Koree Briannao Shellbey

The champagne was still fizzing in two hundred crystal glasses when I saw my husband's hand slide down another woman's bare back. Our fifth wedding anniversary. Three hundred guests. A rooftop in Manhattan. Forty million dollars' worth of city lights glittering below us. And there was Julian—my husband, the man whose child I was carrying—pressing his lips to Camille Ashford's neck behind a curtain of white orchids. His hand rested on her hip. Her fingers curled into his hair. They swayed together like they'd done this a thousand times. Maybe they had. I stood twelve feet away, holding a glass of sparkling water because I couldn't drink alcohol. Because I was eight weeks pregnant with his baby. He didn't know yet. I'd planned to tell him tonight. Surprise, Julian. You're going to be a father. I'd even had the ultrasound photo tucked inside a card on our table. A little black-and-white blur that already had a heartbeat. "Mrs. Blackwood?" I turned. Our wedding planner, Sophie, was smiling at me. "Mr. Blackwood wanted me to let you know he stepped out for a call. He said he'll be right back for the toast." A call. I looked at Sophie's earnest, innocent face. Then I looked back at the orchid curtain, where my husband's shadow was tangled with someone else's. "Thank you, Sophie." She walked away. I set my glass down on the nearest table, very carefully, so my hands wouldn't shake. Then I pulled the ultrasound card from the centerpiece, slipped it into my clutch, and walked toward the elevator. I didn't run. I didn't cry. I'd learned something in five years of marriage to Julian Blackwood: never let them see you break. The elevator doors closed. My reflection stared back at me—red dress, diamond necklace he'd given me this morning, perfectly curled hair. I looked like the luckiest woman in New York. My phone buzzed. A text from an unknown number. A photo. Julian and Camille. Not from tonight. From what looked like a hotel room. White sheets. Her head on his chest. Both asleep. Below the photo, one line: "He's been mine for two years, Mrs. Blackwood. You just didn't know." Two years. My hand moved to my stomach. This baby was conceived three weeks ago—the night Julian came home late, smelling like jasmine, and told me he'd missed me. I believed him. I always believed him. The elevator hit the lobby. I stepped out into the cold November air. My phone buzzed again. This time, it was Julian. "Where are you? The toast is in five minutes." I stared at his name on the screen. Then I typed back: "I'm going home. Don't wait up." The same words he'd said to me a hundred times. I wondered if he'd even notice the difference.