Elena's Pov:The air in the courtroom felt thick with tension, suffocating in its weight. I sat at the wooden table, gripping its edge like it might anchor me to something solid. My fingers dug into the wood, my nails leaving faint marks. Beside me, Ethan sat like a statue, stone-faced and distant. Once, his presence had been my comfort, but now it felt almost foreign, a weight I couldn’t bear. Our marriage was crumbling before my eyes, splintered by his betrayal.The judge’s voice cut through the silence like a blade, her words final and unyielding. “The divorce is hereby finalized. Both parties are free to go their separate ways.”Separate ways. The words echoed in my mind as a cold fog of finality settled over me. I should have felt relieved, freed from the agony of a broken marriage, but all I could feel was the gnawing ache in my chest. Betrayed. Broken. For years, I had given Ethan everything—my heart, my trust, my soul. And he had destroyed it all with his infidelity.The room
Elena's Pov:It started as a faint whisper in the back of my mind.At first, I told myself it was just stress. The divorce, the sleepless nights, the endless arguments playing on repeat in my head—it all had to be taking a toll on my body. I wasn’t eating well. I wasn’t sleeping well. It made sense.But the symptoms grew louder. Morning dizziness, constant fatigue, the way my stomach churned at the smell of coffee—a smell I used to love. Every time I brushed it off, another wave of unease would hit me, each one harder to ignore.“Stress doesn’t make you nauseous, Elena,” Mia said, her voice laced with exasperation as she leaned against my kitchen counter. She had her arms crossed, her eyebrows raised like she was scolding a child. “And you can’t just pretend your period isn’t two weeks late.”I sighed, trying to focus on the mug in my hands. The tea had gone cold. “I’m sure it’s nothing, Mia. I’ve been under a lot of pressure.”I hope I'm right. Definitely pressure, pressure from work
Ethan's Pov :The office had never felt so suffocating. The pristine walls, the perfectly arranged furniture, even the quiet hum of the air conditioner grated on my nerves. I stared at my laptop screen, the numbers from the quarterly report blurring into a meaningless mess.Work was supposed to be my refuge, the one place where I could lose myself and forget about the disaster my personal life had become. But today, even that wasn’t working.I leaned back in my chair, running a hand through my hair, and exhaled slowly. I’d been in a funk for weeks now—ever since the divorce was finalized. It was official. Elena was no longer my wife. The realization hit me like a punch every time I thought about it.She was gone.And I had no one to blame but myself. I stare at the picture of our wedding reception. Her smile was perfect. Everything with her was perfect until I ruined it. I broke her trust. Fuck. What the hell is wrong with me?! I could still see her in that courtroom, her eyes dist
Elena's Pov:The soft morning light filtered through the sheer curtains of my apartment, but it did little to chase away the fog in my head. I sat at the kitchen table, cradling a mug of tea that had long since gone cold. The pregnancy test sat in the trash can, the two unmistakable lines burned into my memory.Pregnant.The word echoed in my mind, bringing with it an overwhelming mix of emotions. Excitement. Fear. Regret.I reached for my phone, scrolling through my contacts until I landed on Daniel’s name. His smile stared back at me from the photo, a snapshot of happier times. Daniel had always been my rock, the steady force in my otherwise chaotic life. He deserved to know, but telling him wouldn’t be easy.I pressed the call button, my heart pounding as the phone rang.“Come on, Daniel,” I whispered under my breath.The call went to voicemail.I tried again, but the result was the same. I set the phone down with a sigh, leaning back in my chair. Of course he’d be busy. His job ha
