Chapter 27

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

HIM — PRESENT DAY

“I don’t understand,” Sadie says, staring at the two of us. Our unit. Our family. The past nine months have been difficult, balancing two women who need me for so much. The emotions coming at me from all sides. But it’s been worth it. She’s far enough along at this point that even if the baby were to come right now— even if we had to cut it out of her ourselves —the baby would survive. My daughter would survive.

What I want to know is why my wife is looking at Sadie like that. As if they know each other.

Janelle opens her mouth. “Sadie, listen?—”

“He can’t be your husband. We’re engaged.” Sadie shakes her head, but before Janelle can answer, I step forward.

I’ll be able to handle this so much better than she will. I can control Sadie, even now. “Obviously, this wasn’t the way I wanted to tell you this…” I begin, releasing a slow breath. “But it’s true. Janelle isn’t my daughter like we told you. She’s my wife.”

Sadie is visibly pale, clutching her stomach. “Is this some sort of sick game? A…a joke? Are you all just trying to mess with my head?”

“Of course not. None of it was planned, okay? What happened with us was a mistake. I made a mistake, but the biggest miracle came out of it.” I gesture toward her stomach. “Janelle and I have always wanted a family, and she can’t have kids of her own.” I pull her against my side like the loving husband I am. “So when I found out you were pregnant, I came clean about the affair, with hopes that it would mean we could finally have a baby of our own and give you what you want, too.”

“What I want?” she snarls.

“You told me you don’t want kids. And that’s okay. It’s all going to be okay.”

“What are you talking about? When did I say that?”

“I don’t know, exactly. You’ve just mentioned it before…” I trail off, realizing I’ve said too much.

Her eyes flick here and there, staring into space, lips moving with no discernible words as she thinks to herself. Finally, she looks at me. “You mean in class? Before we were even dating?” Her gaze falls on Janelle, but I step in front of her. “Is that why you chose me? Did you seek me out for this? Target me? Was this…was this on purpose?”

I scowl. I’m really playing this role well. I’m prepared for it. I’ve practiced, written lines, played the scene out in my head a million times. That’s the key in life—always be prepared. “Of course not. Do you really think I’m such a monster?”

“Why would you propose to me if you’re married? Why would you lie about everything ?”

“I had hoped, eventually, the relationship would come to its natural end. I wanted to make sure you were safe and protected while you were carrying my child. I thought the best way to do that was to be nearby.”

She covers her mouth, staring at me as tears continue to fall from her eyes. “Did you ever even love me? Did you care at all? For even a second?”

“I cared about you, Sadie. Of course I did. How could I not? But that doesn’t change the fact that I also love my wife.” I look down. “It doesn’t change the fact that I screwed up.” My face wrinkles as I try to make her understand, try to appeal to the emotions she must be overwhelmed with right now. The pregnancy hormones surging through her blood only help my case. She’s biologically conditioned to care, more so now than ever before.

“You lied to me. You went through all of this for nothing.” Then her face hardens, and she drops her arm. “Because I’m not giving you my child.”

“My child,” I correct her.

“You don’t even know if it’s yours,” she snaps.

A rubber band snaps inside me. I lunge forward. I’ve never laid a hand on a woman, but I will not be disrespected. I grab her throat, my fist closing around the delicate column. “Don’t ever speak to me that way in front of my child.”

The room is as dizzy as a tornado with us stumbling backward, her scrambling to stop me, and Janelle screaming. We knock into a table, sending a stack of books and a lamp tumbling to the floor.

“Calvin!” Janelle shouts, begging. “ Calvin, stop! She can’t breathe. The baby.” She’s unstable. Emotional. Panicked. Using only her lizard brain, not her rational one. She can’t see that I’m the one who will get us through this. That I know what I have to do. She’s trying to pull me off of Sadie, grabbing at my arm, clawing my skin, but I don’t feel a thing. It’s as if my entire body is completely numb, focused solely on the task at hand. My fingers close tighter around her neck. I can’t stop. If she dies, we have minutes to get the baby out of her. Minutes where the baby can still survive. I’ve done the research. I know what it entails. I can end this right now. Solve all of our problems.

“Please!” Janelle begs.

Sadie, on the other hand, refuses to beg, though her hands are fighting to pry mine away, all ten fingers red and white from the pressure she’s applying to mine. She’s fighting for her life at this moment, and I respect the hell out of her for it.

Her face is nearly purple, eyes pleading with me, mouth open now though no sound is coming out. I was wrong before. She’s not all that pretty, and the sparkle has long since dulled from her eyes.

In fact, lately, I’ve found her quite dull in general. She’s?—

Pain.

A white-hot shard of lightning passes through my head, quick as a camera flash, and I release her. “What the?” I reach for my head, for the source of the pain. It comes again, and I stumble backward, dropping to the ground.

I’m falling. Flying. I don’t understand what has happened.

I’m inside a tornado of agony.

Overwhelmed with darkness.

A third blow happens, with another blast of lightning.

Then there’s only darkness.

Only quiet.