Chapter 2: The Child I Never Knew Existed
For several seconds, I couldn't move.
A child.
My husband had a child.
And I was hearing about him for the first time in my best friend's living room.
"How old?"" I whispered.
Marcus stared at the floor.
"Seven months.""
I let out a small, disbelieving laugh.
"Seven months?""
"Please let me explain.""
"Seven months, Marcus?""
He nodded.
I looked toward Vanessa.
She was crying so hard that her shoulders were shaking.
"Did you know?"" I asked her.
She didn't answer.
"Vanessa, did you know my husband had a baby?""
She nodded.
I stepped backward.
"How long?""
"Since before he was born.""
My mouth fell open.
"Before he was born?""
Vanessa reached toward me.
I moved away.
"Don't touch me.""
"I wanted to tell you.""
"When? At the baby's first birthday? When I accidentally bumped into him at the grocery store?""
"Please, I was trying to protect you.""
I stared at her.
"Protect me from what? The truth?""
Marcus stepped between us.
"Vanessa didn't have anything to do with the baby.""
I turned toward him.
"Then why is there a bedroom in her house that looks like your second home?""
He rubbed his face.
"Because I've been staying here sometimes.""
"Sometimes?""
"When things got difficult.""
I felt my throat tighten.
"What things?""
He hesitated.
"Rebecca and I have a complicated situation.""
I stared at him.
"You're married to me. What situation could possibly be complicated?""
He sat down and pressed his hands together.
"Rebecca and I were involved before I met you.""
The room became completely silent.
I slowly lowered the sweater onto the couch.
"Before you met me?""
"Yes.""
"How long?""
"A few months.""
I remembered the beginning of our relationship.
Marcus had always told me that he had been single for almost a year before we met.
He'd said his previous relationship had ended peacefully.
He'd even introduced me to his mother as the first woman he'd ever seriously considered marrying.
"Why didn't you tell me about her?""
"Because it was over.""
"Apparently not.""
He looked up.
"Rebecca contacted me last year.""
I folded my arms.
"And you decided to start another relationship with her?""
"No.""
"Then how did she end up pregnant?""
Marcus opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
Vanessa finally spoke.
"He wasn't seeing her when she got pregnant.""
I turned toward her.
"Why are you defending him?""
"I'm not.""
"Then stop answering questions for him!""
Vanessa wiped her face.
"Rebecca was already pregnant when she contacted him. She told him the baby might be his.""
"Might be?""
Marcus nodded.
"She wasn't sure at first.""
I stared at him.
"And you waited seven months to tell me?""
"I wanted to be certain.""
"How?""
He looked down.
"I did a DNA test.""
My heart sank.
"When?""
"After the baby was born.""
"And?""
He didn't answer.
I felt the room closing in around me.
"Marcus, what did the test say?""
He finally looked at me.
"He's mine.""
I sat down.
Not because I wanted to.
Because my legs suddenly couldn't hold me.
For years, I'd imagined having children with Marcus.
We'd discussed names, nursery colors, and the kind of parents we wanted to become.
I'd spent months trying to convince him that we were ready.
He always had a reason to wait.
First, it was money.
Then his business.
Then the house renovation.
Then the timing.
Every time I brought it up, he kissed my forehead and said, "Soon, sweetheart.""
Meanwhile, he had another woman carrying his child.
A child he knew about.
A child he had already held.
A child whose existence he'd carefully hidden from me.
"Why?"" I whispered.
Marcus moved closer.
"Because I didn't know how to tell you.""
I looked at him.
"That's your explanation?""
"I was afraid of losing you.""
I laughed bitterly.
"You thought hiding a whole human being was going to save our marriage?""
He lowered his head.
"I made a mistake.""
"No. You made hundreds of decisions. You made a decision to meet her. You made a decision to hide the pregnancy.
You made a decision to take a DNA test. You made a decision to visit your son. And every single time, you came home and looked me in the eyes.""
