Chapter 3

"Jason," I said, reaching out to touch his cheek. "I need to tell you something."

"What is it?" he asked.

I looked him straight in the eye and said, "I'm pregnant."

Jason's face went completely still, and for a split second, I caught a flicker of joy in his eyes.

But then, his shock and excitement quickly took over.

"Really?" he said, pulling me into a tight hug, his voice trembling. "Whitney, this is amazing!"

He sure knew how to put on an act.

"Yeah, I just found out," I said, hugging him back. "Are you happy?"

"Of course I'm happy," he said, letting go of me and cupping my face in his hands. "We're going to be parents."

Seeing the so-called joy in his eyes, it felt like a knife twisting in my chest.

To him, this baby was just another step in his plan.

That night, Jason cooked for me for the very first time.

"From now on, you're my top priority," he said, carefully ladling soup into my bowl. "Don't worry about a thing. All you need to do is take care of yourself and our baby."

"Isn't that a bit much?" I asked.

"Not at all," he replied softly, looking at me with gentle eyes. "Nothing means more to me than you and our baby."

Nothing meant more?

What about Valerie?

After dinner, Jason even insisted on washing the dishes. He wouldn't let me go anywhere near the cold water.

His careful attention brought back memories of when we'd first started dating.

At the time, I really thought he loved me.

Now I knew it was nothing but an act to achieve his goals.

That night, Jason held me close as we drifted off to sleep.

"Whitney, thank you," he whispered softly in my ear.

"Thank me? For what?" I asked.

"Thanks for having my baby," he murmured.

I kept my eyes closed, a bitter smile tugging at my lips.

So, he thanked me for agreeing to be their broodmare.

Deep into the night, Jason's phone buzzed.

I cracked my eyes open and watched as he checked his phone, and then slipped out of bed, moving quietly toward the balcony.

I waited a few minutes and then crept after him.

"Yes, she's pregnant," Jason murmured in a low voice.

"I know, just a couple more months," he said.

"Don't worry, everything's still on track," he added.

Who else could he be talking to? Valerie, of course.

I tiptoed back to bed, rage simmering inside me.

The very first thing he did after finding out I was pregnant was tell Valerie.

Meanwhile, I'd actually been naïve enough to think it was our secret.

By the time I hit three months, the morning sickness was brutal.

Every single morning, I was throwing up like it was my new job. Jason fussed over me, splurging on fancy supplements and whipping up special soups day after day.

"Valerie, should I hire a nanny for you?" he asked, seeing how exhausted I looked.

"No, I can handle it myself," I replied.

"Why don't I take a few days off and stay home with you?" Jason offered.

"No, you should focus on your job," I replied, forcing a smile as I tried to reassure him. "I'm tougher than I look."

Jason paused, but in the end, he nodded.

I knew exactly why he paused. He couldn't wait to sneak off and meet up with Valerie.

Sure enough, the next day, Jason said there was a big project and he'd probably have to stay late.

I nodded, just playing along.

As soon as he left, I jumped into a cab and went straight to his office building.

After waiting for an hour in the café downstairs, I finally spotted Jason walking out.

But instead of going to any meeting, he climbed straight into a taxi.

I hopped into another cab and tailed him all the way to a fancy restaurant downtown.

When I arrived, I spotted a familiar figure waiting at the entrance—Valerie.

She was dressed in a red gown. Her makeup was flawless. She looked every bit like a woman waiting for her lover.

Jason got out of the cab and walked straight over to her. They hugged and then held hands as they walked into the restaurant together.

I sat in the car, watching everything unfold. My heart twisted in agony.

Three months ago, they were meeting up behind my back just like this.

And now, even though I was pregnant with his child, they were still dating.

I didn't go into the restaurant. I went home.

At ten o'clock that night, Jason finally came home.

"Valerie, why are you still awake?" he asked, shrugging off his coat, looking exhausted.

"I was waiting up for you," I said, looking him in the eyes. "So, how did your big meeting go?"

"It went pretty well," he said as he came over to sit beside me. "The client was being really picky, so negotiations dragged on. How about you? Was the morning sickness rough today?"

"Not too bad," I said, leaning in a little and inhaling near his collar. "But you smell like perfume."

Jason stiffened instantly. "Maybe it was stained when I was in the taxi. You know how all the drivers these days are obsessed with air fresheners and cologne."

Lying was just second nature to him.

"Oh, really?" I said with a smile. "Go ahead and take a shower. I'll get the water running for you."

"No, I'll do it myself," he blurted, making a beeline for the bathroom.

Watching him scurry off all flustered, I was more convinced that he really was lying.

In the days that followed, Jason's so-called overtime stints became a regular thing.

One night it was a dinner with clients, the next he'd claim he had some urgent meeting—he always came up with some new reason to stay out and avoid coming home.

And every single time he was out, Valerie would post something on her social media that was oozing with innuendo.

Like a photo of a glass of red wine with the caption: Wine tonight.

Or a bouquet of roses with the caption: Someone gets me.

Every single post was like her staking a claim, showing off exactly what she'd stolen from me.