The moment the second pink line appeared on the test, a jolt of pure joy shot through me. I didn’t even wait to catch my breath before racing to the office to tell Richard. But I froze outside his oak-paneled door, his voice, sharp and cold, slicing through the wood. He was on the phone with his personal physician. “Pregnant? How the hell is that possible? I’ve never missed a single dose of her birth control. With her fragile health, what right does she have to carry my child? God, don’t let her give me something… defective.” A pause. My blood ran cold. “Listen, at her next check-up, you tell her the embryo isn’t viable. Tell her she needs to terminate. And send me Scarlett’s ultrasound schedule. I want to be there for her.” The chill of the brass doorknob seeped through my palm, a venomous cold that shot straight to my core, shattering my heart into a million icy shards. And yet, months later, after I finally did lose the baby and fled the country to escape him, Richard Cross followed me across the ocean and knelt in the rain, begging me to love him again. 1 I drove home in a daze, a ghost behind the wheel, his cruel words echoing in the hollow space where my heart used to be. It was impossible to reconcile that man with the Richard who, just last night, had rested his head on my stomach, whispering with a soft sigh why our baby hadn't come yet. When we first got married, Richard had been eager for a child, but I was the one who hesitated. My health had always been delicate, and I was terrified of passing my frailties on. I wanted to wait, to spend a couple of years getting my strength back. When I told him, he’d wrapped me in his arms, his voice a warm murmur against my hair. “It’s okay, Thea. We can wait. Your health comes first.” So I spent two years focusing on my body, and when I finally felt stronger, more ready, Richard never brought it up again. We were intimate, never using protection, and I just assumed we were leaving it up to fate. But month after month, year after year, nothing happened. The emptiness in my womb started to feel like a personal failing. I began to think something was wrong with me. Richard would always be there to soothe my anxieties. “Don’t worry, T,” he’d say. “It will happen when it happens. We can’t rush it.” I was so lost in my own self-blame that I never saw the glint of satisfaction in his eyes. Thinking of it now, my vision blurred, tears spilling over and tracing cold paths down my cheeks. Suddenly, a deafening CRUNCH of metal on metal threw me forward. My first thought was that I’d been rear-ended. Before I could even unbuckle my seatbelt, a woman emerged from the car behind me. She was stunning, all sharp angles and flawless makeup, a femme fatale in a designer dress. She stalked toward my car, her face a mask of fury. She pounded on my window with a manicured fist, demanding I get out. “What is wrong with you? The light was green! Are you blind? My husband just bought me this car! Of all the cursed luck to run into an idiot like you today!” My already frayed nerves snapped. A moment ago, I would have gotten out, ready to apologize and exchange insurance information. Now, I just scowled and rolled the window down an inch. “Ma’am, you hit me. The light may have been green, but that doesn’t give you the right to plow into my bumper.” “Oh, please!” she sneered. “If you weren’t daydreaming, I wouldn't have hit you! Let me tell you something, my husband is the CEO of Cross Corp. So if you know what’s good for you, you’ll get out of this car, get on your knees, and pay for the damages before I make you wish you’d never been born!” The name ‘Cross Corp’ hit me like a physical blow. My head snapped up, my eyes locking onto hers. She saw my reaction and let out a triumphant, ugly laugh. “Oh, so you have heard of my husband? Good. That makes this easier. Get out and beg for my forgiveness right now. Because when he gets here, this is going to get a whole lot worse for you.” And then it clicked. Scarlett. This had to be the Scarlett from the phone call. I studied her properly for the first time—the killer curves, the fiercely beautiful face. We were polar opposites. Richard’s words came back to me: I want to be there for her. She was pregnant, too. A fresh wave of agony ripped through me as I thought about how he cherished her child while despising mine. My voice was ice. “Why don’t you call him? I’m dying to see what he can do to me when he gets here.” Scarlett froze, clearly thrown by my sudden shift in attitude. “Fine! You just wait!” she shrieked, turning away to furiously dial her phone. A dark, twisted part of me actually hoped he would come. I wanted to see the look on his face when he had to explain who this woman was. But Richard never showed. Instead, the police did, their sirens cutting through the gridlock our two cars had created. In the end, we were both found equally at fault and told to handle our own repairs. As we were leaving, Scarlett shot me a look of pure venom. “This isn’t over. I will make you pay for this.” I just smiled a thin, humorless smile, and watched her face contort in rage as I hit the gas and drove away. Back home, I collapsed onto the sofa, drained and exhausted. My hand instinctively went to my belly, to the tiny, secret life inside, and the tears started to fall again, silent and relentless. Just then, the front door opened, and Richard was there. He saw the tears on my face and was at my side in an instant. He knelt before me, his touch gentle as he wiped my cheeks with his thumbs, his voice laced with