Everett had begged me not to accept.
“We’re finally getting ready to start a family,” he’d said. “Why would we throw everything away now?”
I’d turned it down.
Three months later, he’d encouraged me to renovate our kitchen.
He claimed his finances were tight, so I’d contributed nearly $10,000 from my savings.
He’d helped choose the cabinets.
He’d joked about children doing their homework at the kitchen counter.
And the entire time, he was building a relationship with Nina.
I found our messages from that period.
There was Everett telling me how excited he was about our future.
Another message thanked me for believing in us.
I read them until I couldn’t stand it anymore.
When I returned downstairs, Beatrice was preparing to leave.
“I’m terribly sorry, Rosalie.”
Everett stood nearby, looking irritated.
“Mom, you don’t have to leave.”
She stared at him.
