Chapter 2

I woke up to the sterile smell of antiseptic and the soft, rhythmic beeping of a machine. My eyes fluttered open to a white ceiling. A hospital.

I turned my head. The first person I saw was Olivia.

She was sitting in a chair by my bed, looking pale and fragile. She offered me a weak, watery smile.

"Chloe, you're awake. You gave us all such a scare."

Her voice was soft, laced with a concern that made my stomach turn.

Then, Liam rushed to my side, his face etched with worry. But his first words weren't for me.

He put a gentle hand on Olivia's shoulder. "Liv, are you okay? You shouldn't be out of bed. You need to rest."

He looked at her with such tender care, the same care he used to reserve only for me. It was like watching a movie of my own life with another actress in the leading role.

Olivia shook her head, her eyes welling up. "I'm fine, Liam. I was just so worried about Chloe."

Liam finally looked at me, and his expression hardened slightly. "Chloe, why did you go out last night? You know it's not safe to walk alone after dark."

The blame in his voice was unmistakable. It wasn't a question of concern. It was an accusation.

I stared at him, at the man who had left me tied to a chair, and felt a cold numbness spread through me. I didn't have the energy to argue, to scream, to defend myself.

I just watched them.

I watched as he helped Olivia stand, his arm securely around her waist. I watched as he smoothed her hair back from her face. It was a gesture so intimate, so practiced, it made me feel sick.

"I need to talk to you, Liam," I said, my voice raspy.

He avoided my gaze. "You need to rest now, Chloe. The doctor said you're suffering from acute stress. We can talk later."

"No," I insisted. "We need to talk now."

"Chloe, please," he said, his voice pleading, but his eyes were fixed on Olivia, who was swaying slightly on her feet. "Not now. Olivia isn't well."

He was choosing her again. Right here, in front of me. He was choosing to comfort her over facing me.

Without another word, he guided Olivia out of the room, his movements hurried, like he was escaping. The door clicked shut, leaving me alone with the beeping monitor and the deafening silence.

I closed my eyes, and a memory surfaced. Two years ago, we were hiking, and I slipped near a ledge. Liam had thrown himself forward, scraping his arm badly on the rocks to catch me. He'd bled all over his shirt, but all he did was hold me and ask, "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" He hadn't cared about his own pain, only mine.

Where was that man now?

The man who just walked out of this room was a stranger. A stranger who looked at Olivia with my husband's eyes.

I knew then, with a certainty that chilled me to the bone, that it was over. The love he had for me, the all-consuming, life-defining love, was gone. It had been transferred to someone else.

My phone rang, pulling me from my thoughts. It was Mark, Liam's best friend.

"Chloe? Are you okay? Liam's at The Oak Bar, he's been drinking for hours. He's a mess. He keeps saying he ruined everything."

A part of me, a stupid, foolish part, felt a flicker of something. Regret? Was he regretting his choice?

I shouldn't have gone. I should have hung up and started planning my new life.

But I went. I checked myself out of the hospital against medical advice and took a cab to the bar.

I saw them before they saw me. They were in a dark corner booth. Liam wasn't drinking. He was arguing with Olivia in hushed, frantic tones. I couldn't hear the words, but I could see the panic on his face.

I moved closer, hiding behind a pillar.

"...can't handle this right now, Liv," Liam was saying, his head in his hands.

"You have to handle it!" Olivia's voice was sharp, no longer the fragile whisper from the hospital. "What are we going to do?"

Then she said the words that shattered the last remaining fragments of my world.

"I'm pregnant, Liam."

Liam's head shot up. His face was a mask of shock, then horror, then a desperate, overwhelming concern. He reached across the table and grabbed her hands.

"Are you okay? Does it hurt? We need to get you to a doctor. Right now."

He was on his feet, pulling a stunned Olivia out of the booth. He didn't look happy. He looked terrified. But his terror was all for her. For their child.

I stood frozen as he rushed past me, his arm protectively around Olivia, his face a storm of emotions I no longer recognized.

I followed them out of the bar, a ghost in their chaotic wake. I got back in my cab and told the driver to follow their car. They went straight to the emergency room.

I didn't go in. I just sat in the car across the street, the meter running, and watched the hospital entrance. I watched all night.

I watched as the sun came up, painting the sky in shades of pink and orange, colors that seemed to mock the black and gray of my soul. I watched and waited, though I no longer knew what I was waiting for.