Chapter 5

Vivian became a frequent guest at our house.

Every time she visited, she brought home-baked low-sugar treats and prenatal vitamins.

I even showed her my unpublished curriculum drafts.

When she left, she would stand at the doorway, her eyes red, holding my hand.

"Cassie, you are so good to me. I don't think I can ever repay your kindness."

I patted her hand, smiling.

That night, I was sitting on the sofa, sewing a baby blanket.

My phone buzzed.

A former colleague from CasStart had sent me a screenshot.

It was from Vivian's private Snapchat story. She had forgotten to block the newer employees.

The photo didn't show her face.

It was a silhouette of Ethan sitting at his desk, reviewing documents under the warm office light.

The caption was just three words:

"My only sun."

I stared at those words on the screen.

My hand shook, and the sewing needle pierced deep into my finger.

Blood welled up instantly.

I didn't reach for a tissue. I just pressed my bleeding finger against my rounded, four-month-old belly.

When I was seven months pregnant, in the dead of a freezing winter night, I woke up.

A sharp, tearing pain suddenly ripped through my abdomen.

It felt like a cold blade was being twisted inside me.

Warm, thick liquid instantly soaked through my pajamas.

With trembling hands, I reached for my phone on the nightstand.

I dialed his number.

"The number you have dialed is currently switched off..."

I gritted my teeth, sliding off the bed onto the cold hardwood floor. My blood dragged a long, horrifying smear across the wood.

I called seventeen times.

Every single call went straight to voicemail.