CHAPTER ONE

Amelia's POV

He had said he was going on a trip, but here he was, beaming a wild smile as he hugged her in a selfie. 

There were so many pictures of them hanging out and having so much fun. It looked so much like it was more of a date than a business trip. He earlier said it was business matters that he needed to handle.

Weeks turned into a month. James came back from his trip today, and I had arranged the house to be perfect. Every piece of furniture was sparkling clean.

But as I sat in the living room, thoughts filled my head. Our marriage was nothing more than an arrangement. A business deal between our families.

Love wasn't really ever a part of our marriage; we just played the part, but I had convinced myself that maybe, just maybe, we were starting to build something real.

After the years we spent together. I sighed, smoothing out the creases in my dress. I had always tried to see if maybe if I tried hard enough, he would finally see me.

Then there was the worst. I hadn't been able to give him a child after three years. Coincidentally, she came back just when things were terrible between us. His beloved ex-girlfriend. She had traveled to study overseas before we married, and now she is back.

James walked into the living room with a bright smile on his face. Someone else was with him. It was Isabel. She walked in behind him, and I froze in surprise.

“Welcome,” I said, forcing a smile as I walked towards him to hug him. He hugged me with no expression of excitement on his face before he turned to point at Isabel.

"Oh, Isabel will be staying over a few days. Treat her as our visitor.” James said as he took her upstairs with him.

Isabel just beamed a sheepish smile at me, and I just had to force myself to smile back. Ever since she had come back from overseas James hadn't let her out of his sight, giving her all the attention he had never given me in the past few years.

“Come with me; I'll show you around.” He beckoned to her and took her up the stairs, not even bothering to talk to me.

I didn't have to be told. I knew it already; something was going on between the two of them, but even when I complained to James, he waved it off as me just overthinking.

The next few days he spent it studying with her. “Don't bother preparing food for me; Isabel already prepared something for me.” He said to me when I brought breakfast to him the next morning.

I went to work angry and with thoughts of confronting him when I got back. I pushed my thoughts to the back of my mind and focused on the large stacks of documents on my desks. There was a lot to do.

I was barely an hour into work when I started feeling nauseous and dizzy. I still continued working, but I slowly sank into my chair, exhausted and dizzy. I couldn't continue this anymore.

I hurriedly grabbed my stuff and headed back home. I would go for checkups later, but right now I just wanted to get home and sleep.

I had a driver take me back home and went straight to bed. I felt tired and nauseous.

I woke up to the sounds of weird noises from outside the door. I rubbed my eyes and dragged my feet outside my bedroom’s door. I still felt nauseous, although not as fatigued as before. I got closer to the sounds, and they became clearer. That was Isabel, and it came from the study.

I placed my ear near the door as I opened the door. It was Isabel moaning. My eyebrows rose in surprise and my heart raced faster. I had suspicions about them, but it did hurt hearing this myself.

I pushed open the door slightly, and I looked in. There was James with his back facing the door. He lifted her onto the table in the study. He was cheating on me right there with his ex-girlfriend that he had claimed was just a business partner.

They had probably not expected I would be back this early.

That wasn't enough.

“Why don't you just leave her? We're better off together.” I could hear Isabel asking amidst her moans.

“I really love you, Isabel, but our families. I just had to be engaged to her.” James simply replied as he grabbed her head and kissed her.

I watched them until they were done. Unable to take my eyes away from them.

“I have news to break to you,” Isabel suddenly said with a smile on her face.

“I hate suspense. Spill it already.”

Isabel let out a light laugh. “I'm pregnant for you.”

At that moment my heart shattered into pieces. This had been really on for months. That explained all of James' cold shoulder in the past few months.

“That's really nice; I didn't think I would be a father anytime soon.” I could hear James' elated voice. I felt my chest hurt, and I took deep and heavy breaths.

I couldn't stand this any longer. I rushed to my room with tears in my eyes. My nausea became worse. I rushed into the bathroom and vomited. I kept vomiting for a few minutes.

I washed my face clean from the tears and left the house. I called my doctor and set an appointment with her. I just needed to get away from this house at this moment and, at the same time, go for a checkup.

I did all the tests and was asked to come back at a later date. It was now or never, so I finally drove myself back home and acted like I didn't know anything that happened.

Isabel was staying with us for a while as a visitor until she went back. She used that opportunity to throw herself at James.

She had even taken control of the kitchen, and when I complained to James, he blatantly stated that it was okay; she was a better cook, and he liked her food so much.

At least I had to prepare my own food myself. I can't bring myself to be eating her own prepared food!

I walked into the kitchen and began preparing breakfast when she walked in just immediately after.

“You don't have to do that; he isn't really interested in your food. He had always loved mine.” Isabel said as she walked in trying to purposely piss me off.

I shrugged my shoulders and ignored her. She leaned on a counter and scoffed.

“How does it really feel to actually be nothing to James? You can't even give him a child.” "Isabel said, her lips curving into a smirk."

I didn't reply.

“Why don't you just walk out of the marriage? He doesn't love you.” She added.

“You might not know it, and I don't know why he hasn't told you yet, but I'm carrying his child, and sooner or later he will divorce you.” Isabel dropped the bomb.

I didn't say anything; I just walked out on her. But suddenly, just as I stepped out, I heard a sharp scream. Followed by a loud, gut-wrenching crash.

My heart lurched. The sound came from the kitchen. Without thinking, I bolted toward it.

And then I saw her.

Isabel.

She lay sprawled on the ground. Her face contorted in pain, and her trembling hands clutched at her stomach.

"My baby! Please, God—" she wailed, her fingers clutching her stomach.

I gasped, my hand flying to my mouth. "Oh my God—"

"Don't just stand there! HELP ME!" she screamed, her voice slicing through my shock like a dagger.

I scrambled for the phone in the hallway, my hands shaking so violently that I fumbled and dropped it. The device hit the floor with a sickening crack, breaking into two.

The door burst open.

James.

He strode in, his suitcase still in hand, his expression shifting from confusion to sheer horror as he took in the scene.

"What's going on here? What’s the—Oh my God!" His suitcase clattered to the floor as he rushed forward.

Isabel sobbed, reaching for him. "James, please! My baby!" She pointed at me.

This was definitely a pretense! Isabel was using this mischievous trick to paint me bad.

"What the hell happened?!" he barked, his wild eyes snapping to me.

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came.

Then, before I could even begin to defend myself, James asked. "What did you do, Amelia?" He yelled at me.

I turned to look at Isab

, her face twisted in fury. "She pushed her."

James' gaze darkened. "Amelia." His voice was low, dangerously cold. "Tell me you had nothing to do with this."

"I—I didn't—"

"You're evil, Amelia!" Another guest sneered, pointing an accusatory finger at me.

James's face contorted into something unrecognizable. Disgust. Fury. Hatred.

"Stay away from her!" he roared when I took a step forward. "You’ve done enough!"

"No, James, I didn’t—"

"Enough!" He lifted Isabel in his arms, ignoring me completely.

“I'm done with you.”