Jacob POV With last night’s love-making still imprinted on my body, I get up at the crack of dawn. Careful not to wake Emily, I get dressed in the dim light of the rising sun. I then make the long drive to the Hamptons. With the city still asleep, I have the road to myself and it doesn’t take me long to get out there. My father, the early riser that he is, meets me on the front porch. “Jacob? I wasn’t expecting you here,” he says and embraces me. I smile at him and say, “Well, actually—” “You’ve come to see Charlotte,” he says with a weary voice. “No, Dad, I’ve come to see you,” I say. He’s surprised and then smiles. “Oh, okay then. Come inside and I’ll get Martha to brew us a fresh pot of coffee.” I follow him inside. The house is quiet. I don’t know for the life of me why he doesn’t just sell it. It’s just him and Charlotte in this place, and it’s much too big for just the two of them. He disappears into the kitchen and then comes back with two steaming mugs of coffee. The
Nancy POV This isn’t the life I imagined for myself. When I was younger, my mom used to constantly remind me that I’d amount to nothing. When she happened upon my gift of using the power of persuasion to my advantage, she jumped on it. Being the silly girl I was, and desperate for her approval, I went along with her plans to trick willing victims out of their money. I didn’t know at the time that she was just using me—I was just another pawn on her chess board. After years of scamming and hustling people, I grew tired of her ways. Instead of splitting our profits equally, she’d skim a little off the top for me and take the rest for herself. Blinded by our supposed mother-daughter bond, I went along with it… Until Jessica happened. I must have been about eighteen years old. My mother and my father had just gone through a terrible divorce. He never cared much for me, so the split didn’t affect me in any way. Sometimes, I think his disdain towards me stemmed from the suspicion that I
Charlotte POV Since returning from my much-needed break in Arizona, I can’t say I’m happy to be home. Matthew has taken to wandering around the estate like a ghost, completely ignoring me. As for Jacob, after our confrontation, he’s been AWOL. One would think he’d at least have the courtesy to welcome me back home. But apparently I don’t even warrant a “hello.” I blame it on his generation—they’ve forgotten where they’ve come from, choosing to forge their own paths rather than stay closer to home. Surprisingly, Matthew joined me for breakfast this morning. “So lovely for you to join me this morning,” I say, ridicule dripping from my voice. He looks at me. “I take it you enjoyed your trip?” “Yes, it was lovely. But as they say, there’s no place like home,” I add. “Anything happen in my absence?” “Nothing you need to worry about,” he says and pours himself a cup of coffee. “And how are Jacob and Nancy’s wedding plans coming along?” I ask. He coughs up his coffee, most of it spl
Emily POV The incandescent lights of the drugstore throw a pale light over the shop shelves, making everything appear dirty and past their sell-by dates. It took me two weeks to make it here. Two weeks of incessant bouts of nausea and lightheadedness. At first, I thought it was the supposed tummy bug still working its way out of my system, but how could it take that long for my body to get rid of it? Another thing I can’t fathom is the involuntary muscle spasms I’ve been getting. They occur at the most unexpected times and I have no way of controlling them. The other day, while taking Liam to the park, I lost my balance and fell in the pathway. It’s like I’m overcome with a sense of inertia, and I lose the coordination to do basic things like walking or just sitting down. Flashbacks to the night before Jacob asked me to marry him are constant reminders that we didn’t use protection. We’re always so careful. On that one occasion, we just forgot. Standing in the feminine hygiene ai
Emily POV There are moments in your life that you remember crystal clear, like a movie playing in your head. You remember where you were, what you wore, and even the smell that was in the air. This is one of those moments. Standing with Nancy in full confrontation mode, I am ready to pounce like a tiger, willing to rip her to shreds. It may be the pregnancy hormones coursing through my veins or the fact that I’ve had enough of her drama. The only thing going through my head is to get her the fuck out of this place, even if it’s by force. “Nancy, I’m not going to ask you again to leave,” I say, walking to the door. “But don’t you want to know the rest of what I have to say?” she asks, an innocent look on her face. Shouting at her, I say, “No, I want you to get out. Now.” “Tut-tut, Emily. Come, let me show you,” she says and starts walking up the stairs towards Jacob’s bedroom. Following behind her, I’m losing my patience. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” She walks ove
Emily POV My body is rigid. All I feel is the coolness of the floor against my face. The apartment is silent, a sign that Jacob and Liam haven’t returned yet. I have no idea how long I’ve been passed out. When I look through Jacob’s bedroom window, the sun is setting in the sky. It takes me a while to move, my joints aching from being in this position for a while. Somehow I must have tripped, lost my balance and fallen on my head. I put my hand on the part of my scalp where it hurts and feel a bump. How did I get here? And then I remember my confrontation with Nancy. The black and white photo of Jacob and Jocasta when they were kids is still on the bed, a reminder that Nancy was right all along—I can’t compete with the memory of a ghost. I sit on Jacob’s bed with the photo in my hand, wondering if I close my eyes long enough, this will all go away. But when I open them again, there it is. The truth in black and white. I tell myself not to jump to conclusions; it’s just a photo.
Jacob POV This is not how I wanted Emily to find out. The anguish in her voice tells me I might have blown my last chance with her. How could I have been so foolish to hold onto that photo? There was no way I could explain the meaning behind it to Emily, not over the phone. And now that I might have the whole picture, it makes it that much harder. “Mr Collin, I have the results you requested,” says a short, freckled man with a lab coat on. I take an unmarked envelope from him. “Thanks Scott, I really appreciate you fast-tracking this,” I say. “And could you bill this to my personal account and not the hospital’s?” He nods in response and walks away. I don’t want any of it to show on Sacred Heart’s records. It would only raise suspicions and right now, I can’t have anyone knowing about this. That day with Thaddeus and Emily, a thought dawned on me. All I needed was a strand of hair from each of them. With Emily, it was simple—while she was showering one morning, I plucked some
Emily POV Going through Jacob’s address book, Ruth is the only familiar name I’ve come across. Leaving Liam with Mason is not an option. If he’s in cahoots with Jacob, the first thing he’ll do is let him know that I’ve left. So I take a chance and call Ruth. She answers almost immediately. “Helloooooo.” “Hi Ruth, it’s Emily,” I say. I expect her to put the phone down, but her voice bellows over the line, “Dear Emily, how lovely to hear from you.” I’m completely caught off guard with her friendly greeting. It’s not the Ruth I know. But then again, those were under very different circumstances. “Ruth, I know it’s very short notice but I have a huge favor to ask of you,” I say. “Of course, how can I be of help?” she asks politely. It’s as if she’s a robot that’s been reprogrammed to say “yes” to my every command. “I need you to look after Liam for a few hours,” I beg. “For when?” she asks. “For now?” I say more as a question than an answer. She doesn’t hesitate and immediately