Chapter 1
452words
I wanted to surprise Marcus Morgan, my husband of three years.
I wanted our unborn child to witness this crowning achievement in his father's thirty-year journey.
Then I overheard him talking with his friend:
"You and Natalie have been secretly married for three years now. When the hell are you going to make it public?"
Marcus swirled his drink, his eyes darkening with annoyance.
"Things are fine as they are!" he snapped.
His friend's brow furrowed.
"Damn it, Marcus. You're not still hung up on Melanie Sinclair, are you?"
He said nothing, just took another long, sullen sip.
His friend let out a heavy sigh.
"I feel for Natalie. She probably has no clue you conned her out of a kidney to save Melanie."
"Poor woman still thinks that 800,000 went toward your dream of studying abroad."
"When all along, you used that money to follow Melanie overseas for her treatment."
I froze, unable to move a muscle.
Marcus knocked back the rest of his drink in one go.
"She's Melanie's half-sister—same father. Only her kidney would match Melanie's."
"But after what happened to her mother, she'd never willingly save Melanie."
His friend downed his own drink and grimaced.
"What you did to Natalie was cruel. She loved you enough to put her life in your hands."
"You tricked her into saving the one person her mother would have hated her to help. How could she ever face her mother's memory knowing that?"
His jaw tightened, a muscle twitching in his cheek.
"Look, I know I wronged her," he muttered. "But I've been making it up to her. Haven't I given her everything she wanted? She wanted marriage, so I married her."
His friend gave a bitter laugh.
"She wanted a public marriage, not to be your dirty little secret. Have you given her that?"
Marcus stared into his empty glass.
"That silence says it all. You've never truly accepted her."
"If you can't get over Melanie Sinclair, why string Natalie along? Just divorce her. You two work at the same company anyway—convenient, isn't it?"
Marcus slammed his glass down.
"What the hell are you talking about? Divorce has never crossed my mind."
His friend scoffed.
"Never thought about it? You keep Melanie at your side every damn day. Even for today's big moment, where's Natalie?"
"Anyone watching would think Melanie is your secret wife!"
Marcus shot him a look, signaled for another drink, and said coolly:
"Natalie doesn't care about this stuff. Besides, she has no idea Melanie works for me. And you'll keep it that way if you're really my friend."
