CHAPTER 2

I felt a sharp pain of dread settle in my stomach as I grabbed my coats and keys. I had hoped tonight would be different and that I’d finally be able to tell him about the baby. But instead, I was heading to the hospital again for her. The woman who had turned my life upside down the moment she came back from California. The woman who had taken Ethan's attention, affection, and now once again, his loyalty.

As I stepped into the hospital lobby, the cold white lights flickered above me, casting sharp shadows on the floor like they always did. The countless times I had been here. The sterile air, the distant beeping of machines, the murmurs of nurses it all brought back memories I wished I could forget.

The moment I turned the corner into the waiting area, I spotted Ethan.

He was pacing, jaw tight, hands shoved deep into his pockets. The moment his eyes met mine, his entire body eased but not in the way I once longed for. His shoulders dropped with relief, not because I  had arrived but because Sarian’s savior had shown up.

Me.

Again.

“You need to donate your blood. Now,” Ethan said urgently, gripping my wrist and tugging me toward the nurse’s station.

“Ethan, wait,” I whispered, trying to keep up with his long strides, my free hand cradling my stomach protectively. “Please, just listen to me.”

“She’s crashing, Sophia. The doctor said her vitals are unstable. You’re the only match, the only one who can help her right now,” he said, his voice sharp, impatient, and desperate. 

My heart clenched at his urgency, but I remembered the words of my own doctor echoing in my head: You need more rest, Sophia. Don't exert yourself too much, especially now.

“I’m not well, Ethan,” I said carefully, praying he’d actually hear me for once. “I—I can’t donate right now. It’s serious.”

He stopped, finally turning to my face, his brow furrowed in confusion. “ What are you talking about, Sophia? You can get treated after the donation. What reason could be more important than saving Sarian’s  life?”

My throat tightened as I looked into Ethan’s eyes, aching to tell him the truth—our baby. But this wasn’t the moment. Not with chaos hanging in the air, not with Sarian’s name pulsing like a siren between us.

“Please, Ethan,” I said, voice trembling. “You have to understand. I can’t donate right now. It’s not just about me, it's dangerous for me and—”

“Dangerous?” he snapped, cutting me off. His tone was laced with disbelief, like I’d just told him I refused out of spite. “Sophia, what are you talking about? Do you need something? Is that it? Money? Name your price. A million? Five million? Just say the number I’ll transfer it now.”

Tears stung my eyes. Not because of the offer, never that. No, it was because he still didn't see me, like really see me. He didn't see the fear in my eyes, the life growing inside me, the risk I was taking. He saw me only as a solution. A vessel. A donor. Never a wife.

“Ethan…” my voice cracked as I whispered his name, hoping and praying that something in him would finally see me. But the silence that followed was louder than any scream. He didn’t understand. How could he, when all he cared about was Sarian?

A single tear traced down my cheek as I gave a shaky nod, the weight of heaviness pressing heavily on my chest. Once again, I was the sacrifice. For him. For her. And for the tiny life fluttering inside me that he didn’t even know existed.

Wordlessly, I let the nurse lead me into the donation room. I sat down, the sterile scent of antiseptic already choking me. As the needle slid into my arm, I shut my eyes, a fresh wave of tears slipping down my face. Not from the pain. But from the emptiness. I was giving away another piece of myself to a woman who had already stolen everything.

After the donation, I dragged my feet down the hallway, every step heavier than the last. My arm ached, my head spun, and my heart... my heart felt like it had shattered into a thousand quiet pieces. I reached Sarian’s room, barely able to stand straight. The door creaked open, and there she was—lying on the hospital bed, her face twisted into a weak but unmistakenly smirk the moment she saw me.

“Oh, Sophia, ” She said softly, her face dripping with fake sweetness. “ Thank you for donating again. But… too bad for you right ?” She laughed bitterly. “ Too bad Ethan still cares about me so much, even after all these years”.

Her words cut through me like a knife, but I swallowed the urge to scream. I had no energy left for this, not after everything I had just done. I wanted to tell her the truth, to tell her about the baby, about everything she didn't know, but I couldn't.  Not here, not like this.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about, Sarian,” I whispered, voice trembling as I took a shaky step forward. “Ethan and I—”

But before I could finish. I saw the shift in her  eyes. It was Subtle, but it was there, the glimmer of something devious. Then in a flash, before I could react Sarian threw herself out of the bed, tumoring to the floor with a dramatic scene.

The door burst open, and Ethan stormed in. His eyes went wide as he saw Sarian lying on the floor, clutching her arm as though she had been hurt. “ Sarian!” he shouted, rushing to her side.

“Ethan,” I gasped, holding out a trembling hand. “Wait, I—”

But he turned on me so fast I barely saw it coming. His face twisted in fury, his voice sharp with disgust. “What did you do?”

“I didn’t touch her—”

SLAP.

The sound cracked through the room louder than her fall. My face whipped to the side, the force leaving me stunned and shaking. My cheek burned. My heart shattered.

I stood there, frozen. Silenced.

“You’re unbelievable, Sophia,” Ethan growled, his voice low and cold. “I can’t believe you would do something like this to her. After everything Sarian’s been through… I thought you had some decency left.”

“Ethan, no… I didn’t touch her! She’s lying!” I choked out, my voice raw with desperation. But he wasn’t listening. He never listened.

Sarian let out a soft, pitiful whimper from the floor, clutching her side as she looked up at him with wide, shimmering eyes. “Ethan… I don’t know what I did to deserve this,” she whispered, her voice weak, broken, perfectly rehearsed. “I was just… trying to thank her… and she—”

“Enough, Sarian,” I snapped, the tremble in my voice laced with fury and betrayal. “You know exactly what you’re doing. You’ve always known.”

Ethan glanced between us, but the decision was already made. His mind was closed, his heart unreachable.

He crouched down and gently helped her up, his touch soft, tender the same tenderness I had once begged for. “Just rest, Sarian,” he murmured, brushing her hair from her face. “You’ve been through enough.”

And I stood there, invisible. Watching him choose her again.

"I’ve had enough, Ethan. It's time you got another donor. I want a divorce."

The words spilled out of me before I could even think. All the years of silent pain, the humiliations, the heartbreaks all surged to the surface and tore through my throat. I snapped. Whatever fear once kept me chained to him vanished the moment his hand struck my face. I was done. Done being quiet. Done being used. Done pretending.

Ethan’s eyes darkened as he stared at me, as though he couldn’t believe I dared to speak. “You don’t even know what you’re saying,” he said, his voice low, laced with warning. “A divorce? Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted?” I snapped, though my voice trembled from the storm of emotions. “The freedom to be with Sarian without hiding it? You chose her a long time ago, Ethan. I just refused to see it.”

He stepped forward slowly, his gaze sharp and cruel. “You really think you can survive without me?” he asked, his tone calm but deadly. “Without the Cole name? Without the Sterling fortune? You’re nothing without this marriage, Sophia. Without me.”

I didn’t flinch this time. I just stared right back at him, heart pounding, tears brimming.

“Then I’ll be nothing. But I’ll be free.”