I came home expecting a warm reunion. Instead, I walked into a room full of uneasy glances and a secret so big it made me wish I had never returned.
The silence wasn’t the good kind. My mom’s hug felt forced. My dad muttered, “Some surprises are… unexpected.” Then I noticed—Emily wasn’t there.
“Where’s Em?” I asked.
Silence.
Then, my great-aunt beamed. “Oh, sweetheart! You’ll finally meet your nephew today!”
My what?
Before anyone could answer, the front door opened. Emily stepped in, then froze. A little boy clutched her hand—dark curls, wide brown eyes. Eyes that looked exactly like—
Nathan.
My ex-fiancé, the man who had left me at the altar, stood in my parents’ living room.
Blood roared in my ears. “Emily…” My voice cracked. “Who is that?”
She didn’t answer. She didn’t have to.
I let out a hollow laugh. “You all knew.” My gaze swept the room—family, friends, people I trusted. They had lied.
My mom stepped forward. “Honey, we—”
“You blocked me.” My voice shook as realization hit.
Emily’s gaze dropped. “We didn’t want to hurt you.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “You erased me.”
Years of secrets, all unraveled in one night. My family had rewritten history—without me.
Emily reached out. “Please, let me explain—”
I stepped back, voice barely a whisper. “You already did.”