Chapter 1

"Congratulations, Mrs. Aldama, you are two weeks pregnant."

Two weeks pregnant…

The words echoed relentlessly in Scarlett’s head. She was pregnant. There was a life growing inside her, but her husband wasn't the father.

Stepping out of the consultation room, her hands trembled around the test results. Her knees felt weak, her brain struggling to catch up with the sudden, crushing shock.

It had only been a month since Scarlett married her boyfriend of four years. But on their very wedding night, she discovered he was cheating on her—his phone packed with intimate photos of him with another woman.

She couldn't accept it. The pain cut to the bone; he had promised to love only her, that she would be the only woman in his life. He had shattered that promise without a second thought.

Grief-stricken, her feet had led her to an exclusive bar that night, where she drowned her sorrow in alcohol. Drunk out of her mind, she stumbled into the wrong hotel room. When she woke up the next morning, a complete stranger was lying beside her.

She had barely seen the man's face in the dark—only remembering his overpowering, almost suffocating presence, and a room so vast it seemed to swallow her whole. Terrified and consumed by regret, she had slipped away quietly, never looking back. She never imagined, even in her wildest dreams, that a single reckless night would leave her carrying another man's child.

Now, she was entirely at a loss. Restless, anxious, and utterly overwhelmed, she desperately needed an escape. If anyone found out she was pregnant with someone else's baby, all hell would break loose.

Her phone vibrated, snapping her back to reality. It was a message from her husband, Tobias.

"Honey, I'm outside the hospital waiting for you. Are you done?"

Scarlett stared at the screen for a beat before shoving the phone into her pocket and silently walking toward the elevator.

She had been running a fever and feeling dizzy for days, but she’d brushed it off—until she couldn't take it anymore and came to the hospital, only to be blindsided by the news.

Stepping outside, the first thing she spotted was Tobias’s black car parked at the curb. She took a deep breath and hurried over.

Tobias stepped out to open the door for her. He looked impossibly handsome and put-together in his crisp black suit.

"What did the doctor say?" he asked. If Scarlett didn't know what he was doing behind her back, the concern in his voice might have actually touched her.

"Nothing much. Just an upset stomach," she replied, keeping her voice flat.

"I told you not to eat spicy food, but you never listen. You need to cut back—it’s bad for your stomach. You have to listen to me; I hate seeing you sick."

Scarlett simply nodded. Getting into the car, she immediately caught the faint trace of a floral perfume. It was distinctively feminine. Tobias never used air fresheners, which meant only one thing: another woman had been in this car earlier.

Tobias reached over to adjust her hair. "I'll take you home so you can rest. I have to head back to the office after."

"Okay," she answered quietly.

While stopped at a red light, Tobias answered an incoming call.

Scarlett shifted slightly, her hand brushing against something soft. She reached down and pulled out a pink silk scarf.

Her eyes narrowed at the fabric. It looked far too familiar to be a coincidence, she was almost certain she’d seen it in one of the photos on Tobias’s phone.

Ending his call, Tobias turned to her with a quick smile. "Honey, I'll drop you off first, then I—"

"I don't own a scarf like this, Tobias. Whose is it?" she interrupted, holding it up in the air.

Panic flashed in Tobias's eyes for a fraction of a second before he quickly covered it with a forced laugh. "I-It must be... from a client earlier? Hon, she probably dropped it in a hurry. I'll return it tomorrow. It might be important to her."

He reached out to take it, but she pulled it away. Scarlett swallowed hard three times, forcing herself to stay calm and refrain from making a scene, before looking him dead in the eye.

"Tobias... I want a divorce. Let's end this."

Tobias let out a disbelieving laugh. "Scarlett, it's just a scarf! What is wrong with you? Why are you overreacting? You can't just throw the word 'annulment' around like it's nothing. We've been together for years. We always work things out."

Scarlett scoffed, incredulous that he was still pushing the lie. "How much longer are you going to keep lying? Do you really think I don't know you left me on our wedding night for her?"

Tobias froze, genuine confusion crossing his face. "Honey, that was... a last-minute meeting. You've got it all wrong. I didn't leave you for her."

But Scarlett didn't care anymore. He had betrayed her, and now she was carrying another man's baby. Their marriage was dead. It was broken beyond repair, no matter how hard they tried to fix it.

"Out of respect for the time we spent together, let's just end this peacefully, Tobias," she said coldly.

Without waiting for an answer, she popped the door open and stepped out. Tobias remained frozen in the driver's seat, his knuckles white as he gripped the wheel. A second later, Scarlett heard the heavy thud of his fist slamming against it.

She hailed a taxi and rode home in silence. Stepping into the living room, her eyes fell straight onto their wedding photo mounted in the center of the wall, both of them smiling radiantly. Now, it felt like a cruel joke.

On the night of their wedding, she had uncovered explicit photos of Tobias with a woman named Vivoree Tagle. That single discovery had shattered her world. Four years of loyalty, rendered entirely meaningless.

Scarlett collapsed onto the floor, clutching her chest as all the pain she had bottled up finally tore out of her. Tears spilled uncontrollably down her face.

She lost track of time as she lay weeping on the floor. All that remained afterward was a hollow emptiness. She couldn't feel a thing.

**

Tobias came home late that night. Scarlett lay on her side in bed, her back turned to him. She felt his arms wrap around her from behind. His hand gently caressed her shoulder, tracing down the slip of her nightshirt.

"Honey, let's stop fighting. I hate when we fight. I hate it when you're mad at me. I'm sorry about earlier—it won't happen again. I love you," he whispered into her ear, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

Scarlett shifted away, shoving his hands off her.

Tobias let out a low chuckle, his tone smooth and almost playful. Stripping off his shirt, he crawled closer to her.

"Come on, Scarlett... let's just make a baby. That way you won't have to get jealous over nothing. Besides, I think it's about time we had a child anyway."