Chapter 1

My husband drove our divorced neighbor’s son to preschool every single morning, rain or shine.

At first, I didn't mind. She was a single mom raising a kid on her own—giving them a ride along the way seemed like a harmless favor.

But before long, she started calling him for everything.

A leaky pipe? Call him. A burnt-out bulb? Call him. Grocery run on the weekend? Call him down to carry her bags up the stairs.

It happened more and more often. She even called him in the middle of the night just because a circuit breaker tripped.

Tonight, while my husband was in the shower, his phone buzzed again.

Another message from her, asking him to come over right away.

I threw on a coat and walked across the hallway myself.

I pressed the doorbell. The second it cracked open, her sweet voice drifted out:

"I’ve been waiting for you forever. I went to the clinic today... and I'm definitely pregnant."

Then she looked up and saw me.

The smile on her face froze instantly.

Instinctively, she tried to slam the door shut.

I thrust my hand out against the doorframe, my knuckles turning white from the force.

"Don't be in such a rush to close it."

My gaze drifted past her shoulder, scanning the entryway.

Two picture frames sat right on top of the shoe console.

One showed her and Logan. He was wearing that navy blue button-down I had bought him for his birthday. Her arm was looped tightly around his, her cheek practically glued to his shoulder.

The other one was even worse. Their foreheads were pressed together, grinning like two people madly in love.

My eyes slowly dropped to her stomach.

Noticing my gaze, she immediately covered her belly with both hands and took a half-step back.

"Who... who are you?"

Her voice trembled, but she didn't dare meet my eyes.

I let out a soft laugh.

"Who am I?"

I pointed at the photo behind her.

"The man in that picture is my husband. So, who do you think I am?"

All the color drained from her face.

"You... you must have the wrong person. I don't know—"

"You don't know him? Then why the hell is his picture on your counter?"

I cut her off sharply, enunciating every single word.

Her lips quivered, but nothing came out.

My phone began to vibrate in my pocket.

The caller ID flashed: Husband.

I answered and hit speakerphone.

"Zoe, where'd you go? I came out of the shower and you weren't in the living room."

Logan's voice came through loud and clear.

"I'm right across the hall," I said, my voice shockingly calm. "Guess what? I just heard some wonderful news."

There was a brief pause on the other end.

"What news?"

"Congratulations. You're going to be a father."

Dead silence fell over the line.

Barely fifteen seconds later, our apartment door was yanked open.

Logan bolted into the hallway barefoot, his hair dripping wet, the collar of his t-shirt soaked through.

He saw me standing in Chloe's doorway. Then he saw the woman behind the door, clutching her belly.

"Zoe, let me explain—"

"Explain what?"

I slid my phone back into my pocket and crossed my arms.

"Go ahead. I'm all ears."

His mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water.

Behind him, Chloe burst into tears, letting out tiny, high-pitched sobs.

"Logan, I'm so sorry... I didn't know it was her, I swear I didn't know..."

Logan glanced back at her. The tender, protective look in his eyes made my stomach violently churn.

He was actually hurting for her.

"Zoe, let's just go inside and talk, okay? Please, don't stand out in the hall."

He reached out to grab my arm.

I stepped back, dodging his touch.

"Don't touch me."

I turned around and walked toward our front door.

Chloe's tearful voice echoed behind me.

"Logan, I'm so sorry, it's all my fault... I shouldn't have opened the door..."

Then came Logan's hushed whisper. He kept it low, but I heard every word.

"It's not your fault. Stop crying, it's bad for the baby. Go back inside and rest. I'll check on you later."