Elena's Pov:The sound of Daniel’s knock echoed through the quiet house, sharp and punctual. I rushed to the door, my heart pounding. Seeing him standing there, his usual composed expression softening when our eyes met, brought a flicker of relief.“Elena,” he greeted, stepping inside as I held the door open. “Sorry for the delay. My flight was delayed, and—”“It’s fine,” I interrupted, closing the door behind him. “Thank you for coming.”Daniel glanced around the living room, his gaze lingering on the stack of unopened mail and half-packed boxes. “Are you moving?”“No,” I said quickly. “Just… reorganizing.”He gave me a small nod, his attention shifting back to me. “So, what’s going on? You sounded urgent on the phone.”I hesitated, my hand instinctively brushing over my stomach. The words felt heavy in my throat, tangled with nerves and uncertainty.“I’m pregnant,” I finally said, my voice barely above a whisper.Daniel’s brow furrowed, and for a moment, he didn’t say anything. Then
Elena's Pov The silence Ethan left behind clung to the air, thick and suffocating. I sat motionless on the couch, staring blankly at the door. My mind raced with the sound of his parting words: “You’ll prove it, Elena. Or I’ll make sure you lose everything.”I wasn’t sure which weighed heavier—the anger in his voice or the threat laced in his promise.Across the room, Daniel shifted uncomfortably. He hadn’t moved since Ethan stormed out, his tall frame rigid, as though he were fighting the urge to go after him. He ran a hand through his hair, his jaw clenching briefly before he spoke.“Elena,” he said softly, stepping closer. His voice, warm and steady, felt like a faint lifeline in the storm raging in my mind.I didn’t look at him. I couldn’t. If I did, the tears I was holding back might spill, and I didn’t want him to see me crumble—not like this. Instead, I gripped the edge of the couch, my knuckles white, my nails digging into the fabric.“Elena, talk to me,” he tried again, his
The late afternoon sun bled through the curtains, casting long shadows across my living room. I sat on the edge of the couch, my arms wrapped tightly around myself, staring at the cold tea I’d made hours ago. The silence in the room was deafening, broken only by the faint hum of traffic outside.I couldn’t shake the feeling of eyes watching me, even though I was alone. That’s what happens when your secret becomes public—when your life, your choices, and even your most private moments are splattered across headlines for the world to judge.I glanced at my phone on the coffee table. Another notification lit up the screen. I didn’t have to read it to know what it said. It would be another article, another reminder of how exposed I was.Daniel’s voice replayed in my head: “You can’t avoid this forever, Elena. You need to decide what you’re going to do.”What I wanted was to rewind time—to wake up in a world where none of this had happened. But there was no going back. There was only forwa
Elena's Pov The silence Ethan left behind clung to the air, thick and suffocating. I sat motionless on the couch, staring blankly at the door. My mind raced with the sound of his parting words: “You’ll prove it, Elena. Or I’ll make sure you lose everything.”I wasn’t sure which weighed heavier—the anger in his voice or the threat laced in his promise.Across the room, Daniel shifted uncomfortably. He hadn’t moved since Ethan stormed out, his tall frame rigid, as though he were fighting the urge to go after him. He ran a hand through his hair, his jaw clenching briefly before he spoke.“Elena,” he said softly, stepping closer. His voice, warm and steady, felt like a faint lifeline in the storm raging in my mind.I didn’t look at him. I couldn’t. If I did, the tears I was holding back might spill, and I didn’t want him to see me crumble—not like this. Instead, I gripped the edge of the couch, my knuckles white, my nails digging into the fabric.“Elena, talk to me,” he tried again, his
Elena's Pov:The sound of Daniel’s knock echoed through the quiet house, sharp and punctual. I rushed to the door, my heart pounding. Seeing him standing there, his usual composed expression softening when our eyes met, brought a flicker of relief.“Elena,” he greeted, stepping inside as I held the door open. “Sorry for the delay. My flight was delayed, and—”“It’s fine,” I interrupted, closing the door behind him. “Thank you for coming.”Daniel glanced around the living room, his gaze lingering on the stack of unopened mail and half-packed boxes. “Are you moving?”“No,” I said quickly. “Just… reorganizing.”He gave me a small nod, his attention shifting back to me. “So, what’s going on? You sounded urgent on the phone.”I hesitated, my hand instinctively brushing over my stomach. The words felt heavy in my throat, tangled with nerves and uncertainty.“I’m pregnant,” I finally said, my voice barely above a whisper.Daniel’s brow furrowed, and for a moment, he didn’t say anything. Then
