Chapter 1

MIA'S POV

"You are pregnant."

The words hit me like a wave. To say I'm shocked is an understatement. I blink, trying to grasp the words, trying to make sense of what the doctor just said. My heart starts to race, and for a second, I think maybe I imagined it.

"I'm pregnant?" I whisper.

My hand moves to my stomach, resting there, where a tiny life now exists.

"Yes," the doctor confirms with a warm smile. "Congratulations, Mia."

Tears fill my eyes, but this time, they’re from happiness—pure, overwhelming happiness.

I’m pregnant.

It feels like a dream, like all the pain and doubt I’ve been carrying for months has been lifted. After all the waiting, the hoping, the endless frustration—this is the moment I’ve been praying for.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" I say.

I grab the report from his hands, clutching it tightly, as if it’s the most precious thing in the world—because right now, it is. I nearly fly out of the doctor’s office. As I make my way through the hospital hallways, a smile spreads across my face, and for once, the tears rolling down my cheeks are from joy, not heartache.

This changes everything. It has to. A baby—that’s what Eric and I need. Maybe now, he’ll come back to me, back to us. Maybe this baby will heal the rift that’s been growing between us, the distance that’s been suffocating our marriage.

It wasn’t always like this. We were happy once, so deeply in love. But somewhere along the way, things started to shift. He became distant, distracted, cold. And then came the whispers. The rumors. I ignored them at first, refusing to believe he could be unfaithful. But eventually, the evidence was too clear to deny. He was definitely cheating. The man I loved, the man I married, had been with other women.

But now, with this baby... maybe things will change. Maybe this baby will bring us closer, make him remember the love we once had. Maybe he’ll stop seeing other women. Maybe he’ll stay.

I race to my car, fumbling with my keys in my excitement. I have to tell someone—I have to tell Julia.

Julia has been my lifeline through all of this. My best friend. She’s the one who told me to keep trying, to get pregnant. She believed it would help tighten the bond between Eric and me. And now, her advice has worked. I can’t wait to tell her.

I start the car, dialing her number as I pull out of the hospital parking lot. The phone rings and rings, but she doesn’t pick up.

"Come on, Julia, answer!" I mutter.

I try again. Still nothing. I toss the phone onto the passenger seat, groaning in annoyance. She’s probably busy. I’ll try her again later.

As I drive, my phone buzzes repeatedly, vibrating non-stop. I try to ignore it, but the constant buzzing gets under my skin, nagging at me.

Is it Julia texting back? What could be so urgent?

I pick up the phone, glancing at the screen. It’s not Julia. It’s a number I don’t recognize. My heart pounds faster as I swipe open the message.

And then, the world stops.

The screen lights up with a photo—Eric and Julia, kissing.

I gasp.

My breath gets caught in my throat as I stare at the phone in disbelief. No. No, this can’t be real. I open the next message. Another photo. Him and Julia, smiling with their bodies pressed together intimately.

I swerve on the road, barely keeping control of the car. Panic spreads through me as I pull over to the side of the road. My hands shake so violently I can hardly hold my phone. I open the next message which reads – "Go home and see for yourself."

My vision blurs with tears as I sit there, frozen. My best friend, the woman I trusted most in this world, was with my husband. They’ve been betraying me, both of them. Everything I thought I knew crashes down around me. I can’t breathe. I can’t think.

But I have to know. I have to see it with my own eyes.

I slam the car back into drive, speeding toward home. My mind spins in a thousand directions.

How could they do this to me? How could Julia do this?

Rage and hurt twist together inside me, growing with every second. The pain is unbearable, but I don’t stop. I need answers.

I pull into the driveway, not even bothering to park properly as I throw the car into neutral and rush out. I storm up the stairs. My heart is beating so fast it feels like it’s about to burst. I fling the front door open, heading straight for the bedroom.

What I see inside makes my entire world crumble.

There, in our bed—our bed—are Eric and Julia. Together. Naked. Wrapped in each other like lovers, the sheets tangled around their bodies. It’s just like the pictures, but seeing it live, in front of me, is a thousand times worse. I feel like I’m drowning, like the room is closing in on me. The betrayal rips through my heart like a knife.

"You bastard!" I scream.

I grab the first thing I can reach—a lamp—and throw it at them.

"How could you? How could you do this to me?" I scream.

Julia moves off the bed, trying to cover herself with the sheets. "Mia, wait—"

"Don’t you dare say my name!" I scream.

Tears blur my vision as I throw more things—pillows, books, anything I can get my hands on. "You were supposed to be my friend!"

Eric stands there with his eyes wide, frozen like a deer caught in headlights. He doesn’t say a word. Doesn’t even try to explain himself.

My anger turns toward Julia. "You were supposed to be my best friend!"

Before I can stop myself, I lunge at her, grabbing her by the hair and dragging her off the bed. She screams, but I don’t care. I don’t care about anything anymore. I just want them to hurt as much as I’m hurting.

We struggle, and in the chaos, her head slams against the edge of the nightstand with a loud thud. She falls limp. Slowly, her body crumples to the floor.

Eric steps forward, looking at her in shock, "Mia… did you just murder someone?"

I stare down at Julia. Her motionless body is laid on the floor, and my blood runs cold.

My hands shake uncontrollably as I try to make sense of what just happened.

What have I done?