Her period was due; she'd been miserable for weeks. Once, her cycles had been like clockwork, but now, they were chaos. But for once, the pain in her head and abdomen took a backseat to the agony in her chest. Useless tears wet her pillow as she started to drift into the welcome darkness again. What she needed was a pill to make it all go away.
At some point, she felt Ronin nearby, the scent of his aftershave piercing the fog. What used to be familiar and calming now made her stomach churn. He just stood there but didn't dare touch her.
Later, she woke again when the doorbell rang and rolled over onto her stomach. The guest room's ceiling was low, its mouldings delicate. She heard a door open, David's footsteps as familiar as breathing to her, raised voices downstairs, then David running back up, his door slamming.
Every joint ached more than usual as she turned to the side and stretched out the kinks. Her phone was dead. She crept into the master bedroom to retrieve the charger and returned to the guest bedroom to plug it in. She always told David not to use his phone while charging, but she sat cross-legged on the bed and did exactly that.
When it powered on, she typed into the search bar:Do I have any legal rights if I leave my partner is we are unmarried?
The search results told her everything she already suspected:there is no such thing as a common-law marriage in the UK. The house was in Ronin's name since she'd been pregnant and unemployed when they bought it. The mortgage was paid off now, but still legally his. They had one joint account for household expenses. She opened the app, and saw £60,000 sat in the account. Ronin had his own separate account. She had closed her own ages ago because it was simpler and more convenient. Basically, she had been a fool and had not left herself an escape route.
Her eyes burned. She locked the phone, slid it away, and crawled under the quilt. She needed to think. She was forty-five, with no job, no prospects. She was completely at Ronin's mercy.
Her son... She couldn't even process that pain. He would probably stay here with Ronin, with his new little sister and his step-mother who made his dad happy. A happy family, without her.
She remembered how they'd tried for another child for years. The tests. Ronin's low sperm count. The decision that David was enough.
Another thought curled in her mind like smoke.If Ronin was having unprotected sex with her...and she was still sleeping with her husband, who had cheated...
She needed to be practical. She needed to get tested.
Chapter 6
He watched as devastation ravaged Sage's pretty face the moment he said, "Three months old, dark hair, green eyes..." Watched as her lower lip wobbled.
A bottomless abyss stretched between them.
She didn't cry like she used to when she was angry and raging. This sorrow was soft and wounded like he had poked a finger into a raw wound. She just stopped, as if someone had pressed pause on her. He'd known she would take it hard, especially after all those years of trying—the tests, the doctor visits—but seeing her like that made him feel gutted.
He wanted to tell her he'd never gone without protection with Amanda. That it had been an accident. That he hadn't touched her like that since she told him she was pregnant one year ago. But then came the meal, the laughter, her arm in his. And he'd enjoyed Amanda’s company. He hadn't thought about the damage.
He realized now that Sage must have witnessed it all. The kiss, his hand on Amanda's back, the ease between them.
He would have to leave. He couldn't stay here after he had destroyed her like he did. But he wouldn't abandon Sage. He would make sure she was cared for. David needed her. Maybe they could stay in the house and co-parent.
He had planned to ask Amanda for a paternity test now that the baby was three months old. He'd asked when the baby was born, but instead of answering, she had cried. Four weeks later, she came to his office with the child. And yes, she was beautiful with dark hair and green eyes, just like his.
He lost track of time, staring at nothing, until David came in.
"Hey," Ronin said carefully.
David grunted, heading for the fridge. Normally, Sage would have something waiting for him—pizza, pasta, a sandwich—but tonight he dug out a container from the freezer. She always made extra, freezing it for what she calledemergency supplies. She'd recently told him that some days she felt so low, she couldn't cook, so she froze double portions. He'd half-listened at the time.
"How was school?"
David didn't look at him. "Fine."
He'd been cold ever since finding out. That day in town, after running into Ronin and Amanda. He'd been with friends, and had come over while Amanda smiled like nothing was wrong. David had sensed it immediately.
Later, he'd confronted him and Ronin had confessed—that he'd need time to tell Sage, and about the baby. He had grudgingly agreed to give him some time to talk to his mum.
Ronin tried again. "You've been quiet lately."
David slammed the freezer shut. "What do you want me to say? I'm not fine. And it's all because of you."
Ronin's chest tightened. "I told you because you deserved the truth."
David's head snapped around. "No. You told me because I caught you together and you didn't want to be alone with your dirty secret. You dumped it on me so you could feel better, and now I'm the one stuck with it."
