Chapter 3
The garden had always been my sanctuary. Even now, with my world crumbling around me, the roses still bloomed, oblivious to human suffering. I ran my fingers along the thorns, careful not to prick myself. Even that small pain would be too much to bear today.
"Careful with those thorns," a familiar voice called from behind me.
I turned to see Elias Stone standing at the garden gate, his tall frame silhouetted against the afternoon sun. Reid's oldest friend, though they couldn't have been more different.
"Elias," I said, quickly wiping my hands on my gardening apron. "What are you doing here?"
"I was in the neighborhood," he said, stepping closer. His eyes narrowed as he studied my face. "But I think we both know that's not true."
I looked away, focusing on the rosebushes. "It's a beautiful day for gardening."
"Evangeline." His voice was gentle but firm. "I know something's wrong. You've lost weight. There are circles under your eyes. And Reid hasn't shown up for our weekly golf game in months."
I tried to smile, but my lips trembled. "Everything's fine."
"Evangeline," he repeated, this time taking my hands in his. I hadn't realized how much they were shaking until his steady grip stopped them. "Please tell me what's happening."
Something broke inside me then. The dam I'd built around my pain cracked, and words spilled out. About Reid's affair, about Cali, about the photos, about the humiliation at Victoria's birthday dinner.
"He doesn't even try to hide it anymore," I whispered, tears finally falling. "He thinks I'm too pathetic to leave."
Elias's jaw tightened, a muscle jumping beneath his skin. For a moment, I thought he might say something—something that would acknowledge the feelings I'd sometimes caught glimpses of in his eyes over the years.
Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card. "My private number," he said, pressing it into my palm. "Day or night, Evangeline. If you ever need anything—anything at all—call me."
---
"I'm pregnant!"
Cali's announcement rang through Reid's office like a victory bell. I was there to drop off his forgotten briefcase, but froze at the doorway when I heard her voice.
"Are you sure?" Reid's voice held a note I'd never heard before—wonder, excitement.
"Of course I'm sure." Cali's laugh was triumphant. "See for yourself."
I peeked around the doorframe. Cali was holding up a plastic stick with two pink lines. A pregnancy test.
Reid snatched it from her hands, staring at it like it was a miracle. "We're having a baby?"
"Our baby," Cali corrected, wrapping her arms around his neck.
My stomach twisted into knots. Five years ago, I'd given up my ability to have children to save Reid's life. Now he was celebrating another woman's pregnancy.
"I need to call Mother," he said, already reaching for his phone. "She'll be thrilled."
---
"Mother is beside herself with joy," Reid announced that evening, barely looking up from his phone as I entered our bedroom. "She's already planning the nursery."
I stood in the doorway, my fingers digging into the wood. "Reid, we need to talk about this."
He finally looked up, his expression impatient. "What's there to talk about? Cali is carrying the heir the Morrison family needs."
"The heir I could never give you," I said quietly.
He shrugged, the gesture cutting deeper than any knife. "Yes, well. Your... inadequacy... has worked out for the best. At least now the family line will continue."
I flinched as if he'd slapped me. "My inadequacy?"
"You should be happy, Evangeline." He stood up, straightening his tie. "Mother says you should consider yourself lucky that the family is allowing you to stay, considering your... shortcomings."
---
The penthouse was everything I wasn't—young, vibrant, full of promise. Located just blocks from the Morrison family home, it screamed of permanence and priority.
I watched from across the street as Reid helped movers carry Cali's belongings inside. His hands lingered on her waist, his lips pressed against her temple.
"She needs to be close to the hospital," he'd told Victoria when she questioned why he was moving his mistress so near the family home. "For the baby."
Now he was moving her in, supervising the placement of her furniture, carrying her boxes himself—things he'd never done for me.
When he finally emerged that evening, he walked right past me without acknowledgment.
"Reid," I called after him.
He turned, irritation flashing across his face. "What is it, Evangeline?"
"You've moved her in."
"And?"
"And what about our marriage? What about me?"
He laughed, the sound cold and dismissive. "What about you? You're still my wife. That's more than generous, considering."
"Considering what?"
"That Cali gives me something you never could." His eyes were merciless as they swept over me. "A future. A child. A woman who isn't broken."
He turned and walked away, leaving me standing alone on the sidewalk.
Behind me, I could hear Cali's laughter floating through the open window of her new penthouse. The sound of my replacement settling into the life that should have been mine.
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