Awakening the Hawthorne Name

As I was planning my return to work after having our baby, I stumbled upon two VIP passes to the Emberglow Music Festival in California in my husband Cole's study.

My heart leaped with joy, certain it was a surprise he had prepared for our wedding anniversary.

However, on the day of our anniversary, he told me his company was holding an emergency tech summit in Austin and that he had to leave on a business trip immediately.

A knot of pure dread tightened in my stomach. That night, while scrolling through my phone, I saw an Instagram Story a friend had forwarded me.

In the video, his college love, Sienna Vance, was passionately kissing Cole inside a VIP tent at the music festival, the music thundering in the background. The video was captioned:

"Under the Emberglow stars. Some things are just meant to be. #reunited #truelove"

I didn't tearfully call and scream at him. Instead, I calmly walked into the nursery, gazed down at my sleeping daughter, and then picked up my phone.

"Dad, I'm ready. I'm taking over the West Coast project."

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1

Cole Prescott walked in the door, beaming, only to find my suitcase already packed.

He froze, his smile faltering. "Claire, what are you doing?"

Without looking up, I replied, "I'm going to my father's place in New York for a few days."

Surprise flickered in his eyes. He pulled a small box containing a designer silk scarf from his pocket, opened it, and draped it over my shoulders before wrapping his arms around me.

"I've been slammed with work lately, and I even missed our anniversary. I'm so sorry, honey."

"Mm."

My reply was flat. Cole stared at me. When I didn't press him for details, his expression grew uneasy.

In the past, I would have pestered him endlessly, demanding an explanation until I was satisfied.

I had always thought that if I ever caught Cole cheating, I would fall apart—I’d cry, I’d scream. I never imagined I would be this calm.

When I saw those two passes in his study a few days ago, I was ecstatic.

I thought that maybe Cole wasn't so clueless after all—that he still knew how to make me feel cherished, especially after everything my body had been through to have our baby.

Wasn't he supposed to care about me?

I had been quietly anticipating his surprise, even planning our California trip a day ahead.

But as night fell, he never came home.

The next day, just as the music festival should have been hitting its crescendo, I finally received a text from him.

"Emergency summit here in Austin. We'll talk when I get back."

And just like that, it all clicked. The trip was never for me.

He had completely forgotten our wedding anniversary.

I glanced at the California road trip itinerary I’d saved on my phone.

Now, it felt like a cruel joke.

Just then, my phone pinged. A friend had sent me Sienna's post.

Her location tag? A VIP tent at the Emberglow Music Festival in California.

In the video, the two of them were holding each other tightly, kissing. The caption read: "Under the Emberglow stars. Some things are just meant to be. #reunited #truelove"

A humorless laugh escaped my lips.

So the cliché was true. A man never really gets over his first love, does he?

As I was stewing, Cole sauntered into the kitchen. He opened the fridge and his face tightened. "Did you order takeout again? Claire, we've talked about this. I don't like greasy food."

Ever since I learned Cole didn't like it, I had all but given up takeout—along with my beloved spicy food and street snacks.

For so many years, I was always the one to compromise. But after seeing that video, something inside me finally snapped.

Why was I bending over backward for a man who didn't even love me?

Just then, our baby started to cry. I scooped her up, intending to go to the bedroom and prepare her bottle.

Before I could leave, Cole stepped in front of me, blocking my path.