The pain in my abdomen had vanished completely this morning.

For the first time in months, I woke up with energy. I spent two hours in the kitchen roasting garlic and searing steaks, packing Shawn’s favorite lunch into an insulated container. I wanted to surprise him. I wanted to erase the tension from my birthday.

The executive floor of the corporate tower was dead quiet.

I bypassed the main reception area. Lisa’s desk sat empty outside the CEO’s office. Her computer monitor was dark.

I pushed the heavy oak door open. The main office was empty.

Muffled voices drifted from the private lounge attached to his suite. The door stood open just a crack.

"Fuck, Lisa. Spread your legs wider."

My hand froze on the leather handle of the lunchbox.

"Put your fucking fingers inside me, Shawn," a woman moaned.

The voice belonged to Lisa.

I pushed the lounge door all the way open.

Shawn had Lisa pinned against the edge of the mahogany conference table. Her pencil skirt was shoved up to her waist. His trousers were unzipped, hanging low on his hips. His hand pumped aggressively between her thighs, his thumb rubbing directly against her clit.

Lisa threw her head back, exposing her neck.

Then, she opened her eyes and saw me standing in the doorway.

She didn't push him away. She didn't scream.

A slow, victorious smirk spread across her lips. She arched her back, pressing her bare sex harder into his hand.

"When are you going to make this real, Shawn?" Lisa asked, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness.

Shawn buried his face in her neck, completely unaware of my presence. "I told you. Give it time."

"John is getting older," Lisa pushed, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "He asks about his daddy every day. When do my son and I get to step out of the shadows?"

My chest hollowed out.

John.

*Daddy, come here!*

"Just wait a little longer," Shawn groaned, his hips grinding against hers. "John is my fucking son. I won't mistreat you two. You'll get everything you deserve."

My fingers went numb.

The lunchbox slipped from my grip.

It hit the hardwood floor with a deafening crash. Glass shattered. Warm gravy and seared meat spilled across the polished oak planks.

Shawn spun around.

The color drained from his face instantly.

"Caroline," he gasped.

He yanked his hand away from Lisa's thighs and stumbled backward. He fumbled with his zipper, his fingers trembling wildly.

I stared at the mess on the floor.

"Care, it's not—" Shawn started, taking a step toward me.

"Don't touch me," I said. My voice sounded entirely hollow.

He stopped. "Listen to me. Just let me explain."

"Explain what?" I asked, lifting my chin to meet his panicked gaze. "Explain why you're fucking your secretary? Or explain why she just called a boy named John your son?"

Shawn swallowed hard. His chest heaved. "Care, please."

"The amusement park," I said. "The text message in the kitchen. It was all real."

"I was going to tell you," he pleaded.

"When?"

"After the merger. When the company was stable."

"So... all these years," I whispered, the crushing weight of the betrayal pressing down on my lungs. "All these years you told me you didn't want kids. You stood in front of your family and defended my broken body."

"I did that for you!" he shouted, desperate to regain control.

"You didn't do it because you loved me," I fired back. "You refused to have children with me because you already had them with her."

Lisa hopped down from the table. She casually smoothed out her skirt and buttoned her silk blouse. She didn't look the least bit ashamed.

"Caroline, did you really think a man would give up his own child for a sick woman?" Lisa asked.

Her words hit me like a physical blow.

"Shut your fucking mouth, Lisa!" Shawn roared, turning his fury on her.

"Why should I?" Lisa sneered. "She needs to hear the truth. You want an heir. You want a healthy family. She gave you nothing but hospital bills and pity."

"I said shut up!" Shawn lunged at her, grabbing her arm.

"Get your hands off me!" Lisa snapped, yanking her arm away. "You promised John we were going to be a real family. Are you going to lie to him, too?"

I watched them argue.

The man who spent nights sleeping in a hospital chair beside me. The man who kissed my forehead and swore I was his entire world.

A dry, unexpected laugh clawed its way up my throat.

It sounded like breaking glass.

Shawn snapped his attention back to me. "Care?"

"You pitied me," I said, the laughter dying on my lips. "You kept me around like a pet while you built a real life behind my back."

"That is a lie. I love you."

"You don't know what love is."

A sharp, violent cramp ripped through my abdomen.

The pain I thought had vanished returned with a vengeance. It flared hot and bright, radiating from my scarred liver straight into my chest.

My knees buckled.

"Caroline!" Shawn screamed.

He closed the distance between us just as I pitched forward. His arms wrapped around my waist, breaking my fall. We collapsed onto the floor together, right into the spilled food and shattered glass.

"Look at me," he begged, shaking my shoulders.

My vision narrowed into a dark tunnel. The edges of the room blurred.

"Call a fucking ambulance!" Shawn yelled over his shoulder.

My heart battered against my ribs, struggling to pump blood. The air in the room felt too thick to breathe. I clutched the lapel of his expensive suit, my fingernails digging into the fabric.

"You lied," I choked out, a metallic taste flooding my mouth.

"I'm sorry. I'm so fucking sorry," he sobbed, pressing his forehead against mine. "Stay with me, Care. Keep your eyes open."

I turned my head slightly.

Through the fading light, I saw Lisa standing over us. She looked down at my trembling body with absolute indifference.

"She finally knows," Lisa said.

The darkness swallowed the rest of the room, dragging me down into silence.