Chapter 4

The slight emphasis Daniel put on the word "husband" made Mark's jaw clench. He gave Daniel's hand a brief, firm shake, his eyes darting between the lawyer and Olivia.

"I keep a low profile," Mark said, his voice defensive. It was the excuse they had always used, but now it sounded flimsy, even to his own ears.

Daniel's smirk didn't waver. "A wise choice in this city. Well, it was a pleasure, but I should be going." He turned to Olivia. "Let me know if your 'colleague' needs any further assistance. I specialize in complex separations." He gave Mark a final, pointed look before letting himself out.

The air in the room was thick with unspoken tension. Chloe, still clinging to Mark's arm, looked from Mark to Olivia with wide, innocent eyes. "Mark, am I interrupting something?"

Guilt flickered across Mark's face. He turned his attention back to Chloe, his voice softening. "No, of course not. Olivia was just helping a friend." He shot Olivia a look that was part apology, part warning. "Let's get you settled on the couch."

As he led Chloe away, she whispered, just loud enough for Olivia to hear, "I'm so sorry, Mark. I didn't mean to cause trouble between you and your... friend."

"She's not just a friend, Chloe. She's Olivia," Mark corrected, his voice low and intimate. "And you're never trouble."

Olivia watched the exchange from a distance, feeling like a spectator at a play she no longer wanted to be in. She was an outsider in her own home, witnessing the man she married offer comfort and reassurance to another woman. A woman he clearly loved. The detachment she had been cultivating felt like a shield, protecting her from the raw pain of the moment.

Mark came back into the living room after tucking Chloe in on the guest room bed, not the couch. "What was that all about?" he asked, trying to sound casual.

"I told you. I was helping a friend," Olivia said, her voice a placid sea.

"Right," he said, clearly not believing her. He walked over and sat next to her, trying to reclaim some semblance of their old intimacy. "I'm sorry about Chloe. Her ex is just relentless."

"It's fine," Olivia said, looking at him directly. "She seems to need you a lot."

"She's my sister, Liv. I have to be there for her."

"I know," Olivia said, her gaze unwavering. She saw it all with perfect clarity now. His blindness, his self-deception, his deep-seated need to be Chloe's rescuer.

The next morning, Olivia woke to the sounds of soft laughter from the kitchen. She walked out to see Mark making pancakes for Chloe, a heart-shaped one sitting on the top of the stack. He was doting on her, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face, pouring her orange juice. These were small acts of affection he had never, not once, shown Olivia in their entire relationship. When she was sick with the flu last winter, he had ordered takeout and left it outside her bedroom door.

The sight didn't just break her heart, it pulverized it into dust. The man she loved was a stranger, and the love she thought they shared was a one-sided fantasy.

Feeling a wave of nausea and emotional exhaustion, Olivia turned to go back to her room. She felt dizzy, her vision blurring at the edges. She put a hand out to steady herself on the grand staircase railing but misjudged the distance. Her foot slipped on the polished marble step.

She tumbled downward, landing in a crumpled heap at the bottom. A searing pain shot through her abdomen, sharp and terrifying. It was a pain unlike anything she had ever felt. She looked down and saw a spreading stain of red on her light-colored pajamas.

She was pregnant. And she was losing the baby.

The realization hit her with the force of a physical blow, knocking the air from her lungs. She had been feeling off for weeks, but had dismissed it as stress. A baby. Their baby. A secret child from a secret marriage.

The housekeeper, Maria, rushed to her side, her face pale with horror. "Mrs. Johnson! Oh my god! I'll call Mr. Johnson!"

Maria frantically dialed Mark's number again and again, but it went straight to voicemail. He was unreachable. He had taken Chloe out for a celebratory "divorce is final" brunch.

Olivia lay on the floor, the pain a relentless tide, the world fading to a gray haze. Through it all, one thought remained crystal clear. She was alone. She had always been alone.