2

2

Stella.

I hadn’t slept.

Not even for a second.

Pregnancy was supposed to make you sleepy, right? I was supposed to be glowing, maybe a little nauseous, sure, but… this? This exhausted ache in my bones, the heaviness behind my eyes, the constant sting in my throat? This wasn’t pregnancy. This was heartbreak.

I didn’t even want to go to the hospital when Josh called. But I picked up anyway, and he didn’t say “hi” before going into protective brother mode.

“Your voice sounds off,” he said. “Come to the hospital.”

“I’m fine,” I lied.

“Stella.”

That’s all he said. Just my name, but with that older-than-his-years seriousness that made me crumble.

So I went.

Hospitals smell like lemon cleaner and endings with it’s bright lights and thin walls. Josh met me at the door with his doctor face; gentle and firm at the same time. “Lie down,” he murmured. Cold gel, warm hand, the hum of the machine. His jaw clicked once. Twice. The third time, I knew.

After he examined me, Josh’s jaw tightened. His eyes went dark. “You’re at risk of a miscarriage,” he said quietly. “You need complete rest.”

The word risk opened under me like a trapdoor. I stared at the paper in his hand and tried not to cry. Again.

“You can’t let yourself get stressed,” he added, like he already knew I was unraveling.

Too late.

I told him everything. The slap. The letter. The accusations. The divorce papers. Alex’s coldness. How he didn’t believe me for a second.

Josh didn’t take it well. He flung the glove into the bin and stood too fast. “I knew it,” he spat. “Sophie. She’s been angling for this for years. I bet she bribed that driver. I bet the whole thing was her.”

“I don’t know,” I whispered. “I just know it hurt.”

He paced. “He hit you.”

“It was… he thought—” I heard myself trying to excuse it and hated that reflex.

“He didn’t think,” Josh said. “He chose anger. Over you.”

“I know.” I swallowed. “It’s over, Josh. He doesn’t believe me.”

“If Alex knew you were pregnant, he’d never divorce you,” he said, storm-cloud serious. “He might be a fool, but he wouldn’t abandon his own child.”

“I don’t want to trap him.”

“You’re not trapping anyone,” he said fiercely. “You’re carrying his child. That’s the truth.”

Truth used to be easy between Alex and me. Somewhere it got crowded out by other voices and shiny lies. Josh softened, because he always does when my silence grows heavy. “Look,” he said, printing the test results and sliding them into a clear sleeve. He scribbled a note: “Confirmed early intrauterine pregnancy. Threatened miscarriage, strict rest. Avoid stress.” He capped the pen, met my eyes. “This is proof. If you show him, he’ll have to stop and think. And even if he doesn’t, this is about you. And the baby.”

Maybe he was right. Maybe if Alex saw the report, he’d remember the man who once made room for my laughter, who tucked me under his chin like home.

I stood slowly, clutching the file Josh gave me. I took a breath. A single breath, and walked out of the exam room.

The corridor hummed with rubber soles and distant beeps. My heart counted along, hard and off-beat.

And ran right into Alex.

And Sophie.

They stood there like a portrait; him unreadable, her polished to a shine.

I froze.

Alex looked at me like he hadn’t once promised forever.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, my voice steadier than I felt.

“Not your business,” he said flatly.

The words sliced anyway. Not your business, like our marriage had been a clerical error. I tightened my grip on the file.

“I’m still your wife,” I said. “Can I talk to you? In private. Five minutes.”

“There’s nothing left to say.” He didn’t meet my eyes. “If you want to make sure your brother keeps his job, you’ll sign the papers.”

Josh arrived behind me, breath hot with anger. “You’re threatening her brother after everything? You really are blind. Sophie’s been manipulating you for years.”

“Josh, stop—” I reached for him, but he shook me off gently.

“She’s pregnant, Alex,” he began quietly. “Stella’s pregnant. And you’re just going to—”

“No.” I cut him off, breathless. “Don’t.”

