd.

"Emmanuel? Where are you?"

"I'm outside the hospital." He sounded breathless, but not with concern for her. "Carley was in a car accident."

Fiona froze. The name hit her like a physical blow to the sternum. Carley Marshall. The Hollywood starlet. His college girlfriend. The woman who existed in the periphery of their marriage like a ghost that refused to stay dead.

"Carley?" Fiona repeated, her voice hollow. "What does that have to do with-"

"It's bad, Fiona." His tone was clipped, authoritative. "The paparazzi are swarming. I have to be here."

"Today is our anniversary." The words came out small, pathetic even to her own ears.

"Are you serious right now?" The impatience in his voice curdled into disgust. "A woman's life is hanging in the balance. This isn't about you."

"But I-"

"I'll be home when I'm home. Don't wait up."

The line went dead.

Fiona stood in the silent foyer, the phone still pressed to her ear. The dial tone buzzed, a harsh, rhythmic sound that matched the sudden, hollow thud of her heart.

She lowered the phone. Her fingers were numb.

She walked back to the dining room on unsteady legs. The scallops were getting cold. The champagne was sweating in the bucket. The card with "Three Years" written on it seemed to mock her.

She reached for her champagne flute, meaning to take a drink, anything to wash down the bitter taste in her throat. Her hand shook violently.

The crystal slipped.

It hit the edge of the table and tumbled to the floor. The stem snapped, sending shards of glass skittering across the marble.

"Damn it," she whispered.

She crouched down, her dress pooling around her knees. She reached for the largest piece of glass, her vision blurring for a second.

Then the pain hit.

It started as a cramp, a dull ache in her lower back that wrapped around to her abdomen like a tightening vice. She gasped, pulling her hand back.

The cramp intensified, shifting from an ache to a sharp, tearing sensation. It felt like something was ripping inside her, violently and without mercy.

Fiona braced her hands on the floor, her breathing turning shallow. "No," she whimpered. "No, no, no."

She tried to stand, to get to the couch, but her legs felt like they were filled with wet sand. She pushed herself up halfway, sweat breaking out across her forehead and dripping down her back, soaking through the expensive silk.

Her knees buckled.

She hit the floor hard, her hip striking the marble. The impact sent a jolt of pain up her spine, but it was nothing compared to the agony in her belly. It was a tidal wave, crushing her from the inside out.

She curled into a fetal position, clutching her stomach. "Please," she cried out to the empty room. "Please, no."

She felt a gush of warmth between her legs. It was hot, too hot, and it soaked through her underwear, running down her thighs.

Fiona rolled onto her back, her eyes wide with terror. She looked down.

The pale champagne-colored silk was stained a deep, dark red. The blood was spreading, a blooming flower of crimson against the delicate fabric.

A scream tore from her throat, raw and primal.

She scrambled for her phone, her fingers slick with her own blood. She grabbed it, smearing red across the screen. She hit redial.

Pick up. Pick up. Pick up.

The line rang once. Twice.

"What now, Fiona?" Emmanuel answered, his voice laced with heavy irritation.

"Emmanuel." She sobbed, the words catching in her throat. "Help me. Please. The baby-"

In the background, she heard a soft, trembling voice. Carley. "Thank you so much for coming, Emmanuel. I was so scared."

Emmanuel ignored the voice on his end, focusing on the phone. "What kind of sick game are you playing?"

"It's not a game!" Fiona shrieked, the pain ripping through her again. "I'm bleeding! I'm losing the baby!"

"A baby?" He let out a short, cold laugh. It was a sound completely devoid of humor. "You think I'm stupid enough to fall for that? Using a fake pregnancy to compete for attention with a woman who is actually hurt? That's low, even for you."

"It's real! I swear to God, Emmanuel, I'm dying-"

"You're pathetic."

The line clicked dead.

Fiona stared at the phone. The screen went black.

She hit redial again.

The automated voice answered immediately. "The number you are trying to reach is currently powered off."

A wave of agony crashed over her, so intense it stole her breath. She dropped the phone. It landed with a soft thud on the marble, the screen facing up, smeared with her fingerprints.

She reached out, her hand trembling, trying to grab the leg of the dining table. Her fingers scraped against the wood, but she couldn't get a grip. Her hand slipped, leaving a bloody smear on the polished surface.

Her vision started to tunnel. The edges of the room grew dark.

She turned her head, her cheek pressed against the cold floor. Her eyes focused on the ice bucket. The bottle of Dom Pérignon sat inside, untouched, the condensation running down its sides like tears.

The light in the room seemed to fade.

On the wall above the table, the antique clock ticked. The minute hand clicked past the twelve.

Midnight.

The anniversary was over.

Fiona's eyes fluttered closed, the silence of the apartment swallowing her whole.