Chapter 1

I had been married to Trevor Holt for three years, and my stomach was covered in needle marks from all the attempts to get pregnant.

On the day of my prenatal checkup, his first crush, Celeste Quill, called me in tears, saying her dog was lost.

My abdomen twisted in unbearable pain, and I held onto him desperately, but he shrugged me off. "It's a checkup, not childbirth. How long are you going to act like this?"

I lay alone on the cold examination table, watching my child turn into a puddle of blood.

Late that night, he sent a message. [We found the dog. Stop making a scene.]

I replied: [Let's get a divorce.]

Trevor had no idea that the life lost that day wasn't just the child, but also the heart that had once loved him.

*****

The acrid smell of hospital disinfectant was so sharp that it made me want to gag.

My stomach throbbed with pain, cold sweat covering my forehead, while my other hand gripped Trevor's sleeve tightly.

My knuckles were pale, like I was grabbing onto my last hope.

"Trevor, I feel awful. Please don't leave, okay? The doctor said the baby's not stable today, and they need a family member to sign off," I pleaded.

I'd had over three hundred shots to protect the pregnancy, and my belly was covered in purple bruises with not a single patch of healthy skin left.

Today was supposed to be the day he finally kept his promise and came with me for the big scan.

But three minutes ago, a call from Celeste Quill shattered everything I was hoping for.

Trevor Holt checked his watch, his brows drawn together in a deep scowl, impatience written all over his face. "Anya, can't you be reasonable for once? Celeste just got back. She barely knows her way around.

"That dog's been with her for five years. If she loses it, she'll be crushed."

I looked at him, utterly stunned.

For three years, I'd devoted myself to being the perfect, gentle housewife, putting away my own ambitions and softening every edge.

And that was what I got for all that.

The pain in my belly suddenly intensified, and a warm liquid started to run down my leg.

Fear flooded me in an instant.

"Trevor, I could die. This is your baby." I cried, my voice trembling, desperate. "Please, Trevor, take me to the doctor. I feel really awful."

Trevor's gaze swept over my belly, and there was nothing but disgust in his eyes. He thought I was putting on some pathetic show.

"Enough." He barked the words and yanked his arm free, shoving me hard.

I was already weak, and his shove sent me crashing into the cold wall. Agony hit me, and everything went dark.

He looked down at me, fixing the wrinkled cuff of his suit where I'd grabbed him, his voice sharp and icy. "It's a checkup, not like you're giving birth. How long are you going to keep this drama going?

"All this to get my attention? Now you're even playing the victim, Anya. You seriously make me sick."

With that, he spun around and strode off, like I was something filthy he couldn't wait to get away from.

"No, Trevor," I screamed, desperately trying to reach whatever shred of conscience he still had.

But he never once looked back, his figure cold and resolute as he vanished at the end of the corridor.

In that moment, my heart felt colder than my body ever could.

The heat spreading down my thighs was impossible to ignore now, and the sharp, coppery smell of blood filled the air.

"Help. Somebody, please help me." I collapsed to the floor, my vision blurring until all I could see was the harsh white light above, staring down at me like the eyes of death itself.

Suddenly, the noise around me exploded as voices rushed in from every direction.

"Oh my god, she's bleeding! She's pregnant!"

"Somebody get a doctor! We need a stretcher, quick!"

Right before everything went dark, all I could hear in my head was Trevor's disgusted voice. "You seriously make me sick."

It turned out that in his eyes, Celeste's dog was worth more than our baby and me.

That was the man I wasted seven years loving. What a joke.