Chapter 2 CH 1

Present Day

Ding Ding

"Wheres my phone" I mumble to myself. Ding Ding. I start flipping pillows and couch blankets looking for it. Ding Ding. Maybe its in the kitchen? I walked through the front of the house rubbing my pregnant belly. Success!!! Phone spotted on the counter, I picked it up and opened it to see no new notifications. Ding Ding. It must be Eric's phone we have the same text chime. I met my husband Eric while in college and we've been married for 12 years now. We literally bumped into each other at the school bookstore. He was so handsome, with chocolate brown hair and rich bedroom eyes, and charming I could barley get my name out. Chuckling, he asked me out for coffee and we've been together ever since. He even moved back to my small town with me after school, finding a job about a half hour away downtown. He knew how important it was for me to be back here and to raise my children around where my mom and Finn lived and also around Hopes family. As soon as I left for college my dad sold the house and started traveling. He said it was too hard to keep the home with the memories, I miss him but I understand. I think he's in Greece at the moment. He comes back for big events and just to visit now and then but we don't talk as much as we probably should.

I start cleaning out the dirty dishes in the sink from Noahs breakfast. My 8 year old Connor was up all night with a stomach bug, his 5 year old brother Noah showed me zero mercy this morning as he was up bright and early and entirely to chipper for the lack of sleep my pregnant self got last night. Connor is my slow and steady little man, I've always called him an old soul and he has always shown emotional maturity for his age. Noah is walking trouble, bless his heart he's not malicious, I think honesty he just lets the intrusive thoughts win at his age. Have you ever heard the saying "measure twice cut once"? Well simply put, Connor would be measuring 3 times before cutting and Noah would be cutting and never measuring. It's made for an interesting sibling dynamic.

My next and probably last baby will be a girl!! I'm so excited to meet her. I'm going a little crazy with her room and clothes and Eric is letting me run with this to my hearts content. While I love trucks and dinosaurs I am finding myself squealing with glee over the butterfly, rainbow and heart patterns I can now buy. We are naming her Vivienne after my late mother and she should be here in about 9 weeks. It has been harder than I thought being pregnant with her, I miss my mom all the time but her not being here to do all these fun girly things has taken a toll. Thank God for Hope and Racheal. I wouldn't have made it through that time all those years ago without them. Their whole family really. They have both been helping me pick things for her room and I think Racheal has bought more clothes and accessories for her then even I have.

Ding Ding

Geez I wonder if I should wake him up? Wouldn't work call if it was dire? I finished up at the sink and made my way to our room, stopping only to peek in at Connor who was thankfully resting again. Eric was still soundly asleep so I woke him by gently kissing his cheek. He slowly cracked an eye and then looked at me fully.

"Are you ok?" He asked

"Im fine it's just your phone has been going off, do you want to check it?" I lazily ran my fingers through his brown wavy hair.

"No, its probably just the office, I was at work late last night i'll deal with them in a little bit" he said as he laid back into his pillow closing is eyes.

I kissed his cheek again then rose from where I was siting on his side of the bed. He has been working a lot of late nights the last few months, I really hope this big project is wrapped up before Vivienne is born. On my way out of our room I thought id put his phone on silent if he wasn't planning on answering anytime soon. I grabbed it off the dresser where he had forgotten it last night. He didn't get in until around midnight and I was already up with Connor for the second time. Seeing the battery almost dead from not being plugged in at his nightstand like normal, I headed for the chargers in the kitchen. All the missed texts where from Dave, another architect at the firm. As soon as the plug was seated in the phone it lit up again but this time it wasn't a text from Dave.

Hope

Hope was texting Eric? Am I having the biggest brainfart ever? Pregnant brain? I had to have read that wrong. My Hope? Obviously this is harmless, she's my soul-sister. My Hope. Maybe she needs to reach me? I checked my phone quickly to see if I had missed a call or something but no, nothing. While still convinced that its about me or the baby maybe, I opened his phone. Passcode our wedding anniversary like it always has been.

