All Chapters of The Orchestrated Lie: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

Chapter 69The next few days felt like a careful dance between Shania and me, as we navigated this new territory that neither of us had fully prepared for. While there were moments of genuine peace, there were just as many moments when the weight of our unresolved feelings crept back into our minds. We were still adjusting, still trying to find the rhythm that worked for us as a family of three.The mornings were the easiest. The baby, our beautiful child who had somehow transformed our lives so completely, would wake us both up with their small, whimpering cries. It was the sound of new beginnings—an announcement that life had irrevocably changed, and it was both overwhelming and comforting at once. I would lift our child from the crib, feeling a warm, protective instinct wash over me as I watched Shania stir beside me, her eyes half-open but always filled with that quiet, maternal love.Shania was an incredible mother. I had known that from the moment I saw her hold our baby in her

Chapter 71The days that followed our conversation felt both lighter and more complicated. On the one hand, I felt a sense of relief, a weight lifted off my chest as we finally faced the truth of our emotions. But on the other hand, there was still the looming uncertainty, the knowledge that we were still navigating uncharted waters, and there was so much more left to figure out.Shania was doing her best, and I could see that in her every action. She was determined, even though the past had left its scars, and there were moments when I saw the vulnerability in her eyes, the same vulnerability she had tried to mask so many times before. It wasn’t easy for her to let her guard down, to trust me fully again, but she was trying.And I would do anything to help her.One afternoon, as we sat in the living room, I watched her carefully, her hand resting on her stomach. It was a quiet moment, but the weight of everything we had been through seemed to hang in the air. I could feel her thought

Chapter 73I woke up to the sound of rain pattering against the windows, soft and steady. The kind of rain that lulls you back to sleep, but today, I didn’t want to sleep. I didn’t want to hide from the storm brewing inside me. I hadn’t allowed myself to truly think about what came next until now. Until I woke up and realized how much had changed—how much we had changed.Stefan’s words from last night echoed in my mind. “We’ve got this.” He’d said it so confidently, so sure of himself, but I couldn’t help but wonder if we really did. Could I be the woman he wanted me to be? Could I be the mother my child deserved? Could we truly build a life together when everything about our past had been so tangled and messy?I sat up, pushing the covers away, and swung my legs over the side of the bed. The room felt different this morning. There was an energy in the air—a tension I couldn’t quite shake. The baby inside me stirred, as though it, too, was sensing the change. I pressed my hand to my s

Chapter 75The day felt heavy. Like every second that passed added more weight to my shoulders. I’d woken up hopeful, but by mid-morning, my thoughts had spiraled again. It was hard to keep them grounded. Hard to keep my feet on the ground when everything around me seemed to move with a mind of its own. My pregnancy. The future with Stefan. The uncertainty that clung to the edges of every decision I made.Stefan had been by my side this morning, offering more reassurance than I probably deserved. His confidence, his belief in us—it should’ve been comforting. And in a way, it was. But it also made the swirling knot in my stomach tighten. I wasn’t sure if I was ready for all this, or if I even could be.The baby. Our baby. It should have been the thing that made everything feel right, but all it did was remind me of how unprepared I was. How much I was still figuring out. And Stefan was so sure, so unshaken. But I was not.I glanced at the clock. It was just past noon, and I hadn’t hear

Chapter 77I woke to a strange silence.The world outside my window was still dark, the moon hanging low in the sky. It felt as though time had stopped for just a moment, allowing me to breathe and think clearly. But even in the quiet of the night, my thoughts were loud. I turned over, hoping the sound of Stefan’s breathing would offer me some comfort.But he wasn’t there.I sat up in bed, the cool sheets slipping off my body as I searched the room. His presence had always been a constant—reassuring, grounding. But now, the space beside me felt empty, like a part of me was missing. Had he left? Or was I just afraid that everything was slipping away, as it always seemed to do?I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, the cold floor biting against my bare feet. I needed to know where Stefan was. Needed to see him. I didn’t know why, but there was a growing fear inside me, a fear that this moment, the one where everything had felt right, was slipping away.I stood and walked out of the