I shrugged, keeping my gaze fixed ahead. "Just needed some fresh air."

He nodded slowly before settling beside me, cradling a tiny baby wrapped snugly in a blue blanket.

"I hope you don’t mind me bringing him along," he said, offering a small smile. "He’s still too little to be left on his own."

I turned my head slightly, feigning curiosity as I regarded the sleeping infant. "Whose baby is this?" My tone was deliberately flat.

Archie hesitated before finally answering, "An acquaintance’s… He couldn’t take care of him, so I was considering adopting him."

I glanced at him then, arching a brow. "Adopt him?"

He nodded, his expression growing serious. "Yes, Wendy. His name is Zac. I know losing our baby was devastating for you. I felt it too." His voice softened, as though he were carefully choosing his words. "But maybe this is a second chance for us. We could raise him together—as our own child."

I looked at the baby, then back at him. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

"Yes," Archie said with quiet conviction. "He needs a family, Wendy. And I think we could be good parents to him."

I suppressed the cold smile that threatened to form on my lips. Did he really think I wouldn’t see through this? That I would blindly accept a child—his child—without questioning its origins? How stupid did he think I was?

I let out a soft sigh, pretending to waver. "I don’t know, Archie… Adopting a child is a big decision. I need time to think."

His expression softened, as though he truly believed I was considering it. "I understand. I don’t want to pressure you," he said gently. "But I do think this could be a new beginning for us."

A new beginning.

I lowered my gaze, masking the chill in my heart behind a thoughtful façade. If he thought I would fall for his game, he was sorely mistaken.

Sunday

The towering glass façade of Ravenwood Law reflected the golden hues of the late afternoon sun as

I stood before it, my resolve solidified. Today, I was filing for divorce from Archie Knight.

I stared at the entrance, my breath steady yet weighted. For too many years, I had allowed myself to be a fool, trapped in a marriage that had been nothing more than a carefully constructed illusion. But no more. If Archie had chosen his path with Claire, then I would carve out my own.