Chapter 1

It was 2:00 am when Kayla George was jolted awake by a sharp pain in her lower abdomen. After reaching over to the other side of the bed, she felt nothing but cold sheets. That was when it hit her—Jonah Simpson still wasn't home. The cramps were getting worse, so she grabbed her phone with shaking hands and dialed Jonah's number. It rang and rang before someone finally picked up. But before Kayla could get a word in, a lady's voice came through the line. "Hey, Kayla, Jonah's already asleep. If it's not urgent, talk to him tomorrow. I'm hanging up now." "Wait. Please, hold on—" Every word was agony. Her stomach felt like it was being torn apart, but the lady on the other end of the line didn't wait. She hung up. Kayla tried calling again. This time, the line was dead—his phone was off. Her breathing turned frantic. Her whole body was trembling from the overwhelming pain, and tears streamed uncontrollably down her face. She didn't want to die. She was only 26. She still had her parents, and she still had Jonah. Barely conscious, she forced herself to call 911. Then, she dragged herself to the living room and somehow managed to unlock the front door. Just before she blacked out, she heard the sound of the ambulance echoing through the neighborhood. The doctors gave her an initial diagnosis—ectopic pregnancy. Emergency surgery was her only option. They needed to reach a family member, but Jonah was still unreachable. "Do you have anyone else we can call?" a nurse asked, looking at Kayla with genuine sympathy. Kayla's face had gone ashen. Kayla gave a faint smile and shook her head. Her parents didn't live in Jolsa. Even if they caught the earliest flight, they wouldn't make it until the next afternoon. Besides, her mom had a weak heart—this kind of news could be too much for her. Her best friend, Sarah Calton, lived nearby. But Sarah was full-term and could go into labor at any minute. Kayla didn't want to put her out. "I'll sign the consent form myself," she said quietly. … The doctors operated on Kayla through the night. When she woke up, it was already late morning. A caregiver noticed she was awake and quickly brought her a cup of warm water. "Ms. George, thank God you're up. You don't even know how close it was. The doctor said the pregnancy was in a really dangerous spot. If you'd waited any longer… They might not have been able to save you." Kayla reached for her stomach, feeling both grief and emptiness. She and Jonah had been trying for two years. And now, after finally getting pregnant, it had ended like this. While clutching her phone, tears spilled down her cheeks again. The entire night had passed, and not a single call or text from Jonah. The baby was gone. And as the father of the baby, Jonah had a right to know. So, Kayla dialed his number. This time, he actually took the call himself. "Honey, I—" "Kayla, I know I've been kind of distant lately, but I'm seriously exhausted. Ms. White had a reaction yesterday and wasn't doing well. Look—nothing is going on between Lily and me. She's just a sister to me, okay? She's not a threat to our marriage. Can you stop overreacting already?" His voice was laced with frustration. Kayla didn't even know what to say. She just held the phone to her ear, stunned into silence. After a few seconds, Jonah spoke again. "Are you gonna say something, Kayla?" "I... I had an ectop—" Before she could finish, she heard another voice in the background—Lily Jenner, sounding panicked and on the verge of tears. "Jonah! Come check on my mom!" "I gotta go." Just like that, the call ended. Kayla stared at the ceiling. Her eyes were swollen and reddened, and once again soaked with tears. Eight years—she'd been with Jonah for eight years. They survived the pressure of senior year and pushed through a long-distance relationship all throughout college. Two years ago, they finally tied the knot. They'd promised to build a future together, to bring a baby into the world together. But now, after just three months of his childhood neighbor moving back, she was suddenly the jealous, dramatic wife in his eyes. Kayla scoffed. As she covered her face with both hands, she cried and laughed at the same time.