Chapter 0001

Caroline’s POV:

My husband, William, had promised to accompany me to have a prenatal checkup, but he hadn’t come home for three days. He had told me he would only be gone for a day for a business trip and promised to be back in time, but I didn't know what happened to him. As the days passed, I grew even more worried about him.

I’m huddled with my blankets against the window, keeping an eye on the driveway. I rubbed a hand over my swollen belly, praying that William would come home soon. We’d been expecting a little boy for six months now, but as the CEO of his own company, he’d been so busy as of late.

“Where are you, William?” I whispered out into the morning, watching as the sun peeked just above the forested mountains.

My worries quickly melted away as soon as I saw a slick black car coming over the hills and towards our villa. “William!” I gasped, relieved that he was alright. I left the window and came down our extravagant winding staircase, careful not to run so the baby wouldn’t be hurt.

I came down just in time to see William enter through the door with a smile. Finally, we could be together again as a family. My husband was tall and handsome with sharp features and a well-built figure. They were the same features I’d grown to love and adore.

“William,” I sighed in relief, “you’re okay!” I went in for a hug, but there was something about him that gave me pause.

William looked at me, but he didn’t meet my gaze. “Caroline,” he greeted, glancing away from me. I wanted to ask what was wrong, but soon another woman entered our villa. She was strikingly beautiful with piercing blue eyes and curtains of raven hair. She looked at me coldly, silent as she held my husband’s hand.

Why was she holding my husband’s hand?

“Who is this?” I asked, almost demanding an answer. Why was she grabbing my husband’s hand? More importantly, why was my husband letting her take his hand? I was hoping that she was just a sibling of some sort, but what I saw next made my heart sink.

I noticed that this woman was also swollen with pregnancy. She had to be just as far along as I was. Although I hoped for the best, I can’t help but feel my stomach drop at the sight.

William took a deep breath. “Caroline,” he began, “this is Sophia.” I watched him squeeze her hand tight and my heart sank.

In an instant, I felt my life crashing down around me. I was struggling to understand what I’d done wrong. “You told me you were on a business trip,” I whispered, tears springing to my eyes.

A hardened look crosses over William’s features. “I lied,” he admitted. “I’ve fallen out of love with you, Caroline. Sophia is going to have my child soon. And…it’s time to put an end to our marriage. ”

How could it be?! I opened my mouth to respond, horrified, but nothing came out. Devastation filled my chest and a sudden pain hit my stomach. My vision began to blur and a wave of dizziness overcame me right then and I fell backwards.

“Caroline! Sophia, call the doctor!” William’s voice lingered in my ears as the world began to fade. The last thing I remembered was his worried expression before I lost consciousness.

When I woke up, he was no longer with me.

I blinked and sat up in a daze, realizing then that I was in a hospital bed. I felt a pain in my belly and my heart leapt. “William?” I called out, looking around the room wildly for my husband.

“He’s not here,” said a cold voice. I looked over to see Sophia, a hand on her own belly as she watched me with an unreadable expression. She then had the audacity to tell me, “You should be more careful. You have a baby on the way, too, you know.”

I could hear the spite in her voice. This woman had single-handedly wrecked my family, and yet she has the gall to be angry with me.

Just the sight of her made me angry. “What do you mean?” I demanded. “Where did William go?”

“He had an emergency with the company,” Sophia replied, her arms crossed in contempt. “So, he asked me to watch over you.”

“He said what?” I snapped, fury rising up in my chest. I looked at her with disdain, only wishing William were there so I could give him the same look, too. I fainted and yet my husband couldn’t even be there for me when I needed him the most. Even worse, he chose his mistress to take care of me.

I felt both ashamed and humiliated at that moment. My husband had just betrayed me the way every wife feared the most, and now I was being judged by the homewrecker that had destroyed everything. I wanted to cry in despair and scream in anger all at once. I needed to get out of there.

Unable to be in the same room as my husband’s mistress, I left the hospital bed.

Ignoring the protests of the doctors, I stormed out of the hospital. I headed towards a nearby trail, just wanting to get as far away from Sophia as possible. I couldn’t bear the thought of what she and William had done to me.

As I walked down a scenic path, I soon found myself surrounded by a small forest of evergreens. The air was crisp and held a slight chill in the air, but it nipped at my skin pleasantly. I could hear the gentle chirps of birds and the song of crickets as day was transitioning to night.

I arrived at an artificial lake. It was a perfectly maintained area with docks and a few benches for visitors to rest in peace. The lake itself had pristine clear water and was surrounded by natural greenery eased my aching heart. I walked down the docks in awe, for just being there calmed my nerves.

That’s when I heard the click of heels against wood behind me. I just barely turned around in time to see—

“Sophia?” I gasped out, a flash of anger and confusion hitting me all at once. What was she doing here? Had she followed me? She was the last person I wanted to see at that moment.

“What are you doing he–?” Before I could even process what was going on, Sophia grabbed me by my hospital gown and shoved me into the lake.

I screamed and grabbed her hand to save myself, dragging her into the lake with me.

I felt a sharp pain in my abdomen as I hit the cold waters. Realizing that my baby was in danger, I tried my best to fight my way back up, only to feel yet another strong sting in my stomach. I was desperate to save my baby, but the pain was too much. My heart sank as my vision began to fade.