Forrest Muller took a long pull off of his Bloody Mary, then stepped onto the green of the eighteenth hole. It was only ten-thirty, and they were almost finished. A great way to start the day. Warner thought savoring the fragrance of freshly mowed grass. The cloudless sky held the promise of Indian summer.

Forrest Muller was an old family friend as well as Carolyn’s gynecologist. He knelt down to gauge the lay of the green. “How’s Carolyn?”

“She’s doing fine, a little stressed maybe. But the victory yesterday gave her a boost.”

“I’m glad to hear it. I’ve been worried about her since her last appointment.” He lined up his putt. “I had no idea how bad the scarring was until we did the hysterosalpingogram She was so terribly upset that the damage wasn’t reparable, that it left me concerned.” Forrest stood and took his position beside the ball. “I know how badly she wanted children.”

Warner froze. What the hell was Forrest talking about? Embarrassment stained his cheeks. When did she have a doctor’s appointment? His political instincts took over, covering his ignorance. “Both of us did. It was quite a shock.”

Forrest brought his club back a few times. reaching himself. “I’d like to get my hands on the son of a bitch who botched that abortion. He should have his license pulled. I just wish you’d brought her to me.”

Shock knocked Warner off balance. Abortion? He dropped to a squat, leaning on his club. Oh my God. His mind reeled. Why had Carolyn done this? Bile rose in his throat. He choked it back, then spit to clear the acid taste from his mouth. Tears threatened. Closing his eyes, he fought for breath. He hadn’t known anything about this. He hadn’t known she was pregnant. And now their baby was dead.

Friday night. Warner sat sipping what was left of his bottle of Jack Daniels. The phone rang again; he stared at the answering machine on his desk. The red message light blinked unrelentingly, the LCD display showed thirteen messages. Everyone, it seemed, was looking for him. Since his golf game that morning, he’d deliberately disappeared, easily dumping his state trooper escort.

Warner stared at the whiskey bottle, then began peeling off the label. Why in God’s name had she done it? She’d made a monumental decision for them both, a decision that killed their child and probably denied their chance for others and she hadn’t bothered to consult him. His rage rose again but didn’t break the surface; he was too numbed by the drink.

Their chance of a family was destroyed. No children. Not now – not ever. He couldn’t decide which was more heartbreaking – the fact that they’d never have children, or her deception.

How could she have done this? The answer seemed simple; she had done it for her own selfish reasons. Otherwise, she would have confided in him. Politically, he preached that it was a woman’s right to choose what to do with her body. But didn’t husbands have rights too? Hadn’t they discussed this time and again?

For years, his father, Edmund, had warned him. “Don’t trust women. Especially smart women. Carolyn isn’t the exception, she’s the rule.”

How stupid could he have been? Warner grasped the Waterford glass so tightly it began to crack. He thew it hard against the wall.

The door to his den burst open. “I heard a noise. sir. Are you all right?” Maria, the housekeeper. hurried over to the crystal shards on the floor. “I’ll clean this up for you. sir.”

“I’m fine. Maria. Just leave it. You can get it tomorrow.”

Maria started for the door. “It’ll only take me a minute. Not to worry. sir. I’ll get the dust pan-”

“I said, leave it!”

Maria stopped, startled by his outburst. “Yes, sir.” She paused. “Everyone is looking for you. I’ll call Mrs. Lane. She’s been worried.”

“Don’t call her.”

“Oh. but sir she’s so worried.”

“You heard me. Maria. Do not call her.” He softened his voice. “I’ll do it myself. But thank you for offering.”

“Can I get you anything before I leave?”

“No. Thank you. Go home and have a nice evening. I’ll call Mrs. Lane at the office. I’m sure she’ll be home soon.”

Maria gave him a weak smile. “Good night, sir.” She backed out of the room.

“Good night.” Warner glanced at his watch. Eight-thirty. Should he call Carolyn? What could he possibly say to her? Why did you do it? He couldn’t imagine a reason he could forgive. He placed his hands over his face. If only she’d told him about the pregnancy. They’d already be parents. He’d be a father. Warner slammed his fist on the desk. Deception twisted his thoughts and shredded his love for his wife.

A half hour later, he heard the door to his office open. He lifted his gaze.

Carolyn stood in the doorway, arms akimbo, a look of concern on her face. “Where have you been all day? Your office has been in an uproar. They expected you this morning. You missed a full schedule of appointments.”

“I needed some time alone. I went driving. Who told you I was home?”

“No one. I’ve been worried sick all day, and all you can say is that you went for a drive?” Carolyn glanced over at the shattered glass on the floor. “What happened in here?”

Warner glared at her.

She frowned back. “What’s wrong with you tonight?”

“None of your damn business!”

Startled, Carolyn hesitated. “Warner, are you drunk?”

“Not drunk enough.” He took a long pull from the bottle of Jack Daniels.

She approached his desk, her voice calm and soft. “Please, honey, tell me what’s wrong. You’re scaring me. You look awful. What happened?”

Warner leveled a gaze at her. “Why did you do it?

“Do what?” She reached out to caress his face, but he pulled away.

“Why did you kill our baby?”

The color in her face drained so quickly it would have frightened him if he hadn’t been struggling to control his rage. Her hand shook as she tucked a stray hair behind her ear. She looked as though he’d struck her, but he was beyond caring.

“For God’s sake. Carolyn, answer me.”

“I – I don’t know what to say.” She found a chair, her body automatically folding into it.

“You aborted our baby. You didn’t bother to discuss it with me, and now you don’t know what to say?”

“Who told you?” Tears filled her dark eyes. She blinked them back.

“Does it matter? You not only destroyed our child, but any chances of having other children.” God he hated her.

“Of course. You golfed with Forrest today. So much for doctor-patient confidentiality. What did you do, get him drunk?” She gave a humorless laugh that ended with a sob.

Pain raced through him at her response. When had she lost her trust in him? “He assumed I knew. It’s a natural assumption. I’m your husband, for God’s sake.”

“You need to understand-”

“I’d like to understand,” he interrupted. “I’d like to understand a lot of things, like why did you do this? And why didn’t you talk to me about it? Damn you, this is my life too.”

“I don’t know what Forrest told you, but you have to know how awkward it would have been.”

“Awkward. What do you mean?”

“We weren’t married. Or did the good doctor neglect to mention that part? My God, we’d been dating less than two months. I couldn’t possibly have told you. I was scared to death of losing you, or worse, making you feel trapped into marrying me. I wanted you to love me for myself, not out of some sense of obligation. And there was your political career to think of. It was the only decision I could have made, don’t you see?” Tears ran down her cheeks. Her body shook. “Please, you have to understand. I love you. I don’t want to lose you over this.”

“That was twelve years ago! Why the hell didn’t you talk to me about it? I had to find out like this. I don’t understand, not at all. I trusted you. I trusted you with every part of myself. My God. I married you two years after this happened. You knew then that you couldn’t have kids, and I’m supposed to live with that?”