Open Marriage, Broken Promises: When Love Turns to Ashes novel Chapter 23

Then he lifted his gaze to Emily.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Emily stared at them.

Then, in a slow, measured voice,

"James, you really screwed up this time."

Pregnant?

What?

James looked down at Lily, confused.

Lily gripped his shirt, tears streaming down her face.

"James, I'm having your baby! And Emily—she tried to kill me because of it!"

Her words rang out, loud and clear.

A challenge.

A declaration.

The partygoers weren't even trying to be subtle now.

Forget the dull dinner—this was way more entertaining.

James felt his whole body go cold.

He looked up.

Emily was standing above them, watching.

Not angry.

Not crying.

Just… detached.

Like none of this had anything to do with her.

Like he was just another stranger.

His grip on Lily loosened slightly.

For the first time, an uneasy feeling settled deep in his chest.

He was losing Emily.

For real.

James' fingers twitched.

Lily nearly slipped from his grasp.

Panicked, she clung onto him.

Her voice wavered, desperate.

"James, you've always wanted a baby, haven't you? What does it matter if it's me or her?"

Emily tilted her head slightly.

"Oh, yeah," she mused.

"Anyone can have your kid, right?"

A simple sentence.

Soft. Careless.

And yet—