Regretting The Wife He Threw Away

At the start of the year, Briony bought a new place right next to her studio in the Dolphin Cove complex.

It was a spacious apartment-about fifteen hundred square feet, three bedrooms in all. She took one room for herself, gave another to her mother, and converted the smallest into a cozy study.

The apartment came fully finished, but Briony had hired an interior designer to redo the decor. The renovation wrapped up three months ago, so she could move in with nothing more than her suitcase.

After dropping off her luggage at the new apartment, Briony headed straight back to her studio.

She worked late into the night, pushing herself until sheer exhaustion finally forced her to the break room.

After washing up, she collapsed onto the narrow bed and drifted into a deep sleep.

But that night, her rest was anything but peaceful. She tossed and turned through

a jumble of dreams, waking up in the morning with no memory of any of them- just a dull ache behind her eyes.

Rubbing her temples, Briony shuffled into the bathroom to get ready for the day. When she came out, her phone was buzzing on the nightstand.

It was Stewart calling.

She ignored it.

She could guess it was about Irwin.

She'd already made up her mind to get a divorce-it was best to make a clean break.

Irwin was Rosita's biological child, after all. Given some time, Briony was sure Irwin would grow attached to her real mother instead.

her phone into her purse,

the OB-GYN department, inside Dr.

and the ultrasound, you're at five weeks and four days," Stella

paper, her gaze fixed on the grainy black-and-white image,

Stella pointed to a tiny shadow on the printout, "-it looks like twins."

looked up. "Are you

detect two heartbeats, then we'll know for sure it's twins. And with two sacs, they're most likely

a thin, pale line as she clutched the report-at

see Briony's resolve start to

own children-possibly twins. Anyone would find it

these were

knew all about Briony's feelings for

the world like Briony who would spend five long years loving a man, quietly, faithfully, even knowing that he might ask for a divorce

Briony had loved humbly but with open

Stella suspected he had never truly

pause, lifting her gaze to meet Stella's. "I'll let you

eyes shimmered with tears,

ached for her. "As long as you decide before twelve

report into her bag. "Please don't tell anyone

"I won't."

to get back to work, and Briony didn't want to keep