“No,” I said, my voice firm. “I’m done. I don’t want to hear your justifications or your excuses. You can say whatever you want, but I know the truth. You chose her over me, and I’m done pretending like that doesn’t hurt.”
His face softened for a moment, like he wanted to say something, to reach out and stop me, but I couldn’t do it anymore. The pain was too deep, the betrayal too raw. I turned on my heel and walked away from him, my chest tight with the weight of everything left unsaid.
Louis didn’t even bother to follow.
The drive to the doctor’s appointment was tense. Louis barely said a word, his hands gripping the steering wheel as he focused on the road. I sat beside him, wringing my hands in my lap, my heart pounding with a mixture of hope and fear. Today was supposed to be the day—the day I would tell him about the baby. I had convinced myself that maybe, just maybe, this news would change everything.
He’ll see that I’m not useless. He’ll know that we have a future, that I can give him a family.
The words replayed in my head like a mantra, as if saying them enough would make them true. I stared out the window, watching the city pass by in a blur, my mind racing with how I would break the news. I had imagined the moment over and over—Louis’ face lighting up with surprise and joy, his hand resting protectively on my belly, the way it should be.
But instead of joy, there was silence. A suffocating silence that had become all too familiar between us. My stomach twisted, the knot of anxiety tightening with every passing second. I glanced over at him, wondering if he felt the weight of everything between us. I was about to speak, to say something, when his phone rang.
I tensed as he reached for it, his gaze flickering from the road to the screen. He didn’t need to say a word for me to know who it was.
Jane.
I bit down on my lip, bracing myself for the inevitable. I hated that name. That person. The woman who seemed to have more claim over my husband than I ever did—acting like she doesn’t have a boyfriend.
“Yeah?” Louis answered, his tone softening immediately. His eyes darted between me and the road, but his focus was entirely on her.
I could hear her voice, faint but urgent, through the speaker. Something about needing help. Of course. She always needed something. And Louis always rushed to her side, no matter what.