CHAPTER 2 - Shattered Heart

Sherah almost stumbled to the floor when Ethan said, "She wants to, but I don't..." He uttered with certainty. 

James' brows furrowed in confusion, "Does she know about this?"

"No. She thought I was up for it. She didn’t know that I made sure she wouldn't carry my child. I paid a doctor to prescribe strong contraceptives to her. I told her it's vitamins to help us conceive," he explains proudly.

James felt sick in his stomach. "You're a terrible person. It's because of Sophia again, isn't it? She left you broken when you needed her the most; have you forgotten that?" he pointed out.

"Yeah, she did, but we spoke about it when we met in Australia. She told me why she left. She said she was sick and didn't want to hinder my success.

“—And you believe her?” James intervenes. He is clearly not pleased with his friend's choices.

Ethan nodded vigorously, “Yes. I do. I should have waited for her instead of using her sister to spite her." He answered in disappointment.

James shook his head in disagreement, "I heard she's about to return to the country. If you don't like Sherah, let her go. She deserves to be happy, not a toy for you and Sophia to play around with," he pointed out.

Ethan scoffed. "Don't talk to me like that… I gave Sherah everything that Sophia was supposed to have. It just so happened she was not her sister. I can never love her.” He declared in confidence. 

James gasped in disbelief.

“Don’t get me wrong. Sherah is a devoted wife. She’s the perfect stand-in. She took care of me whenever I was sick, but I put up with her. The way he laughs annoys me… Her non-stop questions about 'how my day is' were exhausting... Sometimes I just want to yell... woman, can you just shut the fuck up! And don't get me started with her weird taste for decoration. Have you seen the colorful photo frames in the living room, the curtains in the house, the flowers in the garden, and those god-awful cheap scarves she insists on knitting for me?” Ethan remarks mockingly.

“I thought you liked those? You always wear them.” James remarks with a judgmental gaze, as none of the things his friend mentions are bad, and he finds Sherah’s taste a breath of fresh air compared to the old-style decor in the mansion.

Ethan lowered his head. He did like them, but when he went to Australia wearing the scarf, Sophia felt disgusted by it, and he immediately threw it in the trash.

“Well, Sophia and I think otherwise. It looks cheap, and it belongs in the trash,” he commented.

Sherah froze and felt her world shatter at his every word, a part of her soul torn into pieces. His betrayal came as a nasty revelation to her. 

She thought she had found someone who truly loved her that she could call hers, but she was so wrong. 

Her knees couldn’t stop shaking. Her lips quivered as she tried to stop crying.

No matter how hard she tried, tears trickled down her cheeks. 

She now understands the sudden change in him after he went to Australia.

"A stand-in…" She whispered in despair.

"He… he just used me."

"My husband is in love with my sister?" The realization hit her like a hard slap.

"My Ethan never loved me..."

She mumbled in torment. She covered her mouth, muffling her cries of despair.

"Is that the only reason why you married her? Tell me there’s something else. Five years is not a joke, Ethan," James pointed out, bringing Sherah back to her nightmare of reality.

"I'm young. Got dumped, and I want revenge. Then I saw Sherah... Made her fall for me, which is so easy. Her life is shit." Ethan replied mockingly and unapologetically. 

James stared at him in disgust. “What if Sophia never returned? What then? Are you going to keep Sherah wrapped around your hands, clueless that you will never love her… that you can never love her? Like she’s a plaything?” he questioned, trying to talk sense to his friend. 

“Well… I… I’m sure Sophia will come back for me.” Ethan replied stutteringly. 

James laughs mockingly, "You are my friend, but I was this close to punching sense into you,” he says while gesturing at how little his patience was. “Just let her go slowly. She deserves better." He uttered in a soft tone. 

Ethan smirked, "I know… I know. What I did is bad, but think of it as being efficient, two birds in one stone. Got my petty revenge against Sophia, and I saved Sherah from her shitty life," he muttered proudly.

"Saved her? More of deceiving her to think she's safe, only to throw her back into her misery. How do you think she would react? She loves you dearly, Ethan. All these years, she thought you felt the same," James stated, flabbergasted by the conversation they were having.

“Who cares how she feels? She should be thankful she experienced luxury. I took good care of her. Did you see her 5 years ago? Who would want to marry an unwanted, forgotten daughter from the outskirts? Even her father doesn’t want her,” Ethan says with a smug look on his face.

James’ eyes widened in shock. He never knew he’d hear such words from him, “I hope this won’t blow up in your face.” 

Sherah's whole body weakened in anguish, as if every bone of her body broke. 

Helplessness drowns her. She leaned on the wall and slowly slouched into a seating position. She hugged her knees and covered her mouth as she continued to listen to her husband's toxic confessions.

She caresses her belly and reminisces about their conversation concerning baby names.

~If it's a boy, his name will be Evan. If it was a girl, her name would be Samantha.~

She laughs at herself silently. Realizing everything, he told her and showed her there were lies.

"What if, just what if..." James' curious question knocked her out of her trance state once again. "You accidentally got her pregnant? What will you do then?"

Ethan scoffed, "The baby should never see the light of day," he replied in a stern voice. "I'm planning to live separately and then file for divorce before Sophia returns to the country. I want to make myself available for her return. I don't want people to think low of her. As if she’s a homewrecker."

James shook his head in contempt and soon bid Ethan goodbye.

The moment he got out of the door, he saw Sherah standing nearby, her face unreadable.

James gasped. His heart skipped a beat, and he felt a cold bucket being thrown at him. "Did she hear us?" he asked himself.