He stared at me, shocked. “He needs to know.”

“He won’t believe it,” I said, loud enough for Alex to hear nothing and Sophie to hear everything. “Not from me. Not from you. Not like this.” I could feel Sophie’s attention like a nail dragged across a chalkboard.

She stepped forward then, voice sweet as poison. “Oh, I forgot my phone in the car. Alex, can you be a dear and get it for me?”

He nodded and walked away.

The second he turned the corner, Sophie faced me, smile dropping into something sharp. “You couldn’t keep your man,” she said coolly. “Just like your mother couldn’t keep her husband. Now it’s your turn to lose everything.”

The line hit an old bruise. I lifted my chin. “Don’t talk about my mother.”

Josh edged forward, fists tight. “You’re a vile, shameless snake.”

“Oh, please.” She laughed softly. “Want to know why I’m here? Because I’m pregnant. With Alex’s child. His real heir. Not like you. You’re a placeholder. A woman abandoned.”

I blinked.

Pregnant?

She was… pregnant?

Sound narrowed to a tunnel. My stomach twisted; for a second I thought I’d throw up. So it had been going on longer than I wanted to imagine. While I set the dinner table, she was climbing into my husband’s bed. While I waited for his calls, she was silencing them with her lips. While I planned to give him a family, she was already trying to give him one.

“You’re lying,” Josh said, though anger, not doubt, colored his voice.

Sophie’s head tilted. “Ask him. He wants to ‘do things right’ this time. The ring, the announcement… the fairy tale. He’s done settling for less.” Her gaze slid over me, cruel. “Look at you. Pathetic.”

I could have screamed. Could have thrown the report at her, could have said I was pregnant too, louder, brighter. But the baby deserved more than a hallway brawl and her teeth on every word I said.

“Leave,” I said. It sounded small, but I meant it. “Leave me alone.”

She stepped closer, perfume cloying. “Sign the papers,” she whispered. “Go quietly. There’s nothing left here for you.”

In my periphery, a nurse glanced over; two orderlies slowed. We were a scene people would tell strangers about later. The file sweated in my palm. Josh shifted, jaw working.

“Back off,” he warned.

“Or what?” Sophie’s smile returned, thin and satisfied. “You’ll hit a pregnant woman?” She dragged the words out so anyone nearby could hear.

“You’re pushing it,” Josh said.

I reached for him again. “Josh, please.”

He moved fast, lunging at her.

A fist flew.

And Alex returned just in time to catch him mid-swing.

“Enough,” Alex barked, fingers crushing around Josh’s wrist. His eyes cut to me and flashed with something like panic before it vanished. “Security!”

Two guards hurried over, drawn by that word. Alex pointed at Josh. “Restrain him.”

The guards hesitated when they saw Josh’s badge. My brother’s chest heaved. “He’s protecting me,” I said, stepping forward. “Please—”

“Protocol,” one guard muttered, already reaching.

“Alex, no!” I shouted, moving between them. Voices rose; someone behind a curtain said “What’s happening?” A monitor quickened.

Tell him now, I thought. End this. But Sophie hovered near his shoulder, eyes bright with triumph, collecting any truth I might offer so she could twist it. Not here. Not like this.

“Stella,” Josh rasped, “back up.”

“I’ve got her,” Sophie chirped, and before I could turn, before I could brace, she shoved me from behind and I fell.

The floor came up hard. My elbow slammed, my hip followed, and pain exploded through my abdomen, sharp and searing. The file tore from my hand; paper fluttered everywhere. A nurse dropped to her knees. “Ma’am? Don’t move.” Josh’s voice frayed into pieces; I couldn’t catch words. Alex’s shoes stopped an inch from my cheek. The lemon-cleaner smell burned my throat. Lights pulsed white. My hands flew to my stomach, desperate.

Please. Please. Please.

Then everything went black.