Chapter 2
There had to be a misunderstanding.
Alistair and I had been married for seven years.
We didn’t have children.
We had tried, desperately, but after years of disappointment, we had stopped talking about becoming parents.
“I’m his wife,” I repeated.
The nurse hesitated.
“I’m sorry. Perhaps you should speak with his family.”
She stepped aside.
I approached the glass doors.
And there, on the other side, was the family my husband had apparently been hiding from me.
Alistair lay in a hospital bed, his head bandaged and an oxygen mask covering his face.
A beautiful young woman in a cream-colored sweater sat beside him.
She was crying while holding his hand.
In her arms was a little boy, perhaps three years old, with soft brown hair and bright blue eyes.
The child reached toward Alistair.
“Daddy…”
My knees almost gave way.
But what happened next hurt even more.
Standing behind the young woman were my in-laws.
Martha and George Finch.
Martha was gently rubbing the woman’s shoulder.
George stood beside the bed, looking down at the little boy with an expression of unmistakable affection.
They weren’t surprised to see the woman.
They weren’t asking who she was.
They were comforting her like she belonged to their family.
I remembered every holiday Martha had spent criticizing me for not giving her grandchildren.
Every family dinner when George had asked whether Alistair and I were finally considering children.
Every time Martha had claimed her knees hurt too much to visit our house.
Apparently, her knees worked perfectly well when her son’s mistress needed comforting.
I stood there watching them.
Then I stepped away.
I didn’t scream.
I didn’t confront anyone.
Instead, I found a quiet corner and called Gavin Mercer, a private investigator I had worked with on several divorce cases.
“Gavin, I need you to find someone.”
“Who?”
“A young woman named Paige. She’s connected to my husband. She has a little boy around three years old.”
There was a pause.
“Jacqueline, are you okay?”
“No.”
My voice sounded strangely calm.
“But I need you to help me find out exactly what’s going on. Only legally obtained, verifiable information. Property records, business connections, public filings, anything relevant.”
“I’ll start immediately.”
After ending the call, I returned to the emergency department and requested the accident documentation.
Then I waited.
Thirty minutes later, the young woman emerged from Alistair’s room, carrying the little boy.
He was asleep against her shoulder.
She walked past me without recognizing me.
I watched them disappear down the hallway.
Only then did I enter my husband’s room.
Alistair opened his eyes when he heard my footsteps.
May you like
The moment he recognized me, the heart monitor began beeping faster.
“Jacqueline?”
