Chapter 1
"Look, you're tough. A bit of time in a fire won't kill you. I'll take care of Rosie first and then come back for you."
Jack Lewis frowned as if that settled everything, tightening his hold on Rose Lynn. Dressed in a hospital gown, Rose trembled against his chest like a startled rabbit caught in headlights. Her fingers were locked around the hem of his shirt, dried tear tracks still clinging to her lashes.
"Jack, I'm so scared. The fire was huge. I really thought I'd never see you again."
Jack stroked her back with deliberate gentleness, his voice almost unbearably soft. "It's alright now. I'm here. No one's going to hurt you while I'm around."
I stood at the end of the corridor, taking in their so-called picture of devotion, then dropped my eyes to my flat abdomen. There had once been two small lives in there, already strong enough to kick back at me. Now all that remained was a cold, clinical scar from the procedure.
"Jack." My voice came out steady, rough as grit.
At the sound, Rose flinched violently and pressed herself even closer into Jack's chest. He turned toward me, and for a split second, something like panic flickered across his ashen face.
Then he straightened, reclaiming his confidence. "Natalie, don't read into this. Rosie got triggered. The doctor said reenacting the scene helps her recover. I just got too into acting as her husband. Don't take it the wrong way."
I didn't respond. I just kept looking at him. He was the man I had loved for six years, the man I had once imagined raising our twins with.
When the fire erupted, the suite door had been jammed shut by a collapsed storage rack. Dense smoke flooded the room as Jack snatched up a chair and shattered the only window that could be used as an exit. I was six months pregnant, struggling to inch forward with my swollen abdomen.
Instead, he shoved me aside and carried out Rose, who was screaming in the corner. "Natalie, you can manage. Rosie has claustrophobia. She can't handle confined spaces!"
That was the last thing he ever said to me.
A quiet, broken laugh slipped out of me, my lips split and bleeding.
"I'm fine with it," I said under my breath.
Jack paused briefly, as if my calmness caught him off guard. In the past, I would have erupted for hours just because he looked at Rose a second too long.
He let out a relieved breath, his tone softening into something almost patronizing. "That's better. And you made it out too, didn't you? Just some surface injuries. Rest a few days and you'll be alright."
He didn't even notice the thick gauze wrapped around my calves beneath the hospital gown. To shield my belly, I had crawled for half an hour through the burning suite. My lower legs had been hit with severe burns, the flesh already stuck to my clothing.
At that moment, a nurse came over from the desk, holding a chart. "Are you Natalie's family? This is for the induction..."
"Can't you see we're occupied?" Jack snapped, cutting her off without patience.
He pulled a black card from his wallet and shoved it into my hand. "Handle the hospital bill yourself and grab a cab home. I can't leave Rosie alone. She needs a psych follow-up. I'll bring you those cupcakes you like later as an apology, alright?"
The nurse's eyes went wide, stunned into silence as she looked at him.
I pushed the card back. "I don't need it. I have my own money."
Jack's brow furrowed, irritation flashing across his face. "Natalie, are you acting up again? I already told you, Rosie is a patient. You're supposed to be the future Mrs. Lewis. Stop behaving like a child and fighting a patient for attention."
In his arms, Rose gave a quiet, pitiful sob. "Jack, don't blame Natalie. It's my fault. I shouldn't have gotten sick and made her upset at a time like this."
"It's not your fault." Jack wiped her tears with obvious care, his eyes softening completely.
He looked back at me, his voice gentler but still carrying a warning edge. "Take the card. Behave yourself. Don't expect me to leave Rosie just to comfort you. Go home and wait."
With that, he held Rose close and walked off without a second glance, disappearing down the hallway. I watched them until they were swallowed by the elevator.
I turned and walked to the nurse's station, taking the induction paperwork.
"Ms. Sanders, your husband..." the nurse hesitated, sympathy written all over her face.
"He's not my husband anymore." I took the pen and signed my name, steady and unshaken.
The tragic marriage where I had been his wife for six years had finally come to an end that day.
