Chapter 2.

Lyra hesitated for a while; fear of the unknown clung to her heart. She didn't want to go on while she was awake but James kept encouraging her that she would do nothing to harm her.

When James noticed her reluctance, he touched her weak point, and she giggled unknowingly. The duo continued and Lyra showed what she got.

Tears were streaming down Hannah’s face as she watched her friend, banging her husband. 

She thought of what she would have done to Lyra to deserve this from her. 

She tried carrying herself, but she was too weak to do that; suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her pelvis. 

She moved her heavy hand and held onto her stomach, her stomach was hurting. She felt as if something was pulling her stomach away from her body. 

“James, please, my stomach… it is painful,” she muttered, her voice above a whisper. 

“Shit,” James cursed under his breath as he heard her voice; he was clearly disturbed by his sinful fantasy.

Suddenly, the stench of blood filled the room. James and Lyra instantly detached themselves.

“Pig! How could you have your period there? Don't you know that it is coming,” he cursed, and made his way to the bathroom; he halted his steps halfway and stared.

“You have 24 hours to vacate this house, check the closest when you can stand up and sign it,” he said and continued his way into the bathroom.

Lyra sat at the edge of the bed, she stared at Hannah with a smug, triumphant look.

“Better the bastard is getting out of your stomach, see how I am doing you a favor,” she smirked.

“Lyra, please save my baby, I'm sorry for whatever I might have done to deserve this, but my baby doesn't deserve this,” she pleaded. 

“I should save what has gone, common, you already had a miscarriage,” she said flatly, her voice devoid of emotion.

Her words pierced through Hannah's heart like a knife. No, she couldn’t believe she had lost the baby she had wanted to surprise her husband with. Only Lyra knew about the baby.

Did she plan to get rid of it too?

She felt the blood oozing out of her body like water from a tap. She wanted to speak, but she no longer had the energy. Her vision blurred, bit by bit, until darkness enveloped her.

The next day.

James returned home the next morning but was stopped at the gate by the gatekeeper.

“Good morning, sir.”

James gave a dismissive wave and continued toward the house, but the gatekeeper’s voice halted him.

“Madam has been in the hospital since yesterday. She lost a lot of blood.”

James’s expression didn’t change. “Did she sign the papers before she went?”

“Which papers?” the gatekeeper asked, clearly confused.

“Sir...” The gatekeeper started to say more, but James cut him off and walked into the house.

He loosened his tie and headed straight for the bedroom. The stench of dried blood hit him the moment he stepped inside. The blood from the night before had turned black and congealed into thick clots on the rug.

Without hesitation, he opened the closet and pulled out a brown envelope. Inside was the divorce paper.

His signature was boldly scrawled across the page—but Hannah’s was still missing.

“Hannah!” he yelled, snatching his car keys and hurrying outside.

As he passed the gatekeeper, he barked, “Go inside and clean my room.”

“Sir, I’m sorry—I don’t know how to clean. Maybe we should wait for Madam—”

“Hire as many maids as it takes. I want that room spotless before I get back,” he snapped, then stormed off and drove away in anger.

He arrived at their family hospital a few minutes later, an envelope clutched tightly in his hand.

“Mr. Lopez, I’m sorry, we tried—” the doctor began.

He cut him off sharply. “Save that for another day. I didn’t come for that. Where’s my wife?”

The doctor’s brow furrowed, but he finally answered, “She’s in Ward 508.”

The doctor only shrugged at James’s nonchalant attitude. He hadn’t cared before, but now that Hannah had lost a child, the least he could do was show a shred of grief. After all, the child belonged to both of them.

Without hesitation, James strode to the ward the doctor had mentioned. He pushed open the door and found Hannah lying pale and motionless on the bed.

“What the hell are you doing here? Pretending to be sick won’t change my mind. You left the room reeking of your damn menstrual blood and now you dare to take up a hospital bed like some dying patient?”

No response.

“Nothing to say, huh?” he snapped.

Her silence only fueled his frustration.

“You didn’t sign the papers before you left. Here they are—sign them,” he growled, tossing the divorce papers and a pen onto her blanket.

But Hannah didn’t move. She didn’t flinch. She didn’t even seem aware of his presence.

She was lost in the agony of losing the most precious thing she had ever carried—too broken to hear his voice, let alone respond.

“Acting pathetic so I’ll change my mind? No way! Sign the damn papers!” he screamed, kicking the bed. His voice echoed through the hospital walls.

