Pregnant, Betrayed, and Done with Their Lies

The day before our wedding, I spot a red mark on Alvin Lane's neck, right above his suit collar. Right then and there, I shred my wedding gown, press the scissors to my neck, and demand to know who the other woman is. Alvin tries to calm me down as he swears, "Daph, I swear I didn't cheat on you. Can you please put the scissors down first?" I don't believe him. When my best friend, Esther Ford, finds out, she's even angrier than I am. She helps me check hotel records, comb through credit card statements, and even sits with me outside Alvin's office until the middle of the night. However, we still don't find anything. Esther hugs me and says, "Daph, don't be scared. If there really is another woman, I promise I'll help you find her. And if there isn't, then you can marry him without any doubts." Later, Alvin swears I'm the only woman he'll ever love. He says the wedding invitations have already gone out and begs me not to throw away our five-year relationship on a suspicion without proof. Esther tries to persuade me, too. "I helped you look into it. There really isn't anyone else in his life. Daph, it's your turn to be happy." Even I start to think I really have misunderstood Alvin, so I go ahead and marry him. Then, on my birthday, I find out I'm pregnant. I go home, excited to tell Alvin the good news. However, before I can go inside, I hear his strained voice from behind the door. "Esther, I don't wanna keep hiding this. I'm gonna tell Daphne I want a divorce, and then I'll marry you." The next second, Esther cuts him off, crying. "You can't! Do you wanna ruin us? I'm the person she's trusted most her entire life. If she finds out that the woman she spent all that time looking for was me, what is she supposed to do? What am I supposed to do?" Alvin goes rigid. After a long silence, he quietly pulls her into his arms. I stand outside the door, feeling every drop of blood in my veins turn cold. It turns out the two people I trust most have betrayed me from the very beginning. I look down at the pregnancy test results in my hand. Suddenly, I start laughing until tears stream down my face. This time, I want to let go.