He started crying.
I didn't.
I was too shocked to cry.
"Where is Rebecca now?""
"She lives across town.""
"Does she know about me?""
He nodded.
"Of course she does.""
I stared at him.
"Of course?""
"She knows we're married.""
"And she's comfortable with you coming here?""
Marcus glanced at Vanessa.
That glance was enough.
I slowly turned toward my best friend.
"Why does he stay here?""
Vanessa looked down.
"Because Rebecca lives close to my house.""
I frowned.
"What?""
"Marcus comes here before visiting her. Sometimes he leaves his car in my driveway and takes another car.""
I felt sick.
"You helped him hide his visits?""
Vanessa began shaking her head.
"I didn't understand how bad things had become at first.""
"But you knew.""
"Yes.""
"And you let me sit here, drinking coffee with you, telling you about my marriage while you knew my husband was having a child with another woman?""
Vanessa buried her face in her hands.
"I'm sorry.""
I stood up.
"Don't.""
She looked at me.
"Don't what?""
"Don't apologize as if this is something you forgot to do. You knew exactly what you were doing.""
Marcus grabbed his car keys from the table.
"We need to go home and talk privately.""
I stared at him.
"Home?""
"Yes. We can figure this out.""
"What exactly are we figuring out? Whether I'm supposed to become stepmother to a child you hid from me?""
"He's innocent.""
"I know he's innocent!""
My voice broke.
"He's the only innocent person in this entire room!""
Marcus looked stunned.
For a moment, I saw the man I had married.
The man who used to leave handwritten notes in my lunch bag.
The man who drove four hours through a snowstorm when my mother was hospitalized.
The man who once promised that he would never give me a reason to doubt him.
I wondered whether those memories had been real.
Or whether I'd simply been in love with someone who was very good at pretending.
I picked up my handbag.
"I'm leaving.""
Marcus followed me toward the door.
"Wait.""
"Don't follow me.""
"Please, listen. There's something else you need to understand.""
I stopped.
"What now?""
He hesitated.
"Rebecca isn't asking me for money.""
I stared at him.
"Why would I care?""
"Because she wants something else.""
"What?""
He glanced at Vanessa.
My best friend looked terrified.
"She wants to be part of our family," he whispered.
I frowned.
"Your family?""
"Our family.""
I laughed.
"Marcus, you already have a family. Apparently, you've been building one without me.""
He shook his head.
"She wants us to raise the baby together.""
I felt my blood run cold.
"Together?""
"She thinks it would be better for the child.""
I stared at him.
"And what do you think?""
He didn't answer quickly enough.
That was when I realized something.
He hadn't simply hidden his son from me.
He had been considering a future that included Rebecca, the baby, and me.
A future in which I was expected to accept everything and ask no questions.
I opened the front door.
Behind me, Vanessa whispered my name.
I didn't turn around.
I walked to my car, got inside, and locked the doors.
My hands shook so badly that I struggled to insert the key.
Then my phone rang.
The caller ID showed an unknown number.
I almost ignored it.
But something made me answer.
"Hello?""
A woman's voice came through.
"Is this Emily?""
"Yes. Who is this?""
There was a brief silence.
Then she spoke.
"My name is Rebecca. Marcus told me you might find out today.""
My heart began pounding.
"Find out what?""
She took a breath.
"About our son.""
I gripped the steering wheel.
"What do you want from me?""
"I think you deserve to know the whole truth.""
I closed my eyes.
"I've heard enough.""
"No, Emily. You haven't.""
Her voice suddenly became firmer.
"Marcus told you that the baby is seven months old, didn't he?""
"Yes.""
"Then he told you something that isn't true.""
My stomach dropped.
"What are you talking about?""
Rebecca was silent for a moment.
May you like
Then she said something that made me forget how to breathe.
"Your husband has been lying about our son's age because the truth would reveal exactly when he started sleeping with me.""
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