Chapter 1
Haylee Quinn's POV:
On our third wedding anniversary, I clutched the pregnancy test report, eager to surprise Connor Shaw.
But that same day, he found his long-lost sister Hannah Shaw, who had been missing for ten years.
The moment the siblings reunited, Hannah's first move was to claim our bedroom.
"Connor, I've suffered so much at the hands of those kidnappers. The only place I feel safe is beside you, just like when we were kids," she whimpered.
She glanced at me before adding softly, "Haylee has had you all to herself for years. Can't she let me have you for a little while?"
Connor glanced at me, then casually tossed aside the pregnancy report I hadn't even had the chance to hand him.
He wrapped an arm around Hannah and smiled. "Of course. Whatever you want, I'll give you."
Later, he gave her the wedding gown I'd worn on our wedding day.
He gave her the keys to our home.
And when she finally set her sights on the wedding ring on my finger, Connor reached over and firmly held my hand in place. "Haylee, Hannah was kidn*pped because she was protecting me back then. She finally made it home after all these years. You've always been understanding. Just let her have this one thing."
I gave a quiet laugh and slipped the wedding ring off my finger. "Fine. I'll leave right now. She can have the place as well."
*****
"Haylee, stop it." Connor's voice was edged with irritation. "Hannah just got back. Her psychologist said she needs someone familiar around her to feel safe."
He frowned. "As her sister-in-law, can't you be a little more understanding? Don't be so sensitive!"
Connor said it as though I were the unreasonable one, as though I should understand and simply step aside.
I stood there, staring at Hannah hiding behind him, and a memory from three years ago slammed into my mind.
Back then, Connor had taken my hand and promised to build a home that belonged to just the two of us.
He had smiled so gently, and he'd meant every word.
I had thought it was a promise for a lifetime.
Now, somehow, that promise had expired without warning.
"Connor, I'm really scared." Hannah's eyes reddened.
"Does Haylee hate me? I'm sorry. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have come back," she added.
As she spoke, she suddenly crouched down and reached for the pregnancy report scattered across the floor. "Haylee's things must be important. Let me pick them up."
I instinctively reached out to stop her.
But the moment I did, Hannah knocked into me.
The side table lurched, and the steaming water beside it tipped over.
The hot water splashed across the report, turning it into a soggy, illegible mess.
I'd planned to tell Connor that day, on our third anniversary, that he was going to be a father.
Now, every word on that report had blurred beyond recognition.
"Hannah!" Connor rushed over, pulling her away and anxiously checking her hands. "Did you get burned? Let me see."
"Connor, that paper was—"
I barely got the words out before he cut me off. "Haylee, haven't you caused enough trouble?"
He looked up at me, his eyes filled with impatience. "Hannah just came home today, and you have to pick on her? Don't you know she can't handle any stress right now?"
I opened my mouth to explain that I hadn't even touched her.
But seeing the way he shielded Hannah, every word caught in my throat.
"Connor, I'm fine." Hannah clutched his sleeve. "It was my fault. I was clumsy. Don't blame her."
Her sweet, understanding act made me look like nothing but a hysterical wife.
Connor put an arm around her shoulders and turned toward the master bedroom. "It's late. Hannah needs to rest. You can sleep in the guest room."
He didn't even look back as he led her inside.
The bedroom door slammed shut in my face.
I stood alone in the living room, staring at the ruined report on the floor.
The blurred words seemed to mock me.
Three years ago, Connor had called this place our safe haven.
Three years later, he could take the keys he'd once given me and hand them to someone else.
I bent down to pick up the ruined paper.
The moment my fingers touched it, it crumbled into shreds.
I slowly stood, my hand drifting to my lower belly.
There was a tiny life inside me that Connor didn't even know existed.
And suddenly, I wasn't sure anymore whether bringing this child into the world was the right choice.
The living room lights were painfully bright.
I turned toward the guest room.
As I passed the master bedroom, Hannah's sweet voice drifted through the closed door. "Connor, will you take me to the amusement park tomorrow? I've never been there."
Connor agreed without hesitation.
His voice was so gentle, so much gentler than it had ever been with me.
My fingertips went cold.
My whole body began to tremble.
The fortress he'd once built for me with his own hands had cracked tonight.
And one corner had already collapsed into dust.
