When I Became the One Who LeftChapter 1
My mom’s chemotherapy failed.
Her last wish?
One final dinner, with all of us gathered around the table, one last time.
But that night, as I set the table for what was supposed to be a sacred reunion, my husband Hayes brought his new lover with him. Zara. Her belly was round, unmistakably pregnant. She wasn’t there just to flaunt her pregnancy. No, she came to rub it in.
The shock hit my mom like a freight train. Her health had already been fragile, but this—this crushed her.
That night, she slipped away from us, the life draining from her as if her heart couldn’t take the weight of it all.
I tried calling Hayes. Once. Twice. Over and over again.
Nothing.
It wasn’t until the funeral arrangements were taken care of that he finally called back.
His voice was cold. Detached. “Zara’s just a kid, Elise. She doesn’t know any better. Don’t pick fights with her. Don’t upset your mom—she’s delicate, you know how pregnancy messes with emotions. Just… don’t start anything.”