Chapter 1

The night I told my husband, Ellis Ryan I was pregnant, he shoved me out of the car.

Rain poured down, soaking me to the bone as I banged on the window, begging him to at least take me somewhere safe. But he simply rolled the glass up, his voice laced with irritation.

"You're always such a hassle, Eva. Now is not the time."

These words sliced through my heart like a blade.

Then, he sped away—straight into the arms of Laylani Pierce, his childhood sweetheart,his mistress.

Hours later, a truck driver found me, but it was too late. The baby was gone, and with it, my ability to ever conceive again.

For five days in the hospital, I called Ellis again and again.

Forty times. Each call was ignored.

And when I finally stepped out of my hospital room, I saw him in the lobby, standing next to Laylani. Her hand rested on her belly—the same belly that carried his child.

"Take care, darling. We need to protect our baby." His voice was gentle, so suffocatingly tender that something inside me shattered.

I disappeared for ten days after that, leaving no trace. And suddenly, the man who had abandoned me in the rain went mad with calls.

But when I finally answered, his voice was sharp. "Where the hell have you been, Eva?"

Oh, Ellis. You should have cherished me when you had the chance.

......

When I discovered I was pregnant, Ellis Ryan heartlessly pushed me out of the car. It was a night of pouring rain, and I stood soaking wet on the edge of an unfamiliar suburban highway while he whispered intimately with his childhood sweetheart inside. I banged on the window, begging him to at least take me somewhere safe, but he just coldly raised the window, his eyes filled with annoyance: "You're always such a hassle, Eva. Now is not the time."

His car drove away, leaving me completely broken in the rain. Hours later, a kind truck driver found me, but it was too late—I had lost that unborn life, and doctors said the severe hemorrhage had taken away my ability to ever become pregnant again.

During my five days in the hospital, I called Ellis not once, but over forty times. Each call was either unanswered or immediately declined. When I was finally able to leave my room, I saw them in the hospital lobby—Ellis and Laylani Pierce standing shoulder to shoulder in the waiting area, her hand gently caressing her slightly swollen belly. Ellis's voice was so tender it suffocated me:"Take care, darling, we need to protect our baby."

In that moment, something inside me died completely.

After recovering and being discharged, I took myself on a solo seven-day trip to the Alps. During the ten days of absolute silence, Ellis seemed to lose his mind, calling incessantly.

Returning from the Alps, I finally answered Ellis's ninety-ninth call.

"Eva, my tracker shows you're not at home. he demanded sharply, "Where have you gone off to?" , his voice a misture of anger and desperation.

I didn't respond. Keeping my composure, I exited the airport. When Ellis came to pick me up, he took my suitcase with an expression that was both cold and mocking.

"So you thought you could run away after losing our baby," he sneered, twisting the knife deeper. "But it turns out you couldn't stay away for long. Look at you, a real mess."

I flinched at his cruel words. The baby I had lost was mine alone in his eyes—never ours. The same baby he had driven away in the rain.

"I'm buried in work with the wedding just around the corner," he contiued as if nothing had happened, "and don't have time for your antics. We need to move forward, Eva. Stay where you are and don't cause any trouble."

With that, he expertly lit a cigarette inside the car—the habit he had resumed the moment Laylani reappeared in his life. I frowned and reached to open the window.

Cold air rushed in. I took a deep breath and spoke calmly, "Let's stop by the wedding planner's."

It was time to collect the wedding invitations that I had ordered before everything fell apart.

Ellis scoffed and sped off, taking us to the wedding planning office. He refused to come inside, loitering at the entrance, smoking and occasionally scrolling through his phone with a smirk. I noticed how he kept checking his messages, his face lighting up each time his phone buzzed.

The store assistant brought out the wedding invitations. "Miss Porter, your wedding invitations are ready."

Ellis glanced at the elegant ivory invitations. "How tacky," he remarked with a sneer. "Can't believe you go for such a bright color—no originality whatsoever. Just like your insistence on keeping a baby we weren't ready for. "

My breath caught in my throat at his casual cruelty. I didn't argue but silently counted the invitations and paid for them using my phone.

Just as I was about to speak, Ellis's phone rang. Without hesitation, he answered, and a sweet voice came through, dripping with false charm—Laylani.

"I'm going to my prenatal appointment alone again. It's so sad. Is my dear childhood friend available to come with me?"

Ellis ended the call and took out his car keys, leaving me with a brusque parting comment. "You can deal with this on your own. I have something to handle."

It was a directive, not a request, assuming I would simply agree.

He drove off without a second glance, leaving me once again, this time for the same woman.

Turning to the assistant, I said, "I've already paid for these invitations. Please go ahead and toss them. Cancel everything else too; there's no need for further planning."

The assistant hesitated, looking a bit uneasy. "But, ma'am, we've already completed half of the designs. If you cancel now, the deposit is non-refundable..."

"Keep it," I replied, unfazed.

After leaving the store, it occurred to me that I should cancel the wedding dress too. Once everything was called off, I stepped into a nearby Italian restaurant, ordered a comforting bowl of pasta, and started crafting a Facebook post.

I had captured so many beautiful scenes in the Alps, all worth sharing as memories. I pieced together a collage and added the caption "Dream fulfilled."

Many friends liked my post, including a notable thumbs-up from Laylani Pierce.

Soon after, she posted an update: a picture of Ellis's intent side profile. Alongside the caption, "Promised to be by my side for life—thanks to my dear childhood friend for joining me at the prenatal visit again!"

A flood of comments followed, with friends congratulating them. I casually liked her post before setting my phone aside to enjoy my meal, a small smile playing on my lips at the perfect timing of her betrayal.

A few minutes later, my phone rang unexpectedly. Ellis was calling again.