"He treasures you and the baby more than his own life. Why would he trick you into an abortion for some mistress?"
I knew they wouldn't believe me.
So I pulled out my phone and showed them the photo I'd secretly taken while following Edward—the photo of that girl.
"What if this is who he's been seeing?"
The instant they saw her face, all four of them—who'd been so certain Edward could never betray me—went pale.
"How... how is this possible?"
"Why would it be her?"
Margaret's face drained of color. Her lips moved soundlessly, her eyes filled with horror.
Sophie's confident expression crumbled, her voice hollow.
"So it's her. No wonder he wanted you to terminate the pregnancy..."
My parents seemed to deflate, their voices shaking.
"It's over. Everything's over."
In that moment, every single one of them—my parents, Margaret, Sophie—looked at me with the same expression.
Despair. And pity.
Like they were looking at someone already marked for death.
Just then, the front door opened.
Edward walked in, carrying a bag of my favorite sugar-roasted chestnuts.
He froze when he saw everyone gathered there.
"What's going on? Why is everyone here?"
Then, as if it clicked, he answered his own question.