Two Babies, Two Mothers, One Husband’s Lie Novel – By the third year after she and Ethan Ward remarried, Tessa Reed was pregnant. With one hand on her belly, she did everything she could to avoid another blowup with him. When he came home late, she didn’t ask where he’d been. When he was drunk, she only had the staff brew a pot of ginger-honey tea as a hangover remedy. When work kept him busy, she didn’t reach out first. Even when she found a lipstick tube on the seat of his car, she thoughtfully set it back exactly where it had been.
But the day she went to book a suite at a postpartum recovery retreat, she caught him cheating again. This time, there was no raging hatred in her, only a dead, quiet numbness. “Ms. Reed, take a look,” the sales rep chirped at her elbow. “This is our most luxurious suite, and it runs $88,888 a month.” “One of our guests, Mrs. Ward, is staying in this suite right now,” the rep went on. “She checked in less than four days after she had her baby boy.” “Her husband’s with her every day, and a whole group of friends keeps stopping by, so she’s been on cloud nine,” the rep said. “Only thing is, her husband’s got a serious sex drive.
She’d barely given birth, and he was already sleeping with her at night, which isn’t great for recovery, so keep that in mind, Ms. Reed.” The rep kept chattering, but Tessa didn’t take in a single word. She stared at the man inside, cradling a newborn as he chatted with the guys beside him, and her eyes still stung and turned red anyway. “Congrats, Ethan,” someone said, grinning. “Another son.” “If Tessa ends up having a boy too,” another voice chimed in, “then Ethan’s got two sons.” A third man laughed a little too loudly. “Ethan really is something else, huh.
A wife at home and a mistress on the side, for three whole years, and Tessa probably has no idea.” Ethan’s expression tightened. “Of course she doesn’t,” he said, voice turning sharp. “And none of you are taking this to her, either. She’s in her third trimester, and she can’t handle getting worked up.” “Yeah, yeah, we get it,” someone replied. “We’ve covered for you for three years. But Ethan, when are you planning to come clean to Tessa?” Ethan went quiet for a beat, then spoke with certainty. “After she has the baby. Once there’s a child, Tess won’t have the heart to leave me.” *** “Will this make things hard for you?” the woman in bed asked softly. “Ethan, I never meant to ask for anything.
After Finn died, just being able to stay by your side and bear you a child is enough for me. I don’t want anything else.” The man reached for her and pulled her into his arms. “Brooke, I promised I’d take care of you, and I’m going to keep that promise,” he said. “I hate that you’ve had to live like this—hidden away for three years.” Through the sliver of a cracked door, Tessa watched the same cold, untouchable man she knew, only now his face was gentler than she’d ever seen it. A bitter smile tugged at her mouth. Three years ago, Tessa had caught Ethan having an affair with his late best friend’s widow.
She’d demanded a divorce. Brooke had threatened to kill herself. Caught between the two of them, Ethan had chosen Brooke. Not long after the divorce, Ethan had searched everywhere for Tessa. When he finally found her, he sank to the floor at her feet, head bowed, hands clasped, begging for her forgiveness. He said the only person he’d ever loved was her. He said the divorce had been out of desperation, that he was terrified Brooke would actually take her own life, terrified he’d be betraying his dead best friend. To prove it, he’d even sent Brooke out of the country.
He’d held a press conference, promising the world he would never betray Tessa again. They’d known each other for ten years and been in love for five, and Tessa couldn’t let go of what they’d had. So she’d softened and agreed to remarry him. After they remarried, Ethan made it up to her with near-obsessive devotion. When she said she loved fireworks, he hired the biggest fireworks crew in the city and had them light up the sky all night on her birthday. When she wanted a piece of jewelry, even if it meant making an untouchable, sky-high bid at auction, he’d still win it and put it in her hands. And as if that still wasn’t enough, he checked in everywhere he went.
Even on business trips, he called three or four times a day, always looking for her. But after everything that happened, she couldn’t stop remembering what he’d looked like when he cheated. To keep the marriage afloat, she’d forced herself to change, to give him what she told herself was “reasonable” freedom. What she never imagined was that the man who swore he’d sent Brooke out of the country had stayed tangled up with Brooke for three straight years. She never imagined he’d even had a child with Brooke.
Only now did Tessa understand just how badly she’d misjudged everything. Even if she gave him enough trust, and even if he gave her enough love, some things didn’t mend once they shattered. Everyone in that room was someone Tessa knew, every last one of them. If Ethan hadn’t suddenly announced he’d be gone on a month-long business trip, she never would have come here alone out of boredom to check out a postpartum recovery retreat. She would’ve stayed a fool, kept in the dark for the rest of her life. Ethan had built one hell of a trap. How could he lie to her once three years ago, and then turn around and lie to her all over again? As if it sensed her emotions, the baby inside her suddenly kicked her twice. Tessa clutched her belly and folded over. “It hurts.” It wasn’t just her stomach.
It was her heart. The sales rep finally noticed something was wrong and hurried to steady her. “Ms. Reed, are you okay? What’s wrong?” “Who’s out there?” a voice called from inside the suite. At the sound, everyone turned toward the door in unison.