The Dinner That Took My Father and My Child — Novel

About

In the heart of a seemingly perfect life, Nicole Jensen is trapped in a web of betrayal and silence. As her husband Ethan revels in the chaos of family games and playful teasing, she feels invisible, her pregnancy turning her into a mere shadow in the room. When a careless comment from Ethan’s mischievous sister-in-law reveals secrets that should have remained buried, the façade of their marriage begins to crumble. How long can Nicole endure the laughter that mocks her pain before she takes a stand?

Tension escalates as Ethan’s loyalty is called into question, and the line between friendship and something more begins to blur. With each passing moment, the stakes rise—can Nicole reclaim her voice before it’s too late? As she grapples with the reality of her marriage and the life growing inside her, one question looms: is love enough to mend what has been broken, or will it leave her with nothing but heartache?

In a world where loyalty is tested and secrets threaten to unravel everything, Nicole’s journey toward self-discovery becomes a fight for her family and her heart. Will she find the strength to stand up for herself, or will she remain trapped in a life that feels like a game she never wanted to play?

The Dinner That Took My Father and My ChildChapter 1

My husband's female brother lost a game of finger-guessing and was teased into revealing the most intimate things he'd done with the opposite sex.

She suddenly looked at me with a mischievous laugh and said, "I've helped Ethan Sullivan fly."

The whole room erupted in chaos.

I clutched my five-month-old belly, tight and hard under my hands.

She seemed to only now realize the weight of her words, shrugging casually: "Oh, back when you were first pregnant, he was blacking out and couldn’t help himself."

"No need to thank me, sister-in-law. Just a favor between brothers. Better than him losing control and cheating."

——

Before she could finish,

Ethan grabbed a half-eaten cucumber and smacked Tara Johnson’s hand.

"Shut up! Your knife skills are far worse than my wife's!"

Tara took it with a smile, bit into it, and said with lingering amusement,

"Don’t mention it, it’s about the same size as this."

They laughed together, as if an invisible wall separated me from them.

No one glanced at me. No one seemed to notice I existed.

It was as though my five-month pregnancy had rendered me invisible, a mere background figure.