The Day I Left Him, I'm DoneChapter 1
The phone rang from an unknown number as I slipped on my coat. I almost let it go to voicemail, but something made me answer.
A flat voice said, “Your child didn’t die because there was no heart transplant. The heart was given to Lorenzo—because he is Nathan’s son with your stepsister Amber.”
The line went dead. I stood frozen, the words landing like a blow. Lorenzo. Amber. Nathan. My stomach dropped. For a moment I thought it was a cruel prank. Then my hands started to shake.
Nathan texted: Dinner’s off. Business emergency. Sorry, Em. We’ll reschedule.
Normally I would have believed him and moved on. This time, I couldn’t. The stranger’s words were a splinter under my skin. The idea that my child’s heart had been given to someone else—someone with Nathan’s name—ignited something cold and furious inside me.
I told the driver to take me to his office instead of the restaurant. If he really had a business emergency, I would find him there. If he was lying, I would see it on his face.
The company lobby smelled of lemon polish and money. Mr. Santos met me with that careful expression servants wear when they don’t know how to lie. “Madam,” he said quietly, “Mr. Nathan left earlier. He went out with Miss Amber. They were seen leaving for the port.”
The port. The word landed like a punch. I didn’t think. I ran.
The yacht was lit and loud, a pocket of other people’s joy. I stayed in the shadows and watched. Nathan stood close to Amber—closer than he ever had to me in private. Her laugh was sharp; his hand rested on her back the way it should have rested on mine. His voice was low and easy, the kind of voice that kills trust slowly.
“Are you sure she won’t come?” Amber asked, like she was practicing worry. “What if she finds out you canceled to be with me?”
Nathan smiled as if naming the truth was a joke he alone understood. “She won’t. She always believes me. She’s gullible because she loves me. The only reason I married her was because of our parents. If only you were the legitimate one, it would have been different.”