Chapter 4
1223 Words
"I'm glad," he said.
Something about her happiness did not feel right to him.
It was not that she was faking it.
It was just that it did not seem to have anything to do with him.
That afternoon, Damian was waiting for Emily outside an art gallery.
She got there a minute later, wearing big sunglasses and a beige coat.
She looked a little nervous.
"I should not be here," she said quietly.
"But you are here, " Damian said.
"I know," Emily said.
Damian smiled at her.
"I have missed you," he said.
"So have I, " Emily said.
Damian kissed her forehead.
Emily smiled.
"You always know what I need," she said.
Damian said, "I pay attention to you, Emily."
His words made her feel happy.
For a time, she had wanted someone to notice the little things about her.
Damian noticed everything about Emily.
If she changed her hair, he noticed.
If she was tired, he noticed.
If she was not smiling much as usual, he noticed before she even said anything.
This made her feel seen by Damian.
This feeling had become very important to her.
Meanwhile, Daniel was at a business lunch with some of his clients.
Someone mentioned Damian Kingsley.
"Kingsley just bought another hotel chain, " the person said.
Daniel nodded politely.
"I have heard he is very smart," Daniel said.
"And charming, " someone else added.
Another man laughed.
"Too charming if you ask me," he said.
The people at the table laughed.
Daniel raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"You have not heard?" the man said.
"He has a reputation, " the man said.
"What reputation?" Daniel asked.
The older man leaned back in his chair.
"They say Damian Kingsley does not stay with the woman for very long," he said.
Someone else said, "He likes women."
Another man smiled.
"He likes women, too, if the stories are true," he said.
Daniel laughed politely. Did not think much of it.
He thought it was gossip.
For some reason, the name Damian Kingsley stayed in his mind.
That night, Emily was alone in a friend's baby nursery.
The room was painted a blue color.
There were stuffed animals on the shelves.
A wooden cradle was near the window.
Without thinking, Emily put her hand on her stomach.
She was pregnant with a baby. It was still too small to show.
She already felt connected to the baby.
Then she started to feel scared.
What would happen when the baby was born?
Would the baby have Damian's eyes?
Would the baby smile like Damian?
Would the baby look like Damian?
She suddenly felt sick.
She knew she could not hide the truth forever.
That night, Damian invited Emily to dinner at his lake house.
The room was lit with candles. It was raining outside.
They did not talk for a minute.
Then Emily broke the silence.
"I am pregnant," she said.
The wine glass fell out of Damian's hand. Broke on the floor.
Neither of them looked down.
Damian's voice was very quiet.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
Emily nodded slowly.
"I saw the doctor yesterday," she said.
Damian stared at her, trying to understand what she had just said.
Then, to Emily's surprise, Damian smiled.
A real smile.
"We are having a baby," he said.
Emily shook her head.
"No," she said.
"What do you mean, no?" Damian asked.
"You do not understand, " Emily said.
"I am married," she said.
"My husband thinks the baby is his," she said.
Damian's smile went away.
The truth of the situation settled in like a thick fog.
Emily kept talking.
"If anyone finds out the truth, everything will fall apart," she said.
Damian walked towards her.
"We will figure it out," he said.
Emily was not so sure.
"You make it sound easy," she said.
"It does not have to be hard, " Damian said.
Emily laughed sadly.
"A married woman having another man's baby is a problem," she said.
The room was quiet again.
Then Damian put his hand on Emily's hand.
"I meant what I said," he said.
"I love you, Emily," he said.
"I love our baby," he said.
"And I will not leave either of you," he said.
Emily wanted to believe him.
She really did.
She was scared.
Two days later, Daniel came home earlier than usual.
The house was very quiet.
"Emily?" he called out.
There was no answer.
He saw her purse on the kitchen counter.
Her car was in the driveway.
She was not home.
Daniel was curious, so he went upstairs.
As he walked past their bedroom, he heard a noise.
It was Emily's phone.
She had left it behind.
The screen lit up again.
A message appeared.
It was from a number.
"I am thinking about you, " the message said.
Daniel stared at the words.
His heart did not beat faster.
He did not unlock the phone.
He did not read any further.
He just memorized the number before the screen went dark.
A second later, he put the phone back where he found it.
Then he went downstairs. Got himself a glass of water.
His hands did not shake.
His face did not change.
When Emily came home fifteen minutes later with grocery bags, Daniel greeted her with a smile.
"You are home early," he said.
"So are you, " Emily said.
She kissed his cheek.
"I forgot my phone," she said.
"I saw it, " Daniel said.
For a moment, they looked into each other's eyes.
Emily could not explain why. Something about Daniel's calmness made her feel uneasy.
It was not that he was suspicious.
It was not that he was angry.
It was hard to read.
That night, after Emily fell asleep, Daniel sat alone in his study.
He opened his notebook.
On the page, he wrote three words.
"Unknown phone number."
Then he wrote the number under it.
He closed the notebook. Locked it in his desk drawer.
He whispered to himself, "If there is nothing to hide, I will find nothing."
He leaned back in his chair. His face was hard to read.
"If there is," he said, and his voice trailed off.
Outside, thunder was rumbling in the sky.
Some storms come with rain.
Others come quietly.
Daniel Carter had just stepped into the storm of his life.
In the morning, the Carter household was just like it always was.
The smell of freshly made coffee filled the kitchen.
Music was playing in the living room.
Emily was standing by the stove making breakfast. Daniel was reading the newspaper.
If someone looked through the window, they would think the Carters were a normal couple starting a normal day.
One of them knew that everything was different now.
Daniel put down the newspaper. Looked at his wife.
"You have been looking tired," he said.
Emily made herself smile.
"Maybe I have been working too much," she said.
"Then take a day off, " Daniel told her.
"I will be fine," Emily said.
Daniel. Did not say anything else.
He noticed the dark circles under her eyes and the way she put her hand on her stomach when she thought no one was looking.
It was a thing to do.
It was almost impossible to notice.
Almost.
- Writer
