Chapter 2

Around us, the room falls completely silent.

Then the baby starts crying.

Diane quickly takes him from Ethan.

The second she settles him in her arms, she turns on me.

"Sienna, what the hell is wrong with you? You and Ethan are divorced! Why are you still stalking him?"

Divorced?

My brow furrows.

The Deputy Chief's wife steps forward.

"Even if you're Chief Cole's ex-wife, you can't storm into his home and assault people."

Whispers spread through the room.

"That's his ex?"

"She just hit the chief."

"Someone should call security."

I grab Ethan by the collar.

"What the hell are they talking about? Since when am I your ex-wife?"

Before he can answer, Chloe slips into his arms.

Her eyes immediately fill with tears.

"Sienna... Ethan already divorced you. Why can't you just let us live our lives?"

She starts crying harder.

"Fine. This is all my fault. I'll leave him. You can have him back, okay?"

Ethan's face changes instantly.

"No."

He grips Chloe's shoulders.

Then he glares at me.

"Sienna, I've already told you I'm not getting back together with you."

"Stop harassing us."

He gestures toward several officers.

"Get her out of here."

Two men grab my arms.

I struggle against them and stumble sideways into Diane.

Then I see the baby's face, his eyes, his nose, the tiny curve of his mouth.

No.

It can't be.

I know that face.

Because I gave birth to him.

"Noah..."

My first son died three months ago.

At least, that's what Ethan told me.

He handled the cremation himself because I was too devastated to go.

But the baby in Diane's arms looks exactly like him.

My breath catches.

Ethan lied to me.

He told me my baby was dead so he could give him to Chloe.

"Give me my baby!"

I rip free from the officers and snatch the baby from Diane.

"He's mine! Give me Noah!"

The baby cries against my chest.

Chloe suddenly panics and rushes toward me.

"Sienna, stop! He's not your baby!"

"I know losing Noah destroyed you. I know you haven't been yourself since then."

Her voice shakes.

"But you can't steal my son because he reminds you of yours!"

She looks around the room desperately.

"Please. Somebody help me."

Then she turns back to me.

"I'll even leave Ethan if that's what you want. Just give me my baby back."

Ethan grabs her.

"No."

His voice is firm.

"You're not leaving me."

He pulls her against his chest.

"No one is breaking up our family."

I stare at them.

"Our family?"

I point at my eight-month belly.

"What about me?"

"What about the baby I'm carrying right now?"

Ethan's eyes flick toward my stomach.

He looks away.

Chloe immediately bursts into fresh tears.

"I'm sorry, everyone. Sienna is Ethan's ex-wife."

"She lost her baby and never recovered."

"After Ethan refused to have another child with her, she started seeing random men because she was desperate to get pregnant again."

My stomach turns.

Chloe wipes her eyes.

"Ethan felt sorry for her, so he kept checking on her. But now she's trying to force him to raise another man's baby."

The room explodes.

"That's disgusting."

"She's insane."

"Get her out!"

I almost laugh.

I look straight at Chloe.

"Do you really want to talk about who's using whom?"

Her face stiffens.

"My family paid your medical bills and your tuition. When you begged me for a stable job, I got you into Ethan's department."

I keep going.

"You had nothing when I met you."

"I helped you because I felt sorry for you."

"And this is how you repay me?"

I glance at Ethan.

"Sleeping with my husband and pretending you're his wife?"

Chloe's lips tremble.

I take one step toward her.

"You wanted my life so badly?"

"How does it feel wearing something that was never yours?"

Before she can answer, someone slams into me from behind.

I stumble forward.

A sharp pain tears through my stomach.