Hope: Since I don't have an angry wife at my door or a bunch of missed calls I'm assuming you still haven't told her

I can feel the blood leave the upper part of my body. I swayed slightly then sat on a stool staring at his phone. After having a momentary out of body experience I willed my fingers to scroll up into their conversation thread. Months of messages, pictures and even a little homemade video or two splayed before me. I instantly feel sick rushing to the sink to vomit. The late nights, all the late night the past few months....LAST NIGHT. This cannot be happening. My Hope? Eric and I didn't have problems that I was aware of, we were about to have our third baby!! Oh my god the boys! What will I tell them? The first person I want to call and fall apart at is Racheal, I can't call my mom, but can I call hers?

"Calm down, calm down, think for a second" I whisper to myself placing my hand on my chest. I start to feel the familiar numb sweeping over me just like when my mom died. My mask for pain and grief slipping into place. My sick little boy is down the hall, I can't fall apart now and I defiantly can't confront Eric with Connor home. Taking a deep breath I start to asses my situation. The first thing I do is send myself screen shots of everything. Next I need to talk with someone legally. When my mom passed away she left a trust that should have gone to Finn and I when we reached 25, given the circumstances it all came to me when I turned of age. Eric doesn't know how much is in it, I just told him that it was for a rainy day and that the kids wouldn't need much help to go to college. Truthfully with all the interest and the fact that I've never touched it, its well over 2 million now. I had planed to throw a lot of that into traveling when were retired after the kids are through school and settled, that would have been a nice little treat for Eric and I. One i'll be damned if he's gonna enjoy with Hope. My Hope. Oh my god how could they do this? How could the two biggest loves in my life betray me this way? Not that there's ever a good time to ruin a marriage but messing with a very pregnant woman's home and family seems especially evil. The cut is so deep.

I called my attorney that handles all the dealings with the trust account, and unfortunately he does not handle divorces. Using the contact info he gave me for a friend of his, I stepped onto my back porch and made a call I never thought I would.

"Thank you for calling Mrs Greens office how may I help you?" And entirely overly happy receptionist answered.

"I need to make an appointment please, is she accepting new clients?" I asked bitting my nail.

"She is at the moment, we can see you as early as tomorrow, would morning or afternoon be best for you?"

"Morning please". We continue on the phone a few more minutes while she sets the appointment. She has some questions I have to answer to get the ball rolling. I'll have to send over some information as well later today. I'm starting to look over my shoulder because I'm afraid any second he's going to come out of the hall. I make it back inside just as Connor comes out of his room.

"Good morning baby how are you feeling?" I asked while feeling his forehead, I paint a big smile on my face.

"Much better, I'm hungry" he said from under my arm. Thank God for small favors, at least he wouldn't be feeling like crap all day and if he stays like this then he could go back to school tomorrow. I fixed him some very plain oatmeal and was pleased he ate it all. Just as he was moving to the couch Eric walked in the kitchen fresh from the shower. For a moment I froze. So much had changed between us just while he was sleeping. His usually warm presence felt suffocating now. I want to hit him and scream and cry. I quickly turn my back to make him coffee giving me a few moments to straighten my face before speaking to him.

"Hey did you move my phone?" He asked kissing my cheek from behind me. His still damp hair brushing my bare shoulder. Taking a deep breath I manage answer him "I plugged it in over by the fridge".

"Oh thank you hun" he eyes me suspiciously "I forgot to plug it in last night, how you doing Connor?" he asked looking his way. After taking his coffee from me I watched him walk over to our son and ruffle his hair, talking about what their day ahead looked like, like he wasn't actively ruining our lives right now. I have no idea how I'm going to confront him, or her for that matter. I have to figure out a way to tell Racheal and figure out how i'll distance myself without hurting her. I can't see how we can all be good after this as she's Hope's mom. Given that I can't talk to the attorney until tomorrow I decide to soak in my last normal day as a family, things are going to get messy before they get better unfortunately. Determination setting in I decide I'm going to cuddle Connor on the couch today and talk to his baby sister with him. I'm going to pick Noah up later from kindergarten and then I think i'll let them pick what's for dinner. I'm going to go to bed early and wake up tomorrow more ready to face the next steps.

"Oh Eric" I thought to myself, "what have you done".