Chapter 1 – The Night It All Ended

Rain whispered against the tall windows of the Davenport mansion, tracing crooked paths down the glass before disappearing into the shadows. The house was too quiet, too perfect. Even the clock ticking on the mantel seemed to hesitate before every beat, as if afraid to disturb the silence.

Ophelia sat alone on the sofa, her knees drawn close, the faint glow from a single lamp brushing against her pale face. In her hands rested a small white envelope, creased from how many times she had opened and closed it.

Her doctor’s note.

She had gone to the hospital earlier that day after feeling dizzy all morning. When the nurse had placed the paper in her hand, she had stared at the bold blue words for nearly a full minute before believing them.

Pregnancy: positive.

Her heart had leapt. She had even smiled. For the first time in months, maybe years, something had felt right.

She had imagined running into Philip’s arms, showing him the paper, hearing him laugh in disbelief. We’re going to have a baby, she would tell him. Maybe then, she thought, he’d look at her the way he once did — not with impatience or indifference, but with love.

She wanted to believe that somewhere beneath his temper and cruelty, the man she had married still existed. The one who had once kissed her in the rain and whispered promises he never kept.

The clock struck ten.

Philip was still not home.

Ophelia’s tea had gone cold. The servants had already retreated for the night. The mansion — their home — felt enormous and hollow, as though it were built only to echo loneliness.

Her gaze drifted to a framed photo on the side table — their wedding picture. She was smiling shyly, her eyes bright with love. Philip’s hand was around her waist, his lips curved in the charming smile that had fooled everyone, even her.

Her chest tightened.

Lately, that smile belonged to another woman.

Clara.

She’d seen the messages on his phone weeks ago, seen the perfume stains on his shirts. Each time, she’d told herself not to cry, not to ask. He hated it when she asked questions. He said she was paranoid. “You should be grateful I even come home,” he had sneered once, drunk and cruel.

And still, she stayed. Because despite everything, she loved him.

Because she believed if she tried harder, if she was quieter, gentler, more patient, maybe he’d love her again.

Her fingers traced the edge of the pregnancy slip. Maybe this is the miracle we need, she whispered to herself. Maybe this will fix everything.

Headlights cut through the rain outside. Her heart lifted.

She stood, smoothing her dress, quickly wiping the corners of her eyes. She rehearsed the words she wanted to say: Philip, I have something to tell you. But the moment the door opened, those words died on her tongue.

Laughter — soft, feminine, unmistakable — floated into the hall.

Ophelia froze.

“Clara…” she whispered before she could stop herself.

Philip looked up, his eyes half-glazed from drink. “Why are you still awake?” he muttered, shrugging off his coat.

She rose slowly, clutching the envelope. “I wanted to wait for you. I—”

“We’re celebrating,” Clara interrupted with a soft laugh. “Be a dear and pour us some wine, Mrs. Davenport.”

Ophelia’s throat went dry. She glanced at Philip, expecting him to correct her, to at least show some discomfort at how brazen the woman was. But he only smirked and dropped into an armchair.

“You heard her,” he said lazily. “Bring us wine.”

The words struck her like a slap. Bring us wine. Not even a greeting. Not a question about her day, her health—nothing. Just a command.

For a moment, she didn’t move. She wanted to scream, to throw the envelope at him and demand to know what she’d done to deserve this coldness. But she swallowed the pain, like she always did, and forced herself toward the cabinet.

Her hands shook as she took out the bottle. The cork popped too loudly in the silence.

“Not that one,” Clara said, her voice sweet as honey. “The red one. The one you keep for special occasions.”

Ophelia hesitated. That wine had been a gift from Philip’s father, reserved for their anniversary. But she obeyed. What did it matter anymore?

Her movements were mechanical, practiced. The glass clinked softly as she poured into two crystal goblets. She tried not to inhale Clara’s scent, tried not to think about the woman standing in her living room — her husband’s mistress — smiling as though she owned the place.

“Make sure mine isn’t poisoned,” Clara said coyly, leaning against Philip’s arm, her painted lips curving into a taunting smile. “Your wife doesn’t like me much.”

Philip chuckled, his eyes glassy. “You hear that, Ophelia? Don’t poison my guest