Gone Like It Was Never Here

Lily's fingers tightened around the spoon. Her appetite was gone.

"You go ahead. I'm leaving."

"Hey, don't. Stay and talk to me," Sophie said, reaching for her.

Lily tore her arm free, the motion catching Sophie's bowl of truffle broth. It toppled, and the liquid spilled across the floor.

Sophie let out a sharp gasp, yanking her hand back from the burn. "Ms. Rosenfelt! I was only hoping we could talk about the kids we're having. Why are you reacting this way?"

"Lily! What on earth are you doing?"

The noise brought Zeke over, and he tore into her without hesitation.

"Sophie's eight months pregnant! You know she can't handle this kind of stress. If anything happens to her or the baby, I'm not letting you off the hook."

Lily scoffed. "I'm eight months pregnant too, and blind. It was an accident. And you'd still hold it against me?"

"I…"

Zeke caught himself, realizing how harsh he sounded. He sighed. "Forget it. You can't see, so I'm letting it slide. Just sit down and keep Sophie company. It's her first time having a baby, and she's nervous."

Lily sneered under her breath.

His words cut to the bone. Sophie was carrying her first child. So was she. Yet somehow, he made it sound as though hers didn't count.

She made her way back to the table. The spoon slipped from her hand and clattered to the floor.

When she bent down to pick it up, she caught Sophie's foot hooked around Zeke's pant leg beneath the table, a gesture far too intimate. Her eyes went cold.

As she rose, she found them locked in a fierce kiss. Their arms were wrapped tight around each other. They carried on so brazenly over breakfast, thinking her blindness made them invisible.

Lily tossed the spoon onto the table and turned away. "You two take your time. I'm going back to my room."

"Wait, Lily. There's a document I need you to sign."

Zeke's voice broke the silence at last. He slid the papers toward her and pressed a pen into her hand.

"What is it?" Lily asked.

She lowered her gaze and found the bold words "Divorce Agreement" glaring from the top of the page.

Sadness gripped her like a vice. Her fingers tightened around the pen, and a scornful laugh curled inside her.

He wanted her signature so soon. Was he really that desperate?

"Our baby's almost here, so my mom has decided to give you a house. Here's the contract. All you need to do is sign it," Zeke lied smoothly, exploiting Lily's blindness without a moment's doubt.

Sophie chimed in from the side, "I'm so jealous of you, Lily. If only I were as lucky. How I wish I could be Mrs. Connolly, too. Watching you receive such a grand gift is making me green with envy."

Lily pressed her lips together, and a blank mask settled over her features. "Zeke, are you sure you want me to sign this?"

"Why would you even ask? Don't you want the house my mom's giving you?"

A thread of nervousness wove its way through Zeke's veins. Lily's face was taut, as if she'd uncovered something unspoken.

He raised his hand, tracing slow arcs before her eyes. When she didn't move, he let out a sigh of relief.

"Fine. If that's what you want," Lily said. She signed her name with a fast, decisive stroke where he had indicated.

Just then, Zeke's phone rang. He didn't need to check the screen to know it was Erica.

He stepped away, putting space between himself and Lily before bringing the phone to his ear. "What's up, Mom?"

"Zeke, did you mean what you said on TV? You're divorcing Lily for Sophie? Are you insane? Lily's pregnant with your baby!"

The news had reached Erica, and she was calling to confront him. She had liked Lily from the beginning and had pictured her as the daughter-in-law her family longed for.

How could she not be alarmed now, learning that Zeke planned to divorce Lily and marry a woman with such a past?

"Don't worry, Mom. It's only a temporary measure. I promised Sophie I'd protect her reputation for the time being. After her baby is born and recorded in my name, I'll divorce her. I won't betray Lily. We'll be married again."

"Be married again?"

Sophie had been nearby and had overheard everything. Her expression turned sour. She had believed Zeke was truly serious about marrying her, but now, she saw it was only a temporary arrangement.

Still, that didn't matter. As long as she was legally wed to Zeke, she'd make certain he never got the chance to end it.

Zeke assumed Lily couldn't hear him. But since losing her sight, her hearing had sharpened remarkably.

She sneered quietly. He was a master of schemes, but he hadn't realized that she had already made up her mind to leave him for good.

They'd be married again? Not a chance.