Angela's POVThe moment Lyle’s phone rang, I knew he’d leave.Lying on the disheveled bed, still catching my breath, I watched him glance at the screen and tense up. It didn’t take long—he was already sitting on the edge of the bed, pulling his clothes back on, like nothing had just happened between us.“Who is it?” I ask, though the answer is obvious.“Fiona,” he says, voice clipped. “She’s threatening to kill herself again. I need to go.”Fiona. His adopted sister… but I have to wonder if maybe she’s something more.I sit up, pulling the sheet tighter around me, trying to keep my voice steady. “Lyle, it’s my birthday.” The words feel small, like they hold no weight with him.He doesn’t even turn around, just keeps dressing, his movements sharp and efficient, as if he’s already left in his mind. “I’ll make it up to you later.”I swallow hard. I don’t know why I expect him to stay. “Call her, please, and then let’s go back to bed.”He finally looks at me, but his eyes are cold, distan
Angela's POVThe doctor’s words keep replaying in my head, like a haunting echo. Miscarried. My heart clenches painfully every time I think about it, the weight of the loss crushing me. I didn’t even know I was pregnant. How could I have lost something I didn’t even know I had?Jodelle stays by my side, her presence the only comfort in the sterile hospital room. She’s quiet, but I can see the pain in her eyes, reflecting my own. I want to speak, to ask how this happened, why this happened, but the words refuse to come. I just lie there, staring at the ceiling, feeling the unbearable emptiness inside me.“I’m so sorry, Ange,” Jodelle says softly, breaking the silence. Her voice is thick with emotion. “I can’t believe Lyle wasn’t here. That scumbag.”Her words cut through my grief like a sharp knife. Lyle. He wasn’t here. He didn’t even know. The man who was supposed to care for me, who said he would always be there—he was with her instead.“He’s a cheating scum,” Jodelle continues, he
Angela's POV“Think it over, Angela. Don’t do anything rash.” Lyle’s voice is calm, too calm, like he thinks I’m overreacting, throwing some childish tantrum. “Come back when you’re thinking clearly.”I’m done thinking. I feel like I’ve been seeing everything clearly for the first time. Without another word, I turn and leave, my footsteps echoing through the quiet house that’s no longer mine. I head straight to Jodelle’s, needing the support only she can give, and by the time I get there, I’m ready to move on.The next morning, I go to work early, my stomach already tight with anxiety. Years ago, I went to law school; graduated and everything, only to give it up for Lyle. Now I’m his damn secretary. I can’t keep holding on to everything that ties me to him. So, I walk straight to his office, my resignation letter in hand.Lyle glances up, his expression immediately annoyed. “Angela, stop with the tantrums. This is getting out of hand.”I keep my voice steady. “This isn’t a tantrum,
Angela's POVToday is my last day at work. Fiona is still at the hospital, and everything has become crystal clear in the following hours.After today, I’ll be free of Lyle, Fiona, and the endless mess they’ve left me tangled in. The office is quiet, my tasks completed, and a strange sense of peace settles over me as I tidy up my desk for the last time. Maybe Lyle and I won’t see each other again after this. Part of me hopes it’s true.I take one last look around the office, the place that had become my prison. Memories flash through my mind: late nights spent waiting for Lyle to finish his calls, the countless hours I sacrificed for a man who never truly valued me. Just as I’m ready to walk out, my bag slung over my shoulder, I feel a rough grip on my arm. I turn, only to see Lyle, his face set in determination. Before I can even react, he pulls me toward his car, his hand firm and unyielding as he drags me outside.My heart pounds, and I dig my heels into the ground, trying to r
Angela's POVI wake to the soft beeping of hospital monitors and the antiseptic scent that always lingers in these places. My head feels heavy, and a dull ache settles in my arm. Bit by bit, the memory of the blood donation comes back to me—Lyle bringing me here, urging me to help Fiona as if it were some duty I owed her. I remember the needle, the slow pull of energy leaving my body, and then… nothing. I must have passed out.I glance around, taking in the small, sterile room. Lyle isn’t here. Of course he isn’t. My heart clenches with a familiar ache that I quickly brush aside. Fiona was always his priority; I was just there for convenience. The emptiness in the room only confirms what I already knew: he’s probably with her, as he always is.A light shuffle by my side catches my attention, and I turn, startled to see a familiar face. “Michael?”Michael Malloy, my college classmate, sits beside me, a gentle smile on his face. His presence surprises me; it’s been years since we las
Angela's POVThe moment I step through the door of my grandmother’s house, something cold and sharp crashes against my temple. A glass of wine shatters, the liquid soaking into my clothes as the sting of the impact throbs through my skull. Stunned, I raise a hand to the side of my head, feeling a trickle of warmth—blood. Grandma sits on the sofa, watching me with an expression that’s all too calm, her hand resting on another untouched glass of wine. “So, you decided to show your face,” she sneers. “After ruining everything for this family.”I blink, barely able to believe this is happening. My grandmother, the woman who had practically raised me after my mother left, had never been kind, but this… this is a new low. “What are you talking about?”“Lyle has suspended all business cooperation with us,” she says, her tone laced with venom. “All because you decided to end things with him.”A bitter laugh escapes me before I can stop it. “So that’s it, then; the only thing I was ever wor
Angela's POVThe lights in the emergency room feel harsh, almost too bright, and I press a cold cloth against the cut on my forehead, watching the sterile room around me in silence. The pain from the wound throbs dully, but it’s nothing compared to the ache spreading through my chest. Every breath feels heavy, and the memories of the past few days play on a loop in my mind: the shouting, the accusations, the feeling of being utterly alone. I wonder how I ended up here, back under the harsh glare of hospital lights, entangled with a man who should have let me go.Lyle stands a few feet away, arms crossed, his face unreadable. I’d thought our chapter was over, that I’d finally made my exit, but here we are, forced into the same space again.He clears his throat, breaking the silence. “Take a pregnancy test.”I blink, caught off guard. “What?” My voice sounds weak, worn out from everything.“You heard me.” His voice is flat, unyielding. “If you’re really pregnant, I want to be sure it
Angela's POVLyle’s words echo in the cold, sterile room, sharp and biting. “You killed my child to get rid of me, didn’t you? That was the plan all along—leave me, make sure I’m out of your life completely.”The accusation slams into me, making it hard to breathe. A crushing weight presses against my chest, every word twisting deeper, each one heavier than the last. I step back, my hand flying to my chest as if I can physically hold my heart together. “How… how could you even say that?” My voice cracks, the disbelief cutting through my anger. “Do you really think I’d do something like that on purpose, just to hurt you?”Lyle’s jaw tightens, and he takes a step closer, his eyes narrowing. “Then explain it to me, Angela,” he snaps. “Explain why my child is gone. Make me understand.”I clench my fists, the grief boiling into rage. “You think I wanted this?” My voice rises, and I feel the tension in my muscles, the way my entire body shakes. “You think I haven’t been torn apart, mourni