Chapter 4
The hotel manager gave us a private conference room.
Sarah sat on a couch.
Liam sat beside her, his head on her shoulder.
Ethan sat across from them.
I stood by the window.
I couldn’t bring myself to sit.
My wedding dress felt like a costume.
A lie.
“Tell me everything,” Ethan said.
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
Sarah took a deep breath.
She told him about college.
How they’d met in economics class.
How they’d fallen in love.
How she’d thought they’d spend their lives together.
Then she told him about Margaret.
The visits.
The threats.
The lies about Ethan cheating.
The fake obituary.
“I moved to a small town in Oklahoma,” she said. “I didn’t tell anyone where I was going. I was so ashamed. So heartbroken. I worked at a diner during the day and cleaned offices at night. I did everything I could to give Liam a good life.”
She stroked his hair.
“He’s a good boy. Smart. Kind. He’s always asked about his father. I told him his dad was in heaven. That he was watching over him. I thought I was protecting him.”
Tears fell from her eyes.
“Then three weeks ago, my best friend sent me that engagement announcement. I couldn’t believe it. I called the newspaper. They confirmed it. You were alive. You were getting married. I was angry. I was hurt. But mostly, I was relieved. Because that meant Liam still had a father.”
She looked at me.
“I’m so sorry, Claire. I never wanted to hurt you. I just didn’t have time to be polite. The doctors say the cancer is spreading fast. I could go any day now.”
Ethan stood up.
He paced the room.
“I don’t understand. Why didn’t you try to find me? After college, I looked for you. For months. My mom said you’d moved to Europe. That you’d gotten married. That you never wanted to see me again.”
Sarah shook her head.
“I wrote you letters. Dozens of them. I sent them to your parents’ house. Your mom must have intercepted them.”
Ethan stopped pacing.
He looked at his hands.
“All those years,” he whispered. “All that time wasted.”
He looked at Liam.
The boy was watching him with wide, hopeful eyes.
Ethan knelt in front of him.
“Liam, I need you to know something. I didn’t know about you. If I had, I would have been there. For every birthday. Every Christmas. Every first day of school. I would have been the best dad I could be.”
Liam nodded.
“Mom said you would have come if you knew.”
Ethan’s throat worked.
He pulled the boy into another hug.
I watched them.
My heart ached.
For Ethan.
For Sarah.
For Liam.
And for myself.
Because I knew, deep down, that nothing would ever be the same.
Ethan looked up at me.
“Claire, I—”
I held up a hand.
“Don’t. Not now.”
I turned to Sarah.
“What do you need? Right now.”
Sarah gave me a tired smile.
“Thank you. You’re a better woman than I would be in your position.”
She took a deep breath.
“I need to know Liam will be taken care of. That he’ll have a father who loves him. That he’ll have stability. A good home. Good schools. Everything I couldn’t give him.”
She looked at Ethan.
“I don’t want money. I don’t want anything for myself. I just want my son to be okay.”
Ethan nodded.
“He will be. I promise you. I’ll take care of him. I’ll give him everything.”
Sarah’s shoulders relaxed.
Like a weight had been lifted.
“Thank you.”
She started coughing again.
Worse this time.
I saw blood on her hand when she pulled it away.
Ethan was on his feet instantly.
“We need to get you to a hospital.”
Sarah shook her head.
“No hospitals. I’ve had enough of them. I just want to spend whatever time I have left with my son. And with you.”
She closed her eyes.
“I’m so tired.”
Liam squeezed her hand.
“Mom? Are you okay?”
Sarah opened her eyes.
She forced a smile.
“I’m okay, baby. Just resting my eyes.”
I looked at Ethan.
We both knew.
She didn’t have much time.
I walked over to the couch.
I sat down beside Sarah.
“Where are you staying?” I asked.
“At a motel on the edge of town.”
I shook my head.
“No. You’re coming home with me. With us. You need a comfortable bed. Good food. People to take care of you.”
Ethan looked at me.
Surprise.
Gratitude.
Something else I couldn’t name.
“Claire, you don’t have to—”
“I know I don’t. But I’m going to. She’s dying, Ethan. And Liam needs a place to stay. A real home. Not a motel room.”
I looked at Sarah.
“Pack your things. You’re coming with us.”
Sarah’s eyes filled with tears.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
I nodded.
I didn’t know what I was doing.
I didn’t know how I was going to handle having my fiancé’s ex-girlfriend and secret son living in my house.
Especially when she was dying.
But I knew one thing.
I couldn’t turn them away.
Not when they needed help so desperately.
I stood up.
My wedding dress was wrinkled.
Stained.
Ruined.
Just like my wedding day.
But as I looked at Liam’s hopeful face, at Sarah’s grateful smile, at Ethan’s tear-filled eyes…
May you like
I knew this was the right thing to do.
Even if it broke my heart.
