our first child, and my husband, Andre, worsh
me against my skin in the dark. It was Kaliyah, the youn
h's schemes grew more vicious. He drugged me, locked me in
me after Kaliyah staged a fa
e across the face. He then forced a nurse to take my bl
hile he rushed to her side. He sacrificed our child, who now
e, replaced by a monste
ed, I made two calls. Th
clause in our prenup. I w
es, the man who had loved
old as ice. "I need your h
pte
Shelto
stain or a suspicious text message; it was a name whis
videos of me on his phone-videos from our honeymoon, from before my belly had swelled with our child, before my body had changed into something I barely rec
is eyes on a screen. I initiated it, my movements slow and deliberate, trying to show him
ssion and more like desperation. His hands moved over me with a familia
ght here," he murmured, his lips t
I don't have a be
it every night." He pressed his lips to th
tioning. He was wrong. He was so sure, yet so completely wrong. It was a detail a husband o
trembling slightly. "Look at
nd of our breathing in the silent room. Then, he leaned in,
I do, my sw
hed in my throat. The world tilted on its axis, sound fading into a
d shoved, hard. He was caught off guard, his body tumbling backward off the
omen. I gasped, curling into myself, the b
li
ower project, saving my career from imploding just three months ago. Andre had insisted on "mentoring" her as a personal thank you, a way of repaying
nd? How had I mistake
in my bones now reached my
er calling. Confused, I realized it must be connected to the car. He must have hit
rasped, his
r. We received a crash noti
d. "Just... fell out
h you? Is your wife,
she's at her mother's tonight. I'm alone." He was lying. Lying to a stranger about me being right h
e lit up on the bedside table. I stared at it, my hea
orry. "She didn't answer. She must be asleep. She needs her rest,
the back of his head. He looked around the da
. My phone lit up again. This time, I
av
m h
his voice. "Baby, are you okay? I had a bad drea
elstrom of shock and pain. A discreet call to a security contact I'd used for corporate projects had given me access
my voice hollow. "Ju
s the baby okay? Did you take your prenatal vitamins? Remember what Dr. Evans said
kery. He had loved me, I knew he had. He had held me through miscarriages, celebrated my triumphs, and kissed my tea
t. Or maybe he'd ne
ds tearing from my throat
ves. "Of course I love you. More than anything in the world. I was just think
itor dinged open. Kaliyah Cooley stepped out. She was
phone, her voice audible even through the
was a warm caress. "I'll be
hispered back, my eye
hun
l. She walked across the lobby and out the front doors. A moment later, Andre's black sedan
s where they were goi
d been a lie. A beautiful, intricate, devastating lie. I remembered the way he was always so careful with me, so tend
g his real passion, his raw,
by monitor app, the one connected to the camera in our
, their mouths already locked together. I heard her laugh, a sound l
rough, hungry. "She's so naive.
ind out?" Kaliyah asked, her
if she did, what would she do? She's pregnant. Tha
n in two. The sound of a soul breaking. He wasn't just cheating. He was using our c
room, tears streaming down my f
my tears eventually running dry, replaced by a
e over the city, I didn't go hom
use in my prenup," I said, my voice st
, this one to a number I
ates, p
iliar, deep voice cam
emotion. "I need your help. I nee