Chapter 2

Even visiting her own son came with a strict schedule. She never expected Robbie to show up at her place all on his own.
After slipping off her shoes, she walked into the foyer. On the living room couch, a little boy sat with his back to the door, chatting away on a video call.
“Auntie’s the best. I’ve wanted this Transformer forever, but Dad never buys it for me,” he complained into the phone. “Okay, I’ll wait for Dad to bring it home.”
Reese headed over, wanting nothing more than to scoop her son into a hug. “Robbie, did you miss Mommy?”
He hung up in a flash and pushed her away, squealing, “You stink! Don’t come near me!”
Reese froze, awkward, giving herself a sniff. She’d lost a lot of blood when she had Robbie, and her health never fully bounced back. Even in summer, she barely ever sweated. Right now, all she could smell was a faint trace of hospital sanitizer.
Robbie rolled his eyes at her, his voice bossy as he declared, “I want that shrimp dish. Why aren’t you making it already?”
Reese had just had an abortion earlier that day—she really wasn’t supposed to touch cold water. She was about to ask the housekeeper to handle dinner when Robbie shot her a quick eye roll. Then he pressed his head against her leg, looked up with those big, pleading eyes, and his voice turned soft and sweet. “Mommy, no one makes shrimps as tasty as you. It’s just not the same when someone else does it.”
Even though she knew this was Robbie’s go-to trick, Reese’s heart still melted a little. She told herself he was just spoiled from not having her around enough. She’d fix that, eventually. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ
In the kitchen, she washed her hands and shivered when her fingers dipped into the cold water with the fresh shrimp. Still, she finished cooking, plated everything, and brought dinner to the table. Only then did Robbie look satisfied.
She watched him eat, quiet and thoughtful.
After dinner, she sat with Robbie and read together for a while.
“Mommy, is Daddy coming home tonight?” he asked.
A bitter little smile tugged at her lips. Sebastian had always cared about the baby she was carrying. Even if he didn’t go with her to every appointment, he’d always check in afterward, asking about his child with another woman.
She kissed Robbie’s forehead. “He’ll be back. Go to sleep now.”
“Okay. I’ll see Daddy in the morning, right?”
Later, once Robbie was asleep, Reese slipped out of his room and went downstairs. She curled up on the living room sofa, laptop resting on her knees as she caught up on the latest news in Al.
She lost track of time. It was deep into the night when the front door clicked open. Reese looked up to see Sebastian stepping inside, wearing a deep blue satin shirt that shimmered in the low light.
“Why are you still awake?” he asked as he sat down beside her, slipping his arm around her shoulders. His hand rested naturally on her stomach.
He didn’t know-the baby was already gone.
“How’s the baby?” Sebastian asked.
There was a strange perfume on him, not hers. Reese pulled away. “Weren’t you with Sofia tonight? Why are you back?”
She shot him a look. “Aren’t you worried someone might catch you cheating?”
Sebastian leaned back, giving her a sideways glance. “As long as you don’t go shouting to the world that you’re my wife, who’s going to care?”
Reese snapped her laptop shut.
Yeah, he had a point. Their marriage was a secret. As long as she stayed quiet, even if the paparazzi caught Sebastian with someone else, nobody would dare run the story. In Bridger Lake, nobody wanted to mess with the Ratcliffs.
“Aww? Pouting now?” Sebastian played with a strand of her hair. “Didn’t you ask for this? Why are you upset?”
Reese closed her eyes and, when she opened them again, her whole expression had changed-cool, calm, impossible to read.
“Sebastian, we need to talk.”