He Built Two Families, I Was Only Half of One

n "Family Day" picni

it, all the forced s

been surprisingly i

ia. For appearance

as plausible

Mia kne

verwhelming u

know for sure, with her o

ate, slipping

s, employees of Hayes Corp, thei

d, her heart a cold

he hea

ter, clear

moving like a ghost th

n she s

Jessi

oak tree, slightly apa

ead out, a basket ov

like a per

, swinging Leo up

elight, his small hands

em, her face soft with

ted Leo's cap, her finge

intimate

her, a private

Jessica laughed, lean

were

te, lovi

large hedge, the sounds of

cheerful music – it all seemed t

wed to this single,

ausea washe

nto fists, nails dig

like lead, roo

move, could

her, so happy, so natur

ble suspicion, every ugl

st a mistake,

other life Etha

ere he wa

he loved an

t didn't i

d a path down her c

other to wip

y in her heart now, a ble

riage w

nd was a

ked away, blindly,

scape the suffocating reali

e, the city lights blur

and empty, a mausoleum

hat evening, he was humming

ing her lightly on the cheek. "Your f

t one of his colleagues, a fu

n silence, her

onate gestures, they were li

t know s

ng the doting father, the loving part

ade was

Leo there?" Mia asked, he

ust for a fract

it. Poor kid still misses his dad, you kno

t meet h

taking off his jac

s so practice

ger, cold and sharp, b

for the confron

too big, too

o look at him, unable to

bedroom, the silence he

a called her bes

r since college. Chloe h

alk to you," Mia sa

story. The park, Leo, the

ned in stun

hed, there was

hesitant. "Ethan? Ethan Miller? It just... it doesn'

hear

ef. Dis

n't reconcile the Ethan she knew

. I have proof.

weakly. "A misunderstanding. Ethan is a g

on was a fresh

reality so different from

r desk. Her wedding day. Ethan smi

he had

o seemed like

ll, a hollow fee

g, Ethan wa

lankly at the city lights, when she h

at it. A mes

Can you come? He

lood ra

ediate

er, Ethan walked

te. Client di

t looke

, a slight frown creasing his

Mia said, he

n fr

mposure slipped. She

it was

he asked, his voice

ds you. He's aski

e air between them,

d at her, h

outh to speak,

and throug

's compl

ed, her voice de

then walked to

go. I'll ex

n't lo

ched hi

anything but a deep, aching sa

Gone to his

eal f

n the vast, opu

about thei

ismissive of the intense, ambitious scho

s pursuit. His ch

n down her

rmidable father, Mr. Hayes,

believed

champi

Hayes Corporation's network, to open door

d build him u

as how he

ies. A sec

l of everything sh

love, now lay in

began to repl

olve formed

ictim. She would not

her phone, h

r David King, the Hayes

d friend. Sh

e needed to t

deep breath

was t

d make s

study and turned

the silence as the divorce pape

led her

p her voice even. "I need to t

n. She kept the initial explanation

silent for a

ommanding, was softer. "Mia, honey, what

his immediate co

s starte

them fall as she

sica. The ye

stened in st

hed, his voice

ia. I promise you. You have my full, u

titude, a small measure

k you

ing right now. He'll

en though he c

rinted the divo

pride in his voice. "Good

n the papers, her sig