Chapter 2

The next day was Leo's school field day. The sun was bright, the sky a perfect, cloudless blue. It felt like a cruel joke.

I had spent the night on the couch, my mind racing, piecing together the last seven years of lies. When Ethan came to bed, I pretended to be asleep. He didn't touch me.

I arrived at the school late, my heart a heavy stone in my chest. I saw them immediately. Ethan, Maria, and Leo, standing near the beanbag toss game. They looked like a perfect family. Maria was laughing, her head tilted back, and Ethan was smiling down at her. Leo was holding her hand.

My presence shattered their little bubble. Leo saw me first and his face fell.

"You're late," he said, his voice accusatory.

Maria turned, her expression shifting instantly to one of fragile, apologetic sorrow. "Oh, Jocelyn, I am so, so sorry. I just came to drop off a gift for Leo. Ethan insisted I stay for a bit. I hope you don't mind."

"She's sad, Mommy," Leo said, looking at Maria with concern. "You made her sad by being late."

Ethan put his arm around Maria, pulling her close. "It's okay, Maria. Jocelyn's just had a stressful day." He looked at me, his eyes cold. "Don't make a scene, Jocelyn."

A scene. He thought I was here to make a scene.

I forced a tight smile. "I wouldn't dream of it."

During the beanbag toss, Maria whispered something in Leo's ear. He giggled and picked up his next bag. He drew his arm back and threw it with all his might.

It hit me square in the forehead. The pain was sharp, immediate. It wasn't a normal beanbag. It felt heavy, hard. I stumbled back, my hand flying to my head. When I pulled it away, there was blood.

Leo's eyes widened. "I'm sorry, Mommy!"

Maria rushed to my side, all fake concern. "Oh my goodness, Jocelyn! Are you okay? Leo, how could you?"

But then she gasped dramatically, holding up her hand. "Oh! A rock must have flown out and hit me, too." She showed Ethan a tiny, almost invisible scratch on her pinky finger.

Ethan immediately forgot about me. He rushed to Maria, taking her hand gently. "Let me see. Are you okay? We need to get that cleaned."

He turned to me, his face a mask of annoyance. "It was an accident, Jocelyn. Don't be so dramatic. It's just a little cut."

He led Maria away toward the nurse's office, Leo trailing behind them, looking back at me with confused, guilty eyes.

I stood there alone, blood trickling down my temple, the laughter of other families echoing around me. Dramatic. He called me dramatic.

I touched the wound on my head. It was deep. The bag hadn't been filled with beans. It was filled with small, sharp rocks.

I didn't go to the nurse. I walked out of the school, got in my car, and drove. I wasn't going home. I was going to a place I hadn't been in years. A place where my other life, my real life, had begun.