concern. “Thea? What’s wrong? Why are you crying? Did I do something?” His anxious expression, the way he looked at me… he seemed like a man desperately in love. If I hadn’t heard that phone call with my own ears, I would have been completely fooled by his masterful performance. “I’m pregnant,” I said, my voice flat, my eyes fixed on his, searching for a crack in the facade. Just as I expected. A flicker of sheer panic crossed his eyes before he masked it with a performance of pure ecstasy. “Oh my God! Thea, that’s… that’s wonderful!” He pulled me into a fierce hug. “We’re finally having a baby!” He pulled back, his face beaming. “I’m calling the Cross Memorial Hospital right now. I’ll get you the best doctor, a whole team to look after you until the baby is born.” Watching him lie so effortlessly, I felt a wave of nausea so profound I thought I might be sick. I shoved him away, hard. He stumbled back, a look of genuine confusion on his face. “What is it? Thea, aren’t you happy?” “I’m thrilled,” I replied, my voice a monotone. “But I’m tired.” Seeing my exhaustion, he took my hand, his expression softening into one of deep sympathy. “Of course, you must be. I’m sorry. It must be tough on your body. I’ll make sure to spend more time with you from now on.” I laughed silently, a bitter, hollow sound in my own mind. I didn’t have the energy to fight him anymore. I just nodded and went to our bedroom, closing the door behind me. Let’s see how long you can keep this act up, Richard. 2 A few minutes later, the mattress dipped beside me. Richard’s arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me close. He nuzzled my neck, his voice a low murmur. “Thea, do you want a boy or a girl? I hope it’s a girl. A little girl, as beautiful and unique as you. I’d be the luckiest man in the world to have two of you in my life.” He kept whispering, musing about names, but his sweet words were a wall of noise I couldn’t let in. All I could see was Scarlett’s furious, beautiful face. When I didn’t respond, he seemed to lose interest. Just then, his phone buzzed on the nightstand. He slipped out of bed and took the call on the balcony. Even through the glass, I could hear his tone—low, careful, placating. He was cooing at her, promising a new car, designer bags, anything she wanted. But she was clearly not having it. He was practically begging, his voice dripping with a pathetic desperation I’d never heard from him before. “Just listen to me!” “Of course I love you! I love you and the baby.” “She’s just… acting strange today. I need to stay here with her.” “Okay, okay! Fine! I’m coming. I’m on my way right now, alright?” He ended the call and came back inside. I kept my eyes closed, feigning sleep. I felt his gaze linger on me for a moment before he quietly left the room. The second I heard the front door click shut, my eyes flew open. I listened for the sound of his car pulling out of the driveway, then scrambled out of bed, grabbed my keys, and raced to the garage. I followed him to a lavish, gated community on the other side of town. I owned a condo in the same development, a wedding gift from my parents, so getting past security was no problem. The route he took felt sickeningly familiar. He finally pulled up to a stunning yellow villa at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac. He was keeping her here. Cross Corp had been an investor in this development. Richard had told me he was designing this specific house, a one-of-a-kind villa, just for me. A gift. And he had given it to me. He just let someone else live in it. The front door swung open, and Scarlett, clad in a slinky slip dress, launched herself into his arms. They kissed right there on the doorstep, a desperate, hungry kiss that seemed to go on forever. The sight was a dagger to my heart. I sat in my car, choking on silent sobs, the years I’d spent with Richard flashing before my eyes. I realized with a sickening lurch that I had never really known him at all. I was crying so hard I didn’t notice the man tapping on my passenger-side window. “Thea? Is that really you?” I hastily wiped my eyes and stared at the stranger. “It’s me! Leo! Leo Carter. I lived next door to you when we were kids.” When my confused expression didn’t change, he puffed out his cheeks. “You know! The little chubby kid who used to follow you around begging for candy!” Suddenly, the image of a small, round-faced boy materialized in my mind, perfectly overlaying the handsome face of the man in front of me. He took my stunned silence as an invitation, opening the passenger door and sliding in. His gaze followed mine to the villa across the street. “You like that place? Don’t even think about it, it’s been occupied for years. It was already taken when I bought my place here.” He continued, oblivious to the storm raging inside me. “That was about, what, four or five years ago? I saw it when I first moved in and thought of you immediately. It just seemed like your style. But when I asked the property manager, they said it wasn't for sale. It was reserved by the developer’s CEO for his wife.” He shook his head. “I’ve seen the woman who lives there a few times, though. She doesn’t fit the house at all. No idea what the CEO was thinking.” Four or five years ago. We weren't even married yet. They’d been together that whole time. The air in the car suddenly felt thick, unbreathable. My vision tunneled, the world went black, and I knew nothing more. When I came to, the sterile white ceiling of a hospital room swam into view. Leo was asleep in a chair beside the