bring her a cup of "calming" tea, his eyes full of feigned love and concern. Every eve

ht, he would slip out of their

elf-destructive urge, she would creep out of bed and stand

agine him whispering the same words of love to Chandler that he whispered to her. She pictured him carryin

er to the edge of madness. She would return to he

The pain became a dull, constant ache. The madness cooled in

ler missed

A hospital visit confirmed

ssa, his face a picture of earnest d

e the baby is born, she'll be gone. I promise. She will sign away

ure, just the two of them, free from his gr

tally crossed another day off her

ted her like an inconvenient piece of furniture. Chandler, for her part, played the role of the meek

irst prenatal che

er voice barely a whisper. She looked at Br

n Friday. I was wondering... if y

. I'll have my assistant take you. Don't

his expression softening into one of gentle affection. He placed a piec

bit her lip, rose from the table, and

room," Branson said to

e pain, made Alyssa follow him. She rounded

r was gone, replaced by a surprising tenderness. He ha

me?" he asked, his

in her eyes. "I just... I don't want

and slid from her stomach, down over her hip, and disappeared under the he

sound. She half-heartedly pushe

name was a blatant

y, too," he murmured, his voice

lled the hallway. Their

ouldn't breathe. The man who claimed to love her, the man who had just swo

d. He had swor

he had carefully constructed shattered, leaving only a raw, seari

of a small, smiling boy with

had left Branso