Finally, Hannah heard him. She slowly turned her weak body to face him.

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she struggled to sit up. Her hands trembled as she reached for the paper. She picked up the pen and moved to sign—but paused halfway.

“How long?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper, thick with emotion.

“What?” he snapped.

“How long have you been cheating with Lyra?”

“The day I discovered you cheated,” James replied coldly.

“I never cheated on you, James,” Hannah shot back.

“When will you stop lying? You cheated on our wedding night,” he snapped, throwing the envelope in his hand onto the bed. “The evidence is in there—see for yourself.”

With trembling hands, she opened the folder. Her eyes widened as she stared at photo after photo—pictures of her in her wedding gown, lying on a bed beside a man she didn’t recognize. Her fingers shook violently as she flung the first photo aside. She didn’t want to look, but something made her keep going.

Then it hit her.

Hannah’s breath caught in her throat. Her mind reeled as memories surfaced—Lyra, emotional on her wedding day, saying how much she'd miss her. Lyra had insisted they share a drink in her hotel room. That was the last clear moment.

She had no idea something like this had happened.

Her knees buckled under the weight of the revelation.

“James…” she whispered, voice quivering. “I didn’t… I didn’t do this. I was drugged.”

But James didn’t move. No flicker of doubt. No hint of remorse. Just cold, unforgiving fury in his eyes.

Hannah looked down at the photos again, her stomach twisting with nausea.

“Lyra must have done this,” she whispered.

“Why would Lyra do that?” James snapped. “She helped you clean up your messes!”

“Messes?” Hannah choked out, disbelief ringing in her voice.

““Yes, go ahead—take the folder and look at the rest of the pictures,” James said, his tone cold and unwavering.

With trembling hands, Hannah reached for the folder. This time, what she pulled out weren’t photos—they were screenshots, chat records printed and preserved like evidence in a trial.

Her eyes scanned the first one.

Hannah: Hi bestie, I’m going to act on a weird fantasy on my wedding night. I won’t be sleeping with my husband—I want a hot guy instead.

Lyra: Hannah, you can’t do that to James. You know he loves you. And I’m sure you don’t want to ruin the facade of being the responsible girl you pretend to be.

Hannah: 😂 I’ve already found someone. He’s cute. I booked him a hotel room. He’ll watch me exchange vows with James.

“No,” Hannah whispered, her voice shaking. “This isn’t true. Lyra… she sent this to you, didn’t she?”

“Lyra didn’t send it. I saw it myself—on your phone,” James snapped.

Her breath caught in her throat. The room spun. It felt like the ground had dropped out from beneath her.

Hannah’s eyes filled with tears again, but not just grief now. Fear and confusion. Betrayal so deep it felt like drowning.

“My phone…” she murmured. 

“Yes, your phone, on our wedding eve,” James responded.

Her mind raced back.

She remembered that it was only Lyra who remained with her on that day. She was tired, and they slept together in the room; she stirred and saw her pressing her phone. And Lyra gave excuses that she was playing her favorite game. 

Hannah didn't press further, being that her phone was always accessible to her friend; she turned her back to her and continued sleeping. Lyra used this moment to exchange text between her and her friend's phone. 

“Why are you showing me this now, after a whole year?” Hannah’s voice cracked, barely above a whisper.

“I wasn’t showing you,” James replied coldly. “You demanded to know why I said you cheated — so I’m telling you the reason.”

“James…” her lips trembled. “You found this lie on our wedding night? And you just... kept it from me? Is that why you treated me like trash all this time? Are you even a man?”

He scoffed, eyes hard. “Should I have told you? Asked for an explanation so you could play me for a fool? I slept with your friend that same night. So that you could feel the pain I felt, but you were still a happy person who had no conscience. I made yesterday a revenge day so that you can live with the guilt for the rest of your life.”

Hannah stared at him, disbelief hollowing her out.

“So... so you recreated what you thought I did?” Her voice was barely audible, her hands trembling.

James didn’t blink. “Exactly.”

She swallowed the rising nausea, the ache in her chest now a full-body tremble.

“Did you ever love me?” she asked, her voice breaking.

“I stopped loving you on our wedding night,” he said flatly. “Imagine that Hannah, I lived and wasted a whole year with a woman I hated. Pretending everything is alright, You disgust me in every way.”

Hannah was stunned to hear that their marriage ended before it started.