The second I opened the door,I heard a noise coming from the nursery—and my anger flare up.Beckett had renovated that room the moment he found out I was pregnant.He’d filled it with only the best.Every piece of furniture,every stuffed animal,every blanket—he picked them all out himself.For our baby.
And now he wanted to give that to Delaney?
Fury surged through me.I stormed down the hallway and swung the door open—only to find Delaney lying in the crib.
I yanked her up without thinking,rage burning in my chest.But before I could get a word out,Beckett grabbed my wrist and pulled me away from her.
“What is wrong with you?You act like a lunatic the second you walk in.”he snapped.But when he saw the tears in my eyes,he hesitated—his grip loosening just a little.
“Are you really giving her this room?”I asked,my voice raw and broken.
Beckett frowned.“Delaney said she likes it.It’s not a big deal if she stays here for a while.”
“Do you remember…”
“Enough,Evelyn!”he cut me off,irritated.“Everything you’ve done these past few days has been disappointing.If you keep acting like this,I’ll have to reconsider whether this marriage should even continue.”He paused,eyes cold.“You don’t want the baby inside you to be born without a father,do you?”
He was threatening me—with divorce.
Looking at his face,the side he always turned away when he was done with an argument,I felt the memories unravel.The promises,the whispered sweet nothings,all turning to ash in a matter of months.
He once said this room would always belong to our baby.He said he would treasure both of us for the rest of his life.
And yet here we were.
I didn’t say anything else.I turned around and walked out,numb.My hand instinctively cradled my belly,feeling the faint flutter of life inside me.
“Don’t worry,baby.We don’t need that room.I’ll make you a better one.”
Behind me,Beckett stood frozen,watching me walk away.That same flicker of guilt from the hospital flashed across his face again—sharp and quick,then buried.
But as Delaney called out to him from the nursery,he turned and walked back to her.
Later,when I was back in the master bedroom,my phone buzzed.I got a string of voice messages from Delaney.
I opened them one by one and hearing Beckett’s doting tone in the recordings,I realized all their past affection was just practice for Beckett.
He was practicing on me and our baby,all for the sake of Delaney’s child.
Every nourishing soup I drank,every gift I received for the baby,every parenting tip Beckett shared with me—it was all just practice for Delaney’s baby.
Even the nursery itself was prepared by Beckett for the child in Delaney’s womb.
I and the baby were just tools for Beckett’s rehearsal.He didn’t want Delaney to suffer through his learning curve,so I became the sacrifice.
I listened to the messages over and over,the pain swelling inside me until I laughed.Not because it was funny—because it hurt so much it pushed me over the edge.Everything I had been so proud of since the moment I got pregnant had been nothing but a lie.
Beckett’s tenderness toward my child?It didn’t even come close to what he showed Delaney and hers.
I clenched my phone so tightly my hand shook.It hurt to breathe.All I could do was whisper over and over to myself that it was okay.
It was okay.Because soon,we’d be free of him.
Just me and the baby.And we’d be just fine.
The baby kicked,like he could hear me.Like he understood.
I wrapped my arms around my belly and held it close.
I stayed that way for a long time,until I could finally breathe again.
After Delaney moved in,Beckett practically glued himself to her side.
And me?I stopped expecting anything from him the moment I saw the truth.
One night,as I walked downstairs to get some water,I heard her voice through the slightly open door of the guest room.
“Beckett,”she cooed,“I heard that Saint Christopher medal from your family works really well.The baby’s been keeping me up at night...could I borrow it for a while?”
The medal wasn’t just a piece of jewelry—it was a Shaw Family heirloom.A symbol that whoever wore it was the rightful Mrs.Shaw.Beckett had given it to me on our wedding day,clasped it around my neck himself.He said it would be mine forever—because there would never be another Mrs.Shaw.
His voice pulled me out of the memory.
Through the gap in the door,I saw him press a gentle kiss to her cheek and smile.“Of course.I’ll ask her for it.You can wear it as long as you want—at least until the baby’s born.”
A sharp pain stabbed through my chest.
I couldn’t even remember his exact promise anymore—but it didn’t matter.Because clearly,neither could he.
I took a step back,but the floor creaked under my foot.Beckett opened the door and found me standing there.He looked startled.Guilty,even.He stepped outside,pulled the door shut behind him and led me to a corner of the hallway.
“Evelyn...you heard that,didn’t you?”he asked hesitantly.
I didn’t say anything.
He hesitated again before speaking.“Delaney’s been having trouble sleeping.Do you think you could let her borrow the medal for a bit?”
I nodded slowly,but at that moment,a sharp pain twisted through my side.I winced and swallowed it down.
“I’ll give it to her,but on one condition.”
Beckett's face lit up like I’d just handed him the moon.He stepped toward me,ready to wrap me in a hug,but I took a step back before he could touch me.
Delaney’s scent was all over him—it made me want to gag.
“I’m glad you’re finally coming around,”he said with a relieved smile.“Once Delaney has the baby,I’ll give it back.Don’t worry—your place in this family isn’t going anywhere.”
So he did remember what the medal stood for.
“I don’t care if she never gives it back,”I said quietly.“I just need you to sign this.”
I turned and walked upstairs.
A minute later,I came back down with the divorce papers in hand,already flipped to the page where his signature was needed.
“There’s no need to be upset,”he said softly,like he was trying to soothe me.“Delaney’s not going to keep it forever.Like I said,I’ll return it once she has the baby.”
He signed the papers without even glancing at them.
As soon as I held the signed divorce papers in my hands,the storm inside me quieted.I never expected it would be this easy.
Beckett gave me a small smile.“I know I haven’t been there for you these past few months.Go ahead and buy whatever you want—I’ll take care of the bill.”
So that’s why he was so quick to sign.He thought this was just me angling for a shopping spree.
I unclasped the medal from around my neck and handed it to him,expressionless.
For a moment,he hesitated.But eventually,he took it and held it tight.
“Don’t worry.Once the baby’s born,it’ll be yours again,”he repeated,like he needed to convince himself.
But I didn’t care anymore.
“She can wear it for as long as she wants,”I said flatly.
Overcome with emotion,Beckett pulled me into a hug—I pushed him off immediately,but he didn’t seem to mind.He turned and walked straight back into Delaney’s room.
A second later,I heard her squealing with joy.
I just stood there,staring out the window.
Tomorrow was the day I’d leave.And this time,I wouldn’t hesitate.
