My Husband Was the Stand-In All Along

Chapter 3

The day before the surgery, I remembered the porcelain Madonna medallion my mother had left me. It was still inside the safe in the bedroom.

She had placed it in my hand as she lay dying. My name was engraved on the back.

I had left in such a hurry that I had somehow forgotten the one thing I needed most.

I went back to the place I'd lived in for three years. Every trace of me had been wiped away by Viola.

My heart clenched. I hurried to the bedroom and found that the porcelain Madonna was no longer in the safe.

I called Viola's name loudly, demanding she give it back.

Damon stepped in front of her first, a box in his hands.

His gaze flickered over me, hard to read. My heart sank. I opened the box and found the porcelain Madonna shattered.

"What are you trying to do?" I shouted at Damon. "Why couldn't you even leave me my mother's keepsake?!"

That was when my phone rang.

I accidentally tapped the speaker button.

The nurse's voice rang out clearly.

"Ms. Cole, you're scheduled for the abortion this morning. We've emailed you the instructions. Please review them before arriving."

Damon froze.

"Abortion?" Damon stared at my phone, his voice tight. "You're pregnant?"

I confirmed the time with the nurse and hung up. He stepped in front of me, his gaze dropping to my lower abdomen. "When did you find out? Why didn't you tell me?"

"The day Viola came back."

His lips moved, but it took him a long moment to speak. "Cancel the appointment. I'll take you to a better hospital, get a second opinion."

"I've learned enough what I needed to know."

"But you didn't tell me!" He caught my arm, then loosened his grip as if afraid of hurting me. "Fay, this is my child too. You can't shut me out like this."

I looked at his hand on my arm. "You chose Viola in front of me. You didn't ask how I felt then, either."

His face froze. His voice softened. "That's different. We can talk about this at home, alright?"

"No, Damon. I don't want to have this baby, and I'm not canceling the surgery just because you're against it."

Damon didn't seem to buy my explanation. "Didn't you always want a child? Don't throw away a chance like this just because you're angry."

He blocked my way, refusing to step aside. His phone lit up twice. He declined once, then answered on the second ring.

Viola was crying loud enough that I could hear her clearly from where I stood.

"I went back to Dad's to get my things, and they're outside, banging on the door. They said if I don't pay up today, they won't let me leave. Damon, I'm so scared. Please come!"

He gripped the phone tighter. "Lock the door. Stay away from them. I'm on my way."

He scooped up the fragments of the porcelain Madonna on his way out. "I'll find an expert to repair it. You don't need to be upset."

The call ended. He glanced at the time, then at the screen of my phone. I hadn't put it away. 9:00 AM, the appointment confirmation still visible.

"Stay here. Wait for me to come back."

I didn't answer. He draped his coat over my shoulders, fussing with the collar as if that settled everything.

"It's cold out here. Wait in the lobby. I'll send the driver for you."

He walked quickly to the car. At the door, he looked back once. "Wait for my call."

After he left, I texted Judy the hospital address. She called right back, said she was on her way, told me not to be afraid.

"Okay. I'll go in first."

Judy still wasn't reassured. Outside the ward, I heard her call Damon and tell him I was about to go into the operating room.

Damon's voice came through the phone.

"Fay's just angry. God knows how much she wants a child that looks like me... Oh no. That's not true..."

Damon's panicked voice spilled out through the speaker.

He had seen the photo I'd hidden among the fragments of the porcelain Madonna.

By then I was already on the operating table. The anesthetic was slowly taking effect, and I dreamed again of the year I was 16.