Elena's Pov:The soft morning light filtered through the sheer curtains of my apartment, but it did little to chase away the fog in my head. I sat at the kitchen table, cradling a mug of tea that had long since gone cold. The pregnancy test sat in the trash can, the two unmistakable lines burned into my memory.Pregnant.The word echoed in my mind, bringing with it an overwhelming mix of emotions. Excitement. Fear. Regret.I reached for my phone, scrolling through my contacts until I landed on Daniel’s name. His smile stared back at me from the photo, a snapshot of happier times. Daniel had always been my rock, the steady force in my otherwise chaotic life. He deserved to know, but telling him wouldn’t be easy.I pressed the call button, my heart pounding as the phone rang.“Come on, Daniel,” I whispered under my breath.The call went to voicemail.I tried again, but the result was the same. I set the phone down with a sigh, leaning back in my chair. Of course he’d be busy. His job ha
Ethan's Pov :The office had never felt so suffocating. The pristine walls, the perfectly arranged furniture, even the quiet hum of the air conditioner grated on my nerves. I stared at my laptop screen, the numbers from the quarterly report blurring into a meaningless mess.Work was supposed to be my refuge, the one place where I could lose myself and forget about the disaster my personal life had become. But today, even that wasn’t working.I leaned back in my chair, running a hand through my hair, and exhaled slowly. I’d been in a funk for weeks now—ever since the divorce was finalized. It was official. Elena was no longer my wife. The realization hit me like a punch every time I thought about it.She was gone.And I had no one to blame but myself. I stare at the picture of our wedding reception. Her smile was perfect. Everything with her was perfect until I ruined it. I broke her trust. Fuck. What the hell is wrong with me?! I could still see her in that courtroom, her eyes dist
Elena's Pov:It started as a faint whisper in the back of my mind.At first, I told myself it was just stress. The divorce, the sleepless nights, the endless arguments playing on repeat in my head—it all had to be taking a toll on my body. I wasn’t eating well. I wasn’t sleeping well. It made sense.But the symptoms grew louder. Morning dizziness, constant fatigue, the way my stomach churned at the smell of coffee—a smell I used to love. Every time I brushed it off, another wave of unease would hit me, each one harder to ignore.“Stress doesn’t make you nauseous, Elena,” Mia said, her voice laced with exasperation as she leaned against my kitchen counter. She had her arms crossed, her eyebrows raised like she was scolding a child. “And you can’t just pretend your period isn’t two weeks late.”I sighed, trying to focus on the mug in my hands. The tea had gone cold. “I’m sure it’s nothing, Mia. I’ve been under a lot of pressure.”I hope I'm right. Definitely pressure, pressure from work
Elena's Pov:The air in the courtroom felt thick with tension, suffocating in its weight. I sat at the wooden table, gripping its edge like it might anchor me to something solid. My fingers dug into the wood, my nails leaving faint marks. Beside me, Ethan sat like a statue, stone-faced and distant. Once, his presence had been my comfort, but now it felt almost foreign, a weight I couldn’t bear. Our marriage was crumbling before my eyes, splintered by his betrayal.The judge’s voice cut through the silence like a blade, her words final and unyielding. “The divorce is hereby finalized. Both parties are free to go their separate ways.”Separate ways. The words echoed in my mind as a cold fog of finality settled over me. I should have felt relieved, freed from the agony of a broken marriage, but all I could feel was the gnawing ache in my chest. Betrayed. Broken. For years, I had given Ethan everything—my heart, my trust, my soul. And he had destroyed it all with his infidelity.The room