Chapter 2

He said it so matter-of-factly, as if I were the unreasonable one.

But he knew perfectly well that my uterine lining was thin and my chances of conceiving were extremely low. What I lost wasn't just a child. What I lost was any possibility of ever becoming a mother.

Lily slowly sat up in bed, her eyes rimming red, her voice so faint she sounded like she'd been dealt the world's greatest injustice.

"Emma, don't blame Daniel. Forging the test report was my idea."

"I was worried you wouldn't believe it, so I originally planned to bring a stray cat home and let you actually get infected. But Daniel was afraid I might catch it too, so he stopped me."

I stared at her, barely able to believe what I was hearing.

But she kept going: "Actually, when I first got pregnant, I wanted to terminate it. Daniel was the one who fought tooth and nail to stop me. He said it would be too hard on my body and might cause lasting damage."

"To keep me from sneaking off to get the procedure, he even took me to the Maldives for a month. I couldn't stand the smell of cigarette smoke during the pregnancy, so he quit smoking. Just for me."

I listened in silence, my breathing growing unsteady.

He knew that terminating a pregnancy could damage a woman's body, yet he sent his doctor to put me on that operating table.

I had asked him to quit smoking countless times. Every time, he said the stress was too much, that he couldn't do it. But Lily didn't even have to ask. He just quit on his own.

Love and indifference really are obvious when you see them side by side.

I suddenly remembered how, early in my pregnancy, the fetus was unstable and the doctor recommended I be admitted for observation. I was terrified I would lose this baby I had fought so hard to conceive, and I called Daniel in tears.

He just sounded irritated. "Emma, something came up with the family. I have to go overseas for a month. Take care of yourself."

I tried to beg him: "Can't you send someone else? I'm scared something will happen to the baby while you're gone..."

Before I could finish, he hung up.

A month later, he came back noticeably tan. It never would have crossed my mind that he hadn't been handling Hayes family business. He had been in the Maldives with Lily.

My throat tightened. I tilted my head back, refusing to let the tears fall. But my gaze drifted to the crib beside the bed.

That crib. I had commissioned it from a craftsman overseas. I waited seven months for it. Carved into the railing was the nickname I had chosen for my baby.

Lily followed my line of sight and let out an awkward laugh.

"Emma, I didn't actually want to use it. Daniel insisted on having it brought over."

"He said since your baby was gone, it would just be sitting there going to waste. Might as well let my baby use it. At least then it wouldn't have been bought for nothing."

My mother jumped in immediately: "It's just a crib. What's the big deal? Just let Lily have it."

Again with "just let her have it."

My entire life, whenever Lily wanted something, I was expected to give way.

A dress. A bedroom. A spot at a good school. And now, even the crib I had prepared for my own child. I was supposed to hand it over.

She had always felt entitled to everything that was mine.

When I said nothing, my father's face darkened. He snapped at me: "Lily grew up in our house. She's always been sensitive, always had it harder than you. You've had so much more than her. Why do you have to fight her over a crib?"

"I truly regret having such a selfish daughter."

I tugged at the corner of my mouth. The smile was cold.

"In this family, hasn't the person walking on eggshells always been me?"

The words barely left my mouth before Mark exploded.

"Emma, do you have any conscience at all? Dad's just saying something fair on Lily's behalf, and you can't handle it?"

"Are you not going to stop until you've destroyed this family?"

Every single one of them stood on the other side. The hostility was so blatant it burned, as if I were the monster who had barged into someone else's happiness.

In that moment, I finally understood. All these years, I had always been alone.

I looked at them and said, evenly: "This family won't be destroyed."

"I'll leave."

I turned and walked out.

Behind me, my father's voice barked: "Daniel, don't go after her. She has no job, no money, nowhere to go. Once she can't make it on her own, she'll come crawling back."