Chapter 1

When I was five months pregnant, Ethan Cooper, my husband, brought me to the hospital for a prenatal checkup.

Every time she saw me, Dahlia Brooks, the nurse who was my husband's first love, would clutch her chest and look heartbroken.

Ethan thought I was deliberately flaunting my pregnancy to upset her.

"Dahlia is weak and can't have children. Yet you keep parading around with your belly in front of her. Aren't you trying to provoke her on purpose?" he shouted angrily.

At that moment, Dahlia suddenly fainted.

Ethan immediately let go of me and rushed over to catch the falling Dahlia.

But I lost my balance and accidentally fell down the stairs.

The pain was so intense that I could barely speak. I struggled to tell him that I might be having a miscarriage.

But he responded as if hearing a joke, his voice cold like ice.

He sneered, "You can eat and drink just fine. Don't pretend to be pitiful here. This is what happens when you embarrass Dahlia."

Without looking back, he picked up Dahlia and left.

*****

Staring at Ethan's back, I calmly called for a doctor.

When I woke up after the surgery, the first thing I saw was a blinding white.

I gently shifted the hand resting on my belly. It wasn't round anymore, but it was eerily flat.

Ethan sat at the edge of my bed, nerves written all over his face. He reached for my hand in a rush.

"Emory, I swear, I had no idea you'd fall that hard," he said.

I yanked my hand away, cold as ice, turning my face so he couldn't see me break.

A single tear slipped from the corner of my eye, soaking into the pillow.

No one but me knew how tough those five months had been.

"We're still young. We can have another baby," Ethan said.

I whipped my head around, my voice icy. "You know I never lie. Deep down, you know the truth better than anyone, right?"

Ethan's eyes flickered with guilt. He kept avoiding my gaze, unable to meet my eyes.

"It was just an accident. How was I supposed to know a fall would cost us the baby?" he muttered.

I listened to his excuses, and honestly, I just found it laughable. "Wow, you're really the kind of dad that makes people lose faith."

His face darkened with fury.

He shot to his feet, his finger almost jabbing me in the nose.

"Emory Evans, it was just an unborn baby. Do you have to be so harsh?" he shouted.

His chest was rising and falling, like he was about to explode. Unable to hold it in any longer, he swept the vase off the table with a violent swipe.

The vase shattered, shards flying everywhere. The sharp crack seemed to blend with Ethan's fury in the air.

Just as the tension was about to snap, the door burst open, breaking the deadlock.

Dahlia walked in, wearing her lab coat. She worked as a nurse alongside Ethan.

She said timidly, "Ethan, I came to look over Emory's test results."

The moment Ethan saw her, his anger vanished. He soothed her gently, "Don't be nervous. Take your time."

Dahlia was acting all dramatic, flipping through the report, frowning, shaking her head, and sneaking glances at me and Ethan every few seconds.

After several minutes of her dragging it out, I finally lost my patience. "How long does it take to read a report? If you can't do it, let someone else handle it."

She immediately started bawling and dove into Ethan's arms. "I just wanted to make sure I didn't mess it up," she sobbed.

Ethan pulled her close, then snapped at me, "Why are you taking it out on her? You have no one to blame but yourself for losing the baby."

Dahlia faked concern, trying to play peacemaker. "Ethan, don't blame Emory."

But Ethan just got even more fired up. He yanked my arm, not caring how rough he was.

"Always so dramatic, making a scene over the smallest thing," he snapped.

Pain shot through my arm, but honestly, my heart hurt even more.

Ethan snatched the report from Dahlia and started rattling off the numbers, deliberately twisting what they meant.

He kept blaming me for losing the baby, saying it was because I didn't take care of myself. "Look at these numbers. Don't you get it?"

I tried to defend myself, but he didn't even give me a chance. He slammed the report onto the table, cutting me off.

"I spoiled you. Guess it's time you learned the hard way," he sneered.

He let out a cold laugh, spat out those words, and dragged Dahlia out with him.

Even as he was leaving, Ethan didn't bother to lower his voice as he complained.

He said, "Losing the baby is a relief. I was sick of seeing her parade that belly around every day. She's been getting on my nerves for ages."

If it were the old me, hearing those words would've shattered me. I would've been a total wreck.

But now, I just pulled the covers up and calmly dialed the best divorce lawyer I could find.