Chapter 3

Ethan showed up early the next morning. No warning, no apology, just walked in and started packing.

He grabbed some of his clothes, then reached for the stack of baby supplies I'd carefully prepped weeks ago.

"A colleague just had a kid," he said casually. "Didn't have time to get her anything, so I figured we could pass along some of this stuff. We'll just buy new ones when you give birth."

I froze.

My hand moved instinctively to my belly.

Right.

There wouldn't be a baby.

But Ethan didn't notice. When I didn't respond right away, his expression twisted, annoyed, like I was somehow making his life difficult.

Still, there was a flicker of something, guilt, maybe, that passed through his eyes.

"You seriously gonna be stingy over baby bottles and a few onesies? Come on, Sophia. We'll buy the same exact stuff later. Since when did being pregnant turn you into such a control freak?"

I forced a smile. Small. Weak. Numb.

"Alright. Whatever you say."

That made him pause.

It'd been a while since I said anything without a fight. The past few weeks, I'd been moody, snappy, tired. Pregnancy hormones, he'd called it. Drama, he'd whispered under his breath.

I remember our anniversary like it was yesterday.

We were at a restaurant when I saw her, Luna Bennett.

Sitting alone, two tables down. Holding her belly like it was the only thing keeping her from falling apart.

"I envy you two," she said quietly. "Your love is… strong."

I was about to say something kind, something polite, until Ethan reached into his pocket, pulled out the necklace he'd picked out for me, and handed it to her.

"This suits you better," he said, smiling like it meant nothing. "Take it. Don't be sad."

Then he reached out and ruffled her hair. Just… casually. Naturally. Like it wasn't the most humiliating thing he could've done.

I froze. My heart slammed against my ribs.

Luna scrambled to her feet, eyes wide and brimming with tears.

"N-no, I can't take this," she stammered, panicking. "It's your anniversary gift. I didn't mean to ruin anything, ma'am, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

By the end of it, she looked like she was about to drop to her knees.

I hadn't even said a word before Ethan turned on me.

"Sophia, that's enough! It's a necklace! If you want another one, I'll buy it! She liked it, what's the harm? Why are you being so damn petty? Look, you made her cry!"

The words caught in my throat.

I could only watch as he reached out and gently helped Luna up, murmuring soft reassurances.

And that's when I broke.

The tears I'd been holding back came rushing out, hot and heavy.

Ethan didn't flinch. He just pointed at the door.

"If you're gonna cry, go cry somewhere else. What, pregnancy makes you royalty now? She's already miserable, and you're making it worse. You enjoy this? Hurting her?"

Later, when I could breathe again, he said:

"She's alone. She's suffering. You're about to be a mother, can't you show a little compassion? Consider it a good deed."

A good deed.

What a joke.

He and his mistress stood right in front of me, close, familiar, unashamed.

And I was the fool smiling through it.

Her baby came into this world.

Mine wouldn't even make it past five months.

The irony writes itself.

Back in the present, Ethan zipped up his suitcase, then came over and pulled me into a loose hug. He pressed a kiss to my forehead like nothing had happened.

"Be good while I'm gone, alright? I've got a three-day business trip. Take care of yourself, and the baby. If you'd been this sweet from the start, we wouldn't have all those arguments."

I looked up at him, my face unreadable.

"A business trip? Over New Year's?"

For just a second, he flinched. Barely. But I saw it.

Then he smiled again and pinched my cheek like I was a child.

"Yeah. All for you and the baby."