bed, and he jolD awake when I stirred, immediately calling for a doctor. “You’re finally awake,” he said, relief washing over his face. “You brought me here?” I asked, my voice a faint whisper. “Yeah. You just passed out cold. Scared the hell out of me. The doctor said you’re in the early stages of pregnancy. Your blood pressure is unstable, and the fainting spell was probably caused by extreme emotional distress. While you were out, I used your phone to call your husband. He should be here by now.” At the mention of Richard, my gaze dropped, a shadow falling over my heart. Speak of the devil. “Thea! What happened?” Richard burst into the room, his face a mask of panic. He rushed to my side, grabbing my hand, his eyes red and wet. “Why did you collapse? I nearly had a heart attack when I got the call!” 3 I pulled my hand from his grasp without a word, turning my face to the wall. I couldn’t bear to watch his performance. My rejection left an awkward silence hanging in the air. Leo, standing behind him, broke the tension, explaining what the doctor had told him. Only then did Richard seem to notice there was another person in the room. “You’re the one who brought my wife to the hospital?” he asked, his tone shifting from worried husband to imperious CEO. He pulled a checkbook from his jacket, scribbled a number, and tore it out, holding it out to Leo. “Thank you for your help, but we don’t require your assistance any longer. This is for your trouble. You can go now.” Leo glanced at the check, then at me, a look of pity in his eyes. He didn’t take it. “No, thank you. Thea and I are old friends. I was just helping her out.” He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly at Richard. “It’s just… you look awfully familiar, sir.” Richard’s eyes hardened, his posture becoming defensive. “I wasn’t aware my wife had any friends. You should take the money. It’s best to keep things clean.” The air crackled with a strange, unspoken hostility between them. Just as I was about to intervene, a nurse came in and asked for the family member to step outside for a moment. Richard shot Leo one last dismissive look, shoved the check into his hand, and followed the nurse out. With Richard gone, Leo placed the check on the bedside table. He hesitated, looking like he wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words. I saw his struggle and made it easy for him. “You’ve seen him before, haven’t you? At the villa.” Leo’s face fell, and he gave a grim nod. “I understand now why you were crying earlier.” “Do something for me,” I said, cutting straight to the point. “Anything.” “Go to the Lefford Private Clinic. Find a doctor named Evelyn Reed. Ask her what these are.” I reached into my purse and pulled out the bottle of ‘vitamins’ I had been taking for years. Leo took the bottle, squinting at the plain white pills inside. “Okay. I’ll go right now.” My expression was stone. “Whatever you find out, you tell no one but me. Promise me.” He nodded, his face serious, and left without another word. He was barely gone when Richard returned, his expression utterly devastated. He looked like his world had just ended. “Thea,” he began, his voice choked with emotion. “The doctor… he said our baby has a severe developmental defect. The heartbeat has stopped. It’s a threatened miscarriage, and… and they said the only option is to terminate the pregnancy as soon as possible. For your own health.” He buried his face in his hands, a grown man, sobbing uncontrollably. A wave of revulsion washed over me. I stared blankly at the ceiling, waiting for his performance to end. When his sobs subsided, I asked, my voice empty, “Are you sure?” He was too lost in his act to notice my coldness. “Thea, I know how much this baby means to you. I know how hard this is to accept, but we have to. For your sake. We have to do the procedure.” He took my hand again. “We can have other children. Lots of them.” Without hesitation, I took the consent form and signed my name. Then I turned over, pulling the covers over my head. Richard must have mistaken my silence for grief. He patted my shoulder, his voice thick with false sympathy. “Don’t be so sad, Thea. It just wasn’t meant to be.” Then he eagerly took the signed form and rushed out to make the arrangements. The moment he was gone, I threw back the covers, packed my few belongings, and walked out of that hospital without looking back. I went home, grabbed the deed to the villa, and drove straight to the gated community, demanding the property manager accompany me to evict the unauthorized tenant. When the door opened, Scarlett’s eyes widened in surprise, which quickly morphed into a contemptuous sneer. “What are you doing here? I haven’t even gotten around to dealing with you, and you have the nerve to show up at my door?” The property manager, aware of her relationship with the CEO, tried to be diplomatic. “Miss Peters, I’m afraid we have to ask you to pack your things and vacate the premises. The owner of this property is returning.” “What?!” Scarlett’s smug superiority vanished. “Do you have any idea who I am? I’m Mrs. Richard Cross! How dare you try to kick me out? This house belongs to Richard! Who is this other owner?” The manager was sweating now. “The deed is in this lady’s name, ma’am. She is Mrs. Cross.” Scarlett’s head snapped toward me, her face twisting into an ugly mask of disbelief and hatred. “So it’s you! You’re the barren old hen who can’t even lay an egg!” she spat, her voice dripping with venom.
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