The Day I Left Him, I'm DoneChapter 1

The phone rang from an unknown number as I slipped on my coat. I almost let it go to voicemail, but something made me answer.

A flat voice said, “Your child didn’t die because there was no heart transplant. The heart was given to Lorenzo—because he is Nathan’s son with your stepsister Amber.”

The line went dead. I stood frozen, the words landing like a blow. Lorenzo. Amber. Nathan. My stomach dropped. For a moment I thought it was a cruel prank. Then my hands started to shake.

Nathan texted: Dinner’s off. Business emergency. Sorry, Em. We’ll reschedule.

Normally I would have believed him and moved on. This time, I couldn’t. The stranger’s words were a splinter under my skin. The idea that my child’s heart had been given to someone else—someone with Nathan’s name—ignited something cold and furious inside me.

I told the driver to take me to his office instead of the restaurant. If he really had a business emergency, I would find him there. If he was lying, I would see it on his face.