Chapter 1 Cheating?

Natalie's POV

My son Aiden Ryan suddenly spiked a high fever in the middle of the night. I rushed him to the hospital and called my husband, Logan Ryan, who was away on a business trip.

I sat in the back of the cab with one hand pressed to Aiden's forehead, checking his temperature over and over, while staring at my phone, waiting for Logan to pick up.

"Answer the call!"

I was a wreck.

Aiden had been premature, so he'd always been more fragile than other kids. Every time he caught a cold, it dragged on for about a week, and I couldn't handle it alone.

And of course, Logan had to be out of town right now.

I called ten times. Nothing. By then, the cab had pulled up to the hospital, so I paid and ran inside with Aiden in my arms.

It was the middle of the night, but the ER was still open.

I found a young nurse and said urgently, "My son Aiden has a high fever."

She took one look at Aiden's face, flushed a deep red, and her eyes went wide. She quickly pointed me down the hall. "Take him to a room first. I'll get a doctor right away."

"Okay."

I nodded and hurried in.

Once we were in the room, I picked up my phone and tried Logan again. Still no answer.

An uneasy feeling crept over me. Was he okay? Had something happened to him?

In five years of marriage, Logan had never once ignored my calls.

The doctor came in to check on Aiden. "Nothing too serious. We'll put him on a fever drip, and he should be fine."

I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding.

While the doctor got the IV set up, he made small talk. "It's been a crazy night in the ER. We just had a young couple come in — corpus luteum rupture. Kids these days really don't know their limits."

My face went a little warm. I was an adult who'd given birth, so I knew exactly what corpus luteum rupture meant. Basically, things had gotten too rough in bed. In serious cases, it could be life-threatening.

"Young people," I said. "All that energy."

The words had barely left my mouth when my phone rang. Logan was calling back.

I stepped out to the hallway and picked up. "Babe, why did it take you so long to answer?"

Logan sounded exhausted, a little worn down. "Honey, this client is a nightmare. He kept pushing drinks on me all night and basically wouldn't let me touch my phone. I snuck off to the bathroom just now and saw all your missed calls. What happened?"

I glanced back at Aiden, who had fallen asleep again. "Aiden suddenly got a high fever."

Logan's voice shifted with worry. "How is he? Is it serious? It'll take me at least two days to get back — you know how important this deal is for the company. Maybe look into hiring a nurse to help out?"

I leaned against the wall, feeling a dull ache building behind my eyes. "They've already started the IV, so let's see how he's doing tomorrow morning. I know you're working hard, but take care of yourself, too. Lay off the drinks."

"You're a saint, honey. I'll bring giftsback for you and Aiden."

Something warm settled in my chest. I smiled. "Deal."

That's all I'd ever wanted, really — me at home taking care of Aiden, him out there working hard for our family, both of us building a good life together.

I hung up and turned to head back to the room.

That's when I caught a glimpse of someone rounding the corner at the end of the hallway.

I froze.

My whole body went cold.

It was just a back, just a silhouette — but why did it look so much like Logan?

Like Logan, who was supposed to be in another city right now!

My heart slammed against my ribs.

If he'd lied about the business trip, if he'd never left town at all — was he cheating on me?

I dug my nails into my thigh, forcing myself to stay calm, and followed him.

My mind was a complete mess. I kept flashing back to when Logan proposed — 999 roses, a custom fireworks show that cost five thousand dollars. Everyone who knew us said he was a great husband. I'd always believed that too. But if he was cheating, what would happen to our family? What would happen to Aiden?

I'd stopped thinking clearly. I just kept walking, numb, and watched the figure turn into a hospital room. I stopped at the doorway and peered inside.

The man was sitting with his back to me. I couldn't see his face.

A nurse passing by noticed me and gave me a suspicious look. "Can I help you?"

I fumbled for words. "I'm, um, here to visit a friend."

She didn't look convinced. "What's your friend's name? Which room?"

I had no answer. I glanced desperately toward the room one more time.

"Let me just call him."

I pulled out my phone and dialed Logan's number.

The screen showed it was connecting. My heart climbed into my throat. I stood perfectly still, listening for any sound from inside the room.

If the person in there picked up...

"I'm sorry, the person you are calling is unavailable..."

The automated message cut through the silence. No ringtone came from inside the room.

Whoever was in there, it wasn't who I was looking for.

The nurse was still eyeing me. "Who are you, really? Leave now, or I'm calling security."

I snapped back to reality, grabbed my phone, and walked away.

Back in Aiden's room, I couldn't settle down. It felt like something I'd believed in for a long time had just cracked without warning. I had no proof of anything, but the unease kept spreading, filling up the space inside me.

Ten minutes later, Logan called on video.

He'd clearly been drinking. His face was red, his words a little slurred.

"What's going on, honey? Did Aiden get worse? I can come back first thing tomorrow if you need me."

I looked straight into his eyes. "Are you done drinking?"

"Yeah, I'm in a cab heading back to the hotel."

Like he could tell I wasn't fully convinced, Logan flipped the camera around to show the passing streetlights and storefronts outside the window.

The cab driver chimed in with an out-of-town accent. "You two seem like a really sweet couple."

I pressed my lips together. Had I been wrong? Had he really been on that trip this whole time?

"Honey, you're acting strange tonight. Did something happen?"

"I saw someone in the hallway," I said. "Someone who looked a lot like you."

Logan's expression changed instantly.