Chapter 1

Seven years into my marriage, I discovered my husband had a six-year-old son.

I hid behind the kindergarten slide, watching Alexander bend down to pick up a little boy, laughing and playing with him.

“Daddy, you haven't visited me in ages.”

My husband ruffled the boy's hair. "Be good, Leo. Daddy's busy with work, but you have to listen to your mommy, okay?"

My world imploded. I froze, my mind going utterly blank.

Daddy? Mommy?

The two figures, one large, one small, shared a striking seven-tenths resemblance.

Everything screamed that the man who'd sworn to love me for eternity had been cheating on me all along!

We had grown up together, our love a story whispered through the years.

I'd taken a knife for him, a wound that cost me our unborn child and left me infertile forever.

Back then, Alexander had knelt beside me, his eyes red-rimmed, saying, "I don't care about children, Eleanor. I only need you!"

His trembling voice still echoed in my ears, but the scene before me now ground those vows into dust!

I stumbled backward, my heart feeling like it was being sliced into a thousand pieces by a sharp blade, bleeding profusely.

I couldn't bear to look anymore. I was terrified I'd rush over and confront Alexander, even more terrified I'd make a pathetic fool of myself, weeping and despised.

I turned and fled.

Outside the kindergarten, my best friend, Serena, had been waiting for me. Seeing my pale face, she rushed out of the car. "Ellie, what happened? Max said you forgot something and went back to get it. What's going on?"

Max was Serena's son. She had insisted I accompany her to his parent-teacher conference today.

My face was ashen, tears welling in my eyes. "Serena, help me find someone."

"Who?"

"Alexander…" My throat tightened, and I spoke in a hoarse voice. "He has a son."