Proposed to Him with a Deed but He Already Had a Child Chapter 01

Proposed to Him with a Deed but He Already Had a Child Chapter 01

Six years into our long–distance relationship, I told my boyfriend I was too busy with work to

celebrate his birthday with him.

Behind his back, I secretly spent ten hours traveling to Port Haven with the closing documents for

my new home tucked into my bag. I planned to propose to him in front of all our friends and

surprise him.

While I waited for my rideshare, I replied to a few DMs from the separate Instagram account I used

for work. Since I was already logged in, I started scrolling through that account’s feed.

The first thing I saw was a post from my best friend:

[I’m a godmother! My goddaughter weighed nine pounds, six ounces. I’m so happy!]

When I opened the photo, I saw my boyfriend, Ethan Cole, posing beside another woman with a

newborn between them.

My mind went completely blank.

I opened my best friend’s profile and found years of posts that had never appeared on my personal account. Together, they chronicled Ethan’s day–to–day life with that woman.

There were posts about how they met, how they fell in love, their wedding, and the birth of their child. Not a single milestone from the past six years was missing.

In one of the group photos from their wedding, I even spotted several of my closest friends.

A chill spread through me. They had all known.

I was the only one they had kept in the dark for six whole years.

Once I found out which hospital my best friend was at, I rushed straight to the room.

The moment I pushed open the door, I saw Ethan pressing a tender kiss to the woman’s cheek.

Gift bags and boxes surrounded the newborn. The picture–perfect scene shattered the instant I

walked in.

The room was full of mutual friends, including my best friend and several of the people I trusted

most.

A collective gasp swept through the room when they saw me.

The woman in the bed stared at me in surprise. “Who are you?”

I was about to answer when I caught the warning in Ethan’s eyes.

“She’s just an old classmate I haven’t seen in years.

A humorless smile crossed my face.

We had been together for ten years, yet Ethan did not even dare admit who I was.

My best friend grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the door.

“Nora, let Sabrina rest. We can talk another day.”

I stared at the familiar face I had known for more than a decade and remembered our countless

video calls and late–night heart–to–hearts.

She had watched me survive on four hours of sleep a night because I was saving for a home. She

had watched me plan my future with so much hope, yet she had never told me that none of it

would ever happen.

By the time she dragged me into the hallway, the first thing out of her mouth was a warning.

“Sabrina just had a baby. Don’t go in there and make a scene.”

“When did this start?” I asked. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

She was silent for a moment.

“They’ve been together for six years. We all knew. We didn’t tell you because we were afraid you’d

make a scene.”

The pain in my chest was so sharp I could barely breathe.

Ethan and I had been together for ten years, six of them long–distance.

I had brought up making it official and getting married again and again, but he always used the

distance as an excuse or said the time was not right.

He once told me, “Nora, I won’t marry you until you own a home.”

That was why I worked myself to the bone, stayed up all night pushing myself to hit every target, and did everything I could to buy a place as soon as possible so we could finally get married.

For six years, Ethan had used work as an excuse and refused to visit me in New York City.

I had taken time off more times than I could count and flown back to Port Haven to see him. Every

time, he claimed he was swamped, saw me only briefly, and left.

I had never doubted him. I had only assumed he was exhausted.

Now I knew that for those six years, every ounce of his patience and tenderness had belonged to

someone else.

My best friend glanced at the closing folder in my hand. Her expression shifted, and she finally

dropped the act.

“So what if you two were together for ten years? Ethan has always loved Sabrina. Why else would a

CEO like him pretend to be broke around you?”

“You worked yourself to the bone while Ethan travelled with Sabrina to see the northern lights. A

man spends his money on the woman he loves. Face it.”

She pulled out her phone and showed me proof that they were in love.

They kissed beneath the northern lights, held hands in the desert, and leaned into each other on a

snow–covered mountain.

Every photo was dated. The earliest one was from March six years ago.

That had been the most stressful period of my life. was stuck in a temporary role with no permanent offer in sight, my mother was gravely ill and the pressure from every direction had

nearly crushed me.

Whenever I called Ethan, he never picked up.

So they had already been together even then.

My phone buzzed with a message from Ethan.

Ethan: [Go back. I’ll explain later.]

I tore my hand out of my best friend’s grip and shoved the hospital room door open again.