Chapter 5
I did not speak for almost a full minute.
David reached for the photo.
I pulled it back.
“Claire.”
“What baby?”
His face drained.
The silence answered before he did.
I felt something crack open inside me.
Not because he had a past.
Of course he had a past.
But because Tiffany had placed a secret in my drawer like a bomb and watched from somewhere as it exploded.
David sat on the sofa, shoulders bent.
“Tiffany was pregnant,” he said.
My throat tightened.
“When?”
“Two years ago. Before we met.”
“What happened?”
He rubbed both hands over his face.
“She told me she lost it. She said it was because I stressed her out. Because I wanted to leave.”
I lowered myself into the chair across from him.
“Did you believe her?”
“For a while.”
“For a while?”
His eyes lifted.
“I found out later she was never pregnant.”
The room went still.
Detective Alvarez, who had remained by the door, looked up sharply.
David swallowed.
“She faked medical paperwork. Ultrasound photos. Everything. I found the templates on her laptop after she threw it at me during a fight.”
My stomach twisted.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I wanted that whole chapter dead.”
I stood.
“David.”
“I know.”
“No. You don’t.” My voice shook. “You let me walk into a war without knowing the weapons.”
Pain crossed his face.
“You’re right.”
The apology came fast.
No excuses.
No defense.
Somehow that made my anger hurt worse.
Detective Alvarez stepped forward.
“Do you still have proof?”
David nodded.
“In an old cloud folder.”
“Send it.”
He did.
Within an hour, Tiffany’s history widened like a sinkhole.
Fake pregnancy.
False harassment claims against another ex.
A restraining order from a former coworker.
Three sealed civil settlements.
Marissa’s name appeared twice as “witness.”
The sisters had done this before.
Different men.
Different women.
Same pattern.
Attach.
Obsess.
Accuse.
Destroy.
Then sue or settle.
I sat beside the window, gripping cold coffee, while Nathan explained what would happen next.
“We petition for a broader order. We include Marissa as a co-conspirator. We request search warrants for devices.”
“Can they get warrants that fast?” I asked.
“After a knife, a break-in, and threats? Yes.”
David sat beside me.
Not touching.
Waiting for permission.
I hated how much I wanted his hand.
I also hated how much he had hidden.
Both feelings could exist.
That was the worst part.
By evening, police found Tiffany’s car abandoned three blocks from my apartment.
Inside were two burner phones.
A receipt from Bellmont.
A copy of my key.
And a printed floor plan of David’s townhouse.
Tiffany had been released on bail hours earlier.
Now she was gone.
Marissa was not answering calls.
Detective Alvarez moved us to a safe hotel.
Nathan arranged private security.
David finally spoke when we were alone.
“I should have told you everything.”
“Yes.”
“I was ashamed.”
“You should have trusted me more than your shame.”
He flinched.
Good.
He needed to.
Then I opened the velvet box.
Inside was a delicate gold necklace with a tiny sapphire pendant.
Beautiful.
Old.
Full of love from someone I had never met.
I closed the box.
“I can’t wear that tonight.”
“I know.”
“But I’m not leaving you tonight either.”
His eyes filled.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” I said. “Tomorrow, we fight.”
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered on speaker.
May you like
Tiffany’s voice smiled through the line.
“Did he tell you about the baby?”
