Chapter 5 - There’s No Place for Me Here

Evelyn

“Sebastian—” My voice came out sharp as I hurried after him, my heels striking fast against the hospital floor.

I barely got close before two nurses stepped in front of me, cutting me off.

“You can’t go in there,” one of them said, calm but firm as she held me back. “Only the partner is allowed.”

I went still, my eyes fixed on the closed doors, my mind catching up all at once. Not only was he cheating… he got her pregnant. And he left me on the road like I meant nothing, just to run to her.

“The nerve…” I muttered, already pulling out my phone, my fingers slightly unsteady.

I dialed his number, my brows pulling together as I looked at the screen like I didn’t even recognise it anymore.

He picked up immediately. “Hey babes,” he said, easy, careless. “I’m busy right now, I’ll call you later.”

The line went dead. I pulled the phone away slowly, staring at it like it had just confirmed everything I didn’t want to believe. I called again.

This time, it didn’t ring. Switched off.

A faint, bitter smile touched my lips.

My phone buzzed again, and for a split second, I thought it was him, but it wasn’t.

It was the doctor.

“You said you were on your way. Where are you?”

“I…” The word barely formed before everything inside me surged all at once, the weight of it, the anger, the humiliation, the confusion, it all rose too fast, and I couldn’t hold it together. I ended the call abruptly, my hand shaking slightly as I lowered the phone.

What the hell was I supposed to do?

The man I wanted a child with… already had one on the way with another woman.

My fingers curled tighter around the phone, my hand trembling now in a way I couldn’t control.

“Mrs. Moretti?”

The doctor’s voice pulled me back, and I blinked, realizing I was already seated in his office, though I didn’t even remember walking in.

“Yes…” I said, my voice quieter than I intended, my throat tight. “What were you saying?”

He adjusted his glasses slightly, watching me carefully. “Should we go ahead with the procedure?”

The question hung in the air, but it didn’t feel like a question. It felt like a decision that would change everything.

And suddenly, everything flashed through my mind, the messages, the pictures, Sebastian’s voice, the way he left me, the way he held her, the panic in his eyes for her… not me.

My chair scraped lightly against the floor as I stood abruptly, the movement sharp, almost frantic.

I just turned and walked out, fast, the doctor calling after me, his voice fading behind me as I pushed through the hallway and into the restroom.

The door swung shut behind me and that was it. A sob tore out of my chest before I could stop it, my hand flying to my mouth as I leaned against the sink, my shoulders shaking, my reflection blurring as tears filled my eyes.

“How could he do this to me…” I whispered, my voice cracking, the question raw, helpless.

I gripped the edge of the sink, my knuckles whitening as I tried to steady myself, but it didn’t help, nothing helped.

After a hours or maybe longer, I didn’t even know anymore, I forced myself to straighten, wiping my face quickly, though my eyes were still red, my breathing uneven.

I stepped out and froze.

Sebastian's hands were on the waist of the same woman I've seen in those pictures,steadying her as they walked slowly down the corridor, her body leaning slightly into him.

My chest tightened instantly, something sharp and burning cutting through me as my feet moved before my mind could catch up.

“Hey—” My voice came out tighter than I intended, but it still made him stop.

He turned, and the moment his eyes landed on me, the surprise on his face was immediate, almost comical if it didn’t hurt so much.

“Babes… what are you doing here?” he asked quickly, his hand slipping off her waist like it had burned him.

I let out a quiet breath, my lips pressing together as I held his gaze. “What are you doing here?” I shot back. My eyes flicked to the woman beside him. “And who is she?”

There was a pause, just a second too long. Then he smiled.

“She’s a distant cousin,” he said smoothly, not even blinking. “I found her recently. Her name's Kate. She needed help, so…”

The lie came out so easily, so clean, like he had rehearsed it.

How could someone lie like that? So effortlessly.

Kate shifted slightly, her hand coming up to rest on his shoulder, her fingers curling there.

What was I supposed to do? Call him out?

Tell him I knew everything? Expose him right here?

The words sat at the back of my throat, but they wouldn’t come out. Not when I couldn’t even bring myself to tell him about the IVF.

Even if I wanted to end things… could I even survive on my own?

The thought came quietly, pressing against everything else, against the anger, the humiliation, the disbelief, until I could barely tell which feeling was stronger anymore.

“Babes…” Sebastian’s voice pulled me out of it, and I blinked, my gaze lifting slowly to him.

“She’ll be moving in with us.”

For a second, I thought I heard wrong. My brows pulled together, my lips parting slightly as I stared at him. “What?”

“She nearly had a miscarriage,” he said, his tone steady, almost concerned, like he was explaining something completely reasonable. “And the place she’s staying at is terrible. So, as a good man, I suggested our house.”

“You’d accept, right?” he added, smiling like this was a small favor, like I was supposed to nod and agree without thinking twice.

My gaze shifted slowly to the Kate beside him.

She was smiling too, like she already knew the answer.

These two…They were really standing here, playing in my face like I was stupid.

So this was it. He wasn’t even trying to hide it anymore. He wanted to bring her in....openly.

Upgrade her from wherever she was… straight into my space, life and marriage.

A soft sound from my phone broke through the moment.

My fingers moved automatically, pulling it out, my chest still tight as my eyes dropped to the screen.

Another message.

From the same number.

[Now, you have the choice to make. Will you keep letting him disregard you… or will you come into my arms and let me help you?]