Chapter 13 - Chicago

Nathan answered before the second ring.

"Tell me about Chicago."

He went quiet.

Emma hated the silence immediately.

"Nathan."

"Olivia came to my room."

Emma closed her eyes.

"When?"

"Last November. After the investor dinner."

"And?"

"She kissed me."

The hospital room seemed to tilt.

"Did you kiss her back?"

"For a second. Yes."

Emma stopped breathing.

Nathan's voice shook. "I ended it. I told her to leave. I never touched her again."

"You lied to me."

"Yes."

"All those times I asked if anything happened—"

"I lied."

Emma's eyes filled with tears.

"Why?"

"Because I was a coward. Because I wanted to believe stopping after one kiss meant I hadn't become the man I was terrified of becoming."

"You let me think I was paranoid."

"I know."

"No, you don't."

Her monitor began beeping faster.

Priya entered, saw Emma's face, and pointed at the phone.

"Whatever this is, it can wait."

Emma ended the call.

For two days, she did not speak to Nathan.

He did not chase her.

Then an envelope arrived through Grace.

Inside was Nathan's written statement for the forensic investigators.

He had disclosed the kiss.

At the end he had written:

I concealed the Chicago incident from my wife. That concealment contributed to her believing her instincts were unreliable. I accept responsibility for that harm.

Emma cried harder reading the confession than she had hearing the truth.

Because the lie was ugly.

But the honesty cost him something.

Three weeks later, Emma was discharged on strict restrictions.

She returned to Harbor Light Books.

Nathan sent one message every Friday.

No pressure to answer.

I hope you and the baby are safe.

Nothing more.

Emma began therapy.

Nathan did too.

She knew because Eleanor told her once, then never mentioned it again.

At thirty-four weeks, Emma finally wrote back.

If you still want to talk, Friday. 4 PM. Harbor Light Books. Come alone.

Nathan arrived at 3:42.

He stood across the street in the rain for eighteen minutes because Emma had said four.

At exactly four, he opened the bookstore door.

Emma was waiting beside the window.

Her stomach was round now.

Nathan's eyes filled instantly.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi."

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