Chapter 5

Saturday morning.

I handed two documents to Ethan, placing them on the table in front of him. “These are two insurance policies I got for the baby. They need both parents’ signatures.”

Ethan took my hand, his signature smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “The baby isn’t even born yet, and you’re already getting insurance?”

“A friend recommended it. I thought it was a good idea,” I replied with a soft smile.

Ethan stared at me for a moment, almost mesmerized. “Jane, you’re so beautiful when you smile. You should smile like this more often.”

As he picked up the documents, ready to read them over, I panicked and stopped him.

“I’ve already read through them. They’re fine. No need to double-check,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

He ruffled my hair affectionately. “Oh, come on. Let me take a quick look. What if you missed something and got scammed?”

My heart raced as his hand moved toward the papers.

Just then, his phone buzzed on the table. I was close enough to hear the voice on the other end—it was Emma.

Ethan answered the call and walked out onto the balcony, his tone low and familiar.

A few minutes later, he came back, his expression tight. “Something came up at work. I need to go deal with it,” he said, grabbing a pen and signing the documents without another glance.

“Ethan!” I called out as he was about to leave.

He paused in the doorway, turning back toward me. “Yeah?”

“Do you remember what you said on our wedding day?”

His brow furrowed slightly before his features softened. “If I ever betrayed you, you’d leave me without a second thought,” he recited, word for word.

“That’s right,” I said with a small smile.

Ethan crossed his arms, leaning casually against the doorframe, his expression full of confidence. “What, are you testing me? Don’t worry—I’ve got every word burned into my heart.”

I watched as he turned back to the door, his hand lingering on the doorknob for a few seconds before he hesitated. Then, he walked back to me and wrapped his arms around me tightly.

“I don’t know why, but I feel uneasy today,” he murmured against my ear. “I’ve told you before—I’ll love you and only you for the rest of my life. Don’t forget that, okay? Wait for me to come home.”

I nodded silently, and only then did he seem reassured enough to leave.

When I heard the sound of his car engine fading into the distance, I opened the documents on the table. The bold title at the top read: Divorce Agreement.

For a moment, I just stared at the words, lost in thought.

Ten years. From high school sweethearts to now, our story had stretched across a decade. But this was where it ended.

I packed up my belongings, called a courier to take them away, and donated everything Ethan had ever given me—including the baby items he’d bought.

After learning I was pregnant, Ethan had been over the moon. He’d dragged me to baby stores every chance he got, buying everything we could possibly need from birth through toddlerhood.

“You’ve bought way too much,” I’d scolded him once, laughing.

He waved me off with a grin. “So what? If I can’t spoil my own kid, who else am I going to spoil?”

Back then, we had both been so excited for this baby—the perfect symbol of our love.

Now, all of it was gone.

I left a copy of the signed divorce papers on the couch, grabbed my bag, and walked out the door.

On my way to the clinic, my phone buzzed again. It was the same unknown number that had been messaging me for weeks.

“Who do you think Ethan loves more—you or the other woman?”

Attached was a photo. Ethan was at a doctor’s appointment with Emma. The way he looked at her—soft, caring—was identical to how he used to look at me.

Maybe Ethan didn’t even realize it himself, but the scales in his heart had already tipped in her favor.

I typed out a reply:

“Ethan and I are divorced. The baby will be gone too. Stop sending me these messages. I wish you and him a long, happy life together.”

After hitting send, I blocked the number.

I’d known from the very first message that it was Emma. No one else would fight so hard to drag their love out of the shadows and into the light.

On the day of the procedure, as I was being wheeled into the operating room, I received a text from my dad. He and my mom were waiting to take me home afterward.

Just as I was about to enter the room, I saw them.

Ethan and Emma were walking out of another doctor’s office down the hall, hand in hand.

Our eyes met.

Ethan froze, his hand slipping free from Emma’s as panic swept over his face.

“Jane!” he shouted, pushing through the crowd toward me.