Claire felt lost in a long, tangled dream. At first, it was bliss. Zack lavishing her with endless affection, his love wrapping around her like a warm embrace. Then the dream twisted sharply. A woman appeared, gripping a child's hand, tearing the fantasy apart with a single, cruel truth.
'None of it was real.'
Seven years of marriage, a lie. Zack's love, a lie. Everything, from beginning to end, a lie.
She jolted awake to the hushed gossip of nurses in the hallway.
"Why's he coming every day for a tiny scrape?"
"That's Mr. Pierce's fallen comrade's son. Pampered rotten, he escorts the boy every time."
"That woman's eyes scream 'husband stealer.' Can you believe it? His pregnant wife's been dumped here like hospital trash while he plays daddy to another kid."
"If he hasn't visited o
