Rianne’s POV
Chapter 1
One drunken night was all it took for my CEO husband to get someone pregnant–his new intern.
The young woman was already three months along by the time I found out.
Nigel Morrison knelt in front of me, his eyes guilty, his voice pleading.§
“Honey, I’m sorry. I drunk too much that night after the business dinner. That’s why I mistook her for you. I swear, it only happened once!“} “Please don’t be mad, honey. I’ll make sure she her aborts the baby. I’ll send her far away. You’ll never have to see her again, I promise!“}}] Like a fool, I believed him. After all, we’d been together for ten years.}
Six months later, finally, I got pregnant through IVF.S
I went in for a prenatal check–up–only to see my husband in the hallway holding that same intern in his arms. She was about to give birth. When he saw me, the first thing he did was pull her behind him to protect her from me.§
“Honey, she was so young when it happened. I took her innocence. I have to take responsibility.“>
“I know I can’t give her anything, but I want the baby to stay with her. For the sake of what we’ve had all these years, honey, please–don’t make this harder on her than it already is.”
I stared at the man I’d loved for a decade, and for the first time, I felt exhausted.
I didn’t cry. I didn’t make a scene. My voice was steady when I said, “Alright.”}
But that day, I didn’t go to the checkup. Instead, I booked an abortion.
While waiting in line, I called a number I hadn’t dialed in years.
“I’ve decided I need a new husband. Are you in?“>
3–
There was silence on the other end. But after a long pause, I heard a breathless voice.
“Are you serious? I swear, don’t joke like that. You know I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time.“>
I kept my voice steady.
“I’m serious. Come pick me up in Inverness in three days. Bring your papers–we’re getting married.“}
Right after I hung up, the hospital speaker called my name.
When my doctor saw me, her mouth opened, closed, then opened again.§
“Mrs. Morrison… you want to terminate the pregnancy?” Her hands gripped my chart tighter. “After everything we did to get here? If you go through with this, you realize your chances of another pregnancy are nearly zero, right?“}
As she tried to stop me, my mind drifted back to the scene I caught in the hallway.
I saw Nigel gently holding that young, beautiful girl. His face was lit up with joy–glowing with pride and excitement, like a first–time father.
Her belly was round and full, so much bigger than mine.§
Before I knew it, tears that I’d been holding back started to well up. With red eyes, I signed the consent form.
“Yes,” I told the doctor. “Do it. The baby’s father… is dead to me.”
My doctor gave me a sympathetic look but didn’t try to talk me out of it. She scheduled the abortion for two days later.}]
As I walked out of her office, I passed the ultrasound room.
Through the glass, I saw Nigel pressing a kiss to the young woman’s belly.]
She let out a surprised squeal–it must’ve been cold–then blushed and snuggled into his arms. A nurse nearby smiled and said how sweet they looked, like the perfect couple.
Nigel nodded. “She’s still young. She needs me for a lot of things.”
The softness in his voice cut straight through me.}
He used to talk about me like that. Once upon a time. But now, all of that gentleness belonged to someone else.
I couldn’t look anymore. I turned and walked away, barely holding myself together.
The tears didn’t fall until I was finally alone in my car.“]
Nigel and I had started from nothing, just a young couple trying to make it in the world.
We used to share a tiny basement apartment, barely ten square meters. But back then, it felt like enough… because we had each other. He promised I’d be the only one for him for life.
I always knew words like that were fragile. But I chose to believe him anyway.”
Step by step, the company grew. But after years of drinking during client meetings, the damage had been done–it became harder and harder for me to get pregnant.D
Worse, on the very first day I began IVF, I saw him… with that young woman, pregnant with his child.
The first thing he did was fall to his knees and beg for forgiveness, saying it was an accident.
