Chapter 2
On the screen, Ryan pushed the door open and walked in. He gave my shoulder a nudge, checking if I was really asleep. Mila came in after him and immediately straddled his lap.
"Ryan, will she really be disgraced?" Mila asked, snuggling up to him.
"Don't worry, everything's been arranged," his hands moving restlessly over her.
"Once that bastard is born, I'll bring the media right into the delivery room and expose her on the spot," he said.
"I've already told Sebastian. With the DNA report, we'll accuse her of infidelity and asset transfer, and throw her out with nothing."
"So whose baby is she carrying?" Mila asked.
"Who cares? I got a vasectomy, so it sure isn't mine,"
"I'm gonna teach her a lesson for you." he added.
*****
The surveillance feed on my phone went dark. I leaned back against the headboard and fished out the pills from my bag. The doctor had told me to take them over three days, but I couldn't wait.
I dumped all the pills into my mouth without water. Before the pills could take effect, Ryan went to take a shower. His phone was sitting right there on the nightstand.
I picked it up and entered Mila's birthday as the password. The screen lit up. The home screen looked totally normal—nothing suspicious at all.
I tapped into the settings and spotted a hidden section. It asked for a fingerprint to unlock. I grabbed his phone and walked up to the bathroom door.
As soon as he pushed the door open, I pretended to slip and threw myself at him. Taking advantage of the moment, I snatched his right thumb and pressed it onto the screen.
"Are you out of your mind?" Ryan shoved me away.
Keeping the phone out of his sight, I quickly took a screenshot and sent it to my own phone.
"I'm dizzy," I said coldly, then went back to my room.
When I opened the screenshot, I saw lots of Mila's intimate photos.
But what really made my skin crawl was a group chat called "Waiting List Group." There were a bunch of guys in there, all Ryan's sleazy buddies, including Sebastian.
The group announcement was straight-up a rotation schedule. My name was listed, and next to every single date was a different guy's name.
"Is it my turn next Wednesday?" someone posted in the group.
"What's the hurry? Sebastian's already been with her three times," another guy replied.
"Sebastian, share your experience, will you?"
Sebastian answered, "She just lies there like a dead fish. But seeing her kneeling and begging with that huge belly? Pretty satisfying."
Turns out Mila was in the group chat too. She posted a picture of me, pregnant, mopping the floor at home, taken from behind.
I gripped my phone so tightly. A deep, dragging pain throbbed in my lower belly. The effects of the drug were kicking in.
I clenched my teeth, refusing to make a sound, toughing it out through the wave of pain.
*****
Early the next morning, Ryan tossed me an evening gown with a plunging V-neck that was ridiculously revealing.
"Tonight, we're throwing a welcome-back dinner for Mia at The Royal Clubhouse. You have to be there," he said.
"I'm not going," I said, clutching my stomach.
"Are you seriously refusing?" Ryan snarled, grabbing my hair and yanking me off the bed.
"If you don't show up, I'll pull the plug on your dad's ventilator!" Ryan threatened.
My dad had a sudden brain hemorrhage two weeks ago and he's still stuck in the ICU.
I bit down hard on my lip, the taste of blood filling my mouth. "I'll go," I said.
Ryan let go of me and wiped his hands with a tissue. "That's more like it. Don't make me lose face," Ryan said.
I watched Ryan leave, then struggled to get up from the floor. I placed a hand on my silent belly. 'I'm sorry, baby. Mama's taking you away with her,' I thought.
*****
That night, I was in the private suite on the top floor of The Royal Clubhouse. The lights splashed across everyone's faces, and the pounding music made my heart throb painfully.
Mia was dressed in a designer gown, crowded around like a princess in the center of the room.
I sat in the corner on a couch, sweat drenched me. The cramping was becoming agonizing, wave after wave of contractions making it impossible for me to sit still.
"Why are you sitting here all alone?" Mia came over, carrying two glasses of wine.
The music cut out, and the whole place went dead silent. All those eyes were sizing me up, none of them friendly.
"What, do you think you're some kind of superstar, just waiting for one of the guys to come flirt with you?" Mia said, her voice loud enough for everyone to hear.
The room erupted in laughter.
"Oh, come on, Mia, you're just messing around." Sebastian said, sitting next to Ryan. Ryan sat in the center, swirling his glass of wine, not even sparing me a glance.
"I was immature before and made you angry. Let me raise a toast to you," Mia said, handing me a glass of champagne.
"I'm pregnant. I can't drink," I said, pushing the glass away.
Ryan shot up from his seat and strode over. He snatched the champagne glass and squeezed my cheeks hard.
"Mia's toasting you. How dare you refuse?" He forced the cold champagne down my throat.
I coughed violently, my stomach heaving, nearly throwing up.
"Ryan, chill out. She can't drink, so just let her have some water," Mia said, acting all concerned as she passed me a glass of warm water.
My throat was burning with thirst, so I grabbed the glass and gulped down half of it.