Our Contract Expires With Her Betrayal

Ethan's POVMy words, neither harsh nor gentle, shattered the silence in the office.Tracy Montgomery was still basking in the joy of her pregnancy with her lover's child when she looked up and frowned. "What contract? Ethan, are you trying to start something again?"She had clearly forgotten. The moment that realization hit me, my fingers slowly tightened around the edge of the desk. Even breathing hurt."I'm not starting anything," I said. "But you're right. I won't have a say in your life anymore. Whether you come back to this family or not doesn't matter to me."As soon as I finished speaking, Tracy rubbed her temples. She spread her hands and leaned back in her chair, impatience written all over her face."This is literally how our circle works. Keeping a lover on the side is the norm. I don't see Ms. Lawson or Ms. Stone's husbands acting as jealous and petty as you do."It's not like I needed your money to support myself, anyway. If you had even a fraction of Max's sensibi

Ethan's POVI sat alone in the living room the entire night. Only when dawn broke did I finally get up and open the drawer. Inside was the prenuptial agreement, its pages yellowed with age.Tracy's signature was still there, bold and unmistakable. My fingers brushed over the bottom corner of the document. The date on it was set for next month.In the days that followed, neither Tracy nor Harry came home. I had more than ten surgeries lined up back to back. I didn't want to return to that barren house anyway, so I rented a place and stayed there.I contacted a divorce attorney and asked him to draw up the papers. Honestly, I should've done this right after Mom passed away. Alas, I had been too attached to the idea of a family, to Tracy.Letting go, it turned out, wasn't nearly as hard as I'd once thought it would be. I believed everything would proceed smoothly from there.Then, a month later, things took a turn.I was the speaker at an academic lecture. The hall was so quiet one

Third-Person POVTracy watched Ethan's departing figure, her expression unreadable. After venting his anger, Harry stared at Ethan's back and instinctively ran a few steps after him, but he stopped when the door closed.He clenched his teeth, then turned back and softly asked Tracy, "Mommy, will Daddy be back?"She forced a smile and ruffled his hair. "It's okay, sweetheart. You know how he gets with that temper of his. I'm sure he'll come back soon enough. When he does, just apologize to him, okay?"For some reason, after saying that, something about Tracy's confidence faltered. The thick drops of blood on the floor made her heart tighten uneasily.Harry, however, seemed instantly relieved. His earlier stubbornness vanished, and he broke into a carefree smile again.Tracy rested a hand on her stomach and picked up her phone to send Ethan another message."Let me remind you again that it's Harry's birthday. All his friends are here. Watch yourself and don't embarrass him. You ca

Third-Person POVWhen Tracy arrived at the hospital, she got out of the car and rushed straight toward Ethan's office, moving as if she weren't pregnant. When she opened the door, a stranger looked up at her."Hi. Do you have an appointment?"There had always been a family portrait on Ethan's desk, but now, it was gone.Tracy's lips trembled slightly. "I'm here to see Ethan."After the lecture incident, Ethan had been suspended, but not fired. She had assumed it was only temporary. After all, she had already spoken to the hospital. It would be a one-week break before he returned.The new doctor replied calmly and honestly, "Dr. Lowe has resigned."Those words somehow landed differently in Tracy's ears. "What do you mean, resigned?""The hospital reinstated Dr. Lowe's position, but after that, he submitted his resignation."Tracy could barely keep herself steady. The attorney's words from earlier echoed in her mind. Not only had Ethan prepared for divorce, but he had also resig