“Hmm, just like that? You’re not going to beg anymore?”I wanted to look away, but his gaze held mine captive—that look he always used to reduce me to pieces. Tears filled my eyes, and I bit down on my lip as they spilled. I stared helplessly at the ceiling while he continued to torture me; each word felt like an anchor pressing on my chest.“You’ve finally grown some guts,” he sneered and leaned in close until his face was just inches from mine. I felt the heat of his anger through every sentence he made.“Tell me, where’d you find this newfound confidence, Anna? Or maybe someone helped with that, hmm?”I could feel my body tremble, but I was too broken to move. I wanted to cover, shrink away, or maybe even disappear—but the pain that pulsed through me was unbearable—my head, my arms, my ribs.But nothing ached as much as my heart that he was hell bent on shattering over and over again. He laughed softly, a menacing sound, as he watched me cry.“I really thought you’d grovel and beg.
Two days in the hospital felt like a lifetime. They wanted me to stay longer, but what was the point? My life was already a mess, so lying around doing nothing just added to the emptiness. It took a lot of restraint for me not to ask to be put in a mental institution, because I knew pretty well that I was losing my damn mind. I had nowhere to go, really. No one else I could turn to... except her. My sister, Brooklyn. I barely knew if she’d want to see me; could I blame her? after what I did to her. But here I was, standing on her doorstep and pressing the bell more than I should have. The door swung open, and Brooklyn’s voice shot through, laced with irritation. “Hold up, quit pressing my damn bell like—“ She stopped dead; her eyes widened as she looked me over, the mess I’d become. Her mouth opened, but no words came out. She just stared at me, shocked and silent. “Brooks…hey.” My voice wavered. “Ca-can I come in?” Brooklyn’s face shifted; her irritation melted into worry as
ANNA’S POV “Honey, how do I look?” I asked and turned towards him from the small plush couch where I sat, brushing my sleek brown hair at my vanity. “Terrible,” He blurted out; his words hit me harder than I expected. My breath got trapped in my throat. Ethan, my husband, stood in the middle of the room looking as handsome as ever, his sharp jaw line framed by his perfectly styled hair. He had one hand pocketed in his pants, the other scrolled through his phone. He barely looked up from the screen. “People would tell me I deserve better,” he added, with a casual cruelty that left my chest feeling hollow. I had spent nearly an hour to get ready, hoping, just once, to impress him—to bring back the warmth in his eyes that disappeared long ago. But all I got was his rejection again. The wide smile I had painted on my face slowly decreased, and my gaze dropped in disappointment. Ethan used to compliment me, effortlessly making me feel like I was the most beautiful woman in
ANNA’S POV “You were never enough for him.” She had the guts to text me The words flashed across my screen; the sender was anonymous, but I already knew who it was. Her. His mistress. “Ughhh…” My stomach churned violently, and I barely made it to the kitchen sink. It felt like I would throw up my insides because my stomach completely emptied itself. My vision blurred as tears threatened to fall from my eyes; my legs trembled, weak beneath me. But I gripped the sink with all the strength I had left and steadied myself before I entered the brink of collapse completely. I wanted to scream, to smash the phone, but instead I forced myself to take shaky breaths. The tears I had been fighting won, and they fell onto the glowing screen where the vile message stared back at me. And then, there it was—right next to my phone, cold and waiting for my signature—the divorce papers. My vision swung between the cruel message on the phone and the final blow in front of me. I mo
ANNA’S POV Hope had found me. I thought... “Congratulations, Ms. Miller. You’re four weeks pregnant!” The doctor’s words echoed in my head as I stepped out of his office. I clutched the ultrasound tightly in my hands, but instead of feeling joy, panic clawed at my chest. Was this the time for a baby? Could this really change everything? Ethan said he didn’t want a baby... because of Tara. He used to want it—at least his mother did. Maybe this would fix everything between us... As I rounded the corner, exiting the doctor’s office and towards the staircase, the attention of a familiar laughter caught my attention, and my heart dived down like the Titanic when I saw who it was—Olivia, Ethan’s mother, and clinging to her in a shocking surprise, Tara. "Oh, look, it’s the ex-wife,” Olivia said, her voice cut through the air like a blade. Her cold eyes narrowed as she looked me up and down. I clutched my handbag tightly as I stared down. “Mother, it’s so wonderful to see