Chapter 2
I wondered to myself.
Seriously, shouldn't it be amazing?
I thought he'd be so excited that he'd hug me tight and maybe even jump for joy.
"Giovani, do you not want a baby?" I asked quietly.
"That's not it... It's just that it's so sudden. We're kinda under a lot of financial pressure right now," he said.
"But you said you wanted a baby before," I reminded him.
"Yeah, but I thought we'd have to wait a while longer," he replied.
That night, Giovani went to bed early. I was lying right next to him, but I just couldn't get any sleep at all.
His reaction was really off.
The next day, I went to see Sienna. She was busy organizing the new makeup products in her shop.
"Sienna, I told Giovani about the pregnancy yesterday," I said.
"He must be over the moon, right?" she asked, her eyes lighting up.
"No, he was pretty calm about it," I replied.
Sienna nearly dropped the foundation she was holding. "Maybe he was just too surprised and needed a second to process it."
"Do you really think so?" I asked.
"Of course! Guys are always like that. They keep it cool on the outside, but inside? They're grinning from ear to ear," she replied.
I nodded, thinking she had a point.
"By the way, it's the weekend tomorrow. Do you guys have any plans?" Sienna asked.
"Nothing special, probably just staying home and relaxing," I replied.
"Why don't you go see a movie? I heard that new romance film is really good," she suggested.
"Sure, I'll talk to Giovani about it when I get home," I said.
When I got home, Giovani still wasn't back from work. Feeling bored, I started scrolling through his iPad, trying to find a movie to watch.
Without really thinking, I tapped open the photo album—and suddenly spotted a picture I hadn't seen before.
It was Giovani and Sienna, posing together.
They were standing really close, and Giovani's arm was wrapped around Sienna's waist.
The timestamp said it was taken last Wednesday. It was that night Giovani said he was working late.
My hands started to shake as I kept scrolling.
More photos appeared—eating together, shopping side by side, and even more...
The last one was taken right outside a hotel.
My world came crashing down in an instant.
My hands trembled as I clutched the iPad, those photos stabbing into my heart like knives.
The most gut-wrenching one was the last photo—Giovani was kissing Sienna, and the background was a luxury hotel.
The timestamp read 9 PM last night. That was the exact time he'd told me he was out "networking for work."
I heard the keys twisting in the lock. Giovani was back.
"Aimee, I'm home," he called out.
I hurriedly shut off the iPad, forcing myself to look calm, even though my heart was pounding in my chest.
"You're back. Want something to eat? I can fix you a plate," I said, hiding my nerves.
"No need, I already ate out," he replied.
Was he with Sienna?
I forced myself to stay calm. "Go take a shower then. I'll clean up the kitchen."
Once Giovani stepped into the bathroom, I quickly unlocked the iPad again.
This time, I looked closely at the photo details and realized the very first one dated back three months.
Three months ago, Sienna told me she'd just broken up with her boyfriend, and I spent hours trying to cheer her up.
So the breakup was just a sham… What was real was her making moves on my husband.
I thought back to all the strange things Giovani had been doing over the last three months—always staying late at work, coming home late, and acting more and more distant with me...
Turns out, it wasn't his job keeping him out—it was him sneaking off to see the other woman behind my back.
With the sound of water running in the bathroom, I flipped through Giovani's messages in a rush.
The chat with Sienna was sitting right there at the top.
Sienna: [Guess what? Aimee came over today. She's pregnant.]
Giovani: [Wait, what?]
Sienna: [Six weeks already, and she wanted to surprise you.]
Giovani: [Well, this is trouble.]
Sienna: [So, what are you gonna do now?]
Giovani: [Let's hold off for now. I need to figure things out.]
Sienna: [So, are we still meeting up tomorrow?]
Giovani: [Of course, you're my baby—how could I ever miss seeing you?]
When I read that, the tears just wouldn't stop.
No wonder he acted so weird last night. He already knew.
The sound of the shower finally stopped, and I hurriedly put the iPad back in its place.
By the time Giovani came out, I was already lying in bed, feigning sleep.
He slid quietly into bed, deliberately keeping his distance from me.
Back then, he couldn't sleep unless he held me close. Now, he acted like I was untouchable.
I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling the tears seep into my pillow, my heart aching with every breath.
"Baby, your daddy doesn't want you," I said to my baby inwardly.
The next morning was Saturday, and Giovani left early, telling me he was going to check out the work site.
But I knew he was just headed off to meet up with Sienna.
Left alone at home, the longer I stewed on it, the angrier I got. Why did they get to hurt me like this and just leave me clueless?
I decided I couldn't just sit there—I had to go to Sienna's salon and confront her face-to-face.
When I pushed open the door to the salon, Sienna was in the middle of a face mask.
"Aimee? What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Sienna, I need to ask you something," I said, my voice steady but cold.
"What is it?" she replied.