“I hate myself for everything. For every lie. Every omission. For not giving you a choice. But unfortunately, I can’t go back in time and change it all. You will find a good man, Zoe—someone who will love you, respect you, and make you happy.”

“Hating yourself now won’t change anything, Arthur. You should have thought about that when you slept with her. When you thought you could control everything. I’m no longer that woman full of dreams who believed in love. That fun, hopeful woman you once knew. She’s dead. You killed her.”

She turned her back for a moment, breathless, trying to pull herself together. Then she noticed the envelope on the side table, marked DNA. Her eyes were drawn to it like a magnet. With trembling hands, she picked it up and opened it.

Tests. Ultrasound. Sabrina’s name at the top.

Her body went cold.

She slowly turned toward Arthur, eyes wide, her breath trapped in her chest.

“So it’s true, then?” Her voice came out like a torn whisper. “You really are going to h