Chapter 2

Austin stared at my flat tummy with a surprised look, but he quickly furrowed his brows.

“I know you’re good friends with Bella, Autumn. But you shouldn’t play along and perform a C-section on her. You're not fit to be a doctor if you’re recommending unnecessary surgery. Where is the baby? I—”

A call from Kirsty interrupted Austin. According to her, there was still another puppy in the dog’s belly, waiting to be delivered.

Austin was worried sick. “You’ve taken things too far, Bella. We’ll talk about this after I help Kirsty’s dog with the delivery.”

He left in a hurry.

Furious, Autumn tried to stop him for an answer.

Then came her husband, Aaron, stepping in her way.

“You're free to ruin your own life, Autumn, but why did you have to pit Bella against Austin? What do you gain from this? We’ve been together for five years, and I’m not sure how much more of this I can take. Do yourself a favor and stop the madness. I’ll pretend you never mentioned divorce, but there won’t be a next time.”

Aaron caught up to Austin, and they left together.

It didn’t take long for them to show up on Kirsty’s livestream, caring for the dog and her puppies.

The comments started pouring in when the Luther brothers appeared on screen.

[Wow! Kirsty looks great with the brothers.]

[One’s a gentle doctor, the other’s an aggressive CEO. Kirsty’s got both in the bag!]

[The brothers are looking at the puppies like it's their own children.]

[Duh! Have you considered who the mother of these puppies is?]

Kirsty glanced at the brothers, her cheeks rosy. “My fans have no filter. If the comments bother you, I can adjust the camera to just focus on me.”

Austin grinned tenderly. “It’s alright. I don’t mind.”

Aaron shook his head. “I don’t mind either.”

Autumn watched for a moment before turning off the livestream.

She said angrily, “It’s funny how a dog is more important to them than their own son and nephew.”

My eyes were swollen and sore from all the crying. “Well, that dog belongs to their sweetheart.”

Autumn turned to me, her voice sad. “Poor baby. You’ve wanted him for so long.”

“My baby gave his life to show me it’s time to end this tangled marriage.”

I had cried too much; my tears had dried.

Despair replaced the sadness, and the only thing on my mind was separating from Austin.

Autumn was disappointed in Aaron too.

We hired an attorney to draft the divorce papers. However, we couldn’t reach or locate the brothers to serve them.

With insomnia keeping me up at 1:00 AM, I checked Kirsty’s social media updates.

[He said the puppy was his eldest son, so it would be the big brother to their baby. Can I assume his love for my pet extends to its owner too?]

Attached was a clip of Kirsty, dressed in a bathrobe, holding a puppy in her hands. The sound of rushing water could be heard in the background, and a few of Austin’s clothes were on the floor.

My chest tightened.

Kirsty had been on Austin’s mind for years. They always seemed to be in some kind of situationship, so it wouldn’t surprise me if they took things to the next level.

I took a screenshot and sent it to Austin.

[Return my calls, or I’ll claim our separation is due to infidelity. Your choice.]

A flustered call from Austin followed soon after.

“Don’t get the wrong idea, Bella. I just took a shower at Kirsty’s place. Nothing else happened.”

Swallowing my anger, I replied, “You could’ve showered at home or the hotel. Why Kirsty’s place?”

Austin’s panic only lasted for a moment before shifting to anger.

“Can you stop being so unreasonable? Kirsty’s dog wasn’t doing well after giving birth. I stayed to help out. What’s wrong with that? Kirsty and I grew up together. She’s always been like family. Why must you think the worst of us?”

“Are you telling me your neighbor’s dog matters more than your wife and child? Our baby is dead, Austin. I nearly died on the operating table. You value the life of Kirsty’s pet more than us.”

I finally broke down in tears.