For a moment, I saw the man I had married.
The one who had stood beside me through the hardest days.
The one who used to talk about building a future together and raising a family of our own.
Then reality returned.
The man standing in front of me was the same man who had chosen another woman while our daughter was already growing inside me.
“I’ll contact you,” I said.
“When?” he asked.
“When I know what’s best for Lily.”
His expression changed the moment I said her name.
He didn’t say “our daughter.”
He only repeated:
“Lily.”
A few moments later, Noelle returned carrying the baby.
Lily was sleepy, resting her head against her shoulder.
Ethan watched her, unable to hide the emotions on his face.
Jessica noticed.
For the first time, I found myself wondering how much Ethan had actually told her about our marriage.
A little later, dinner was announced.
“We should go,” I told Noelle.
Ethan stepped forward.
“Harper, please…”
“What do you want me to do?” I asked.
He had no answer.
I picked Lily up and headed toward the exit.
Just before we left, Lily turned around and said:
“Bye, Ethan.”
The color drained from Ethan’s face.
Not because she knew who he was.
But because, to her, he was nothing more than a stranger.
Outside, the rain had finally stopped.
As we waited for the car, messages from Ethan began appearing on my phone.
The last one contained a single question:
“Harper… is Lily my daughter?”
That night, I ignored every one of his calls.
Then Noelle called me.
“Ethan came looking for me,” she said.
But a short time later, I discovered something even more disturbing.
Among the messages was one that read:
“Jessica knew about the pregnancy test.”
I froze.
Then another message arrived from an unknown number.
Just one sentence:
“Ask Ethan why Jessica was really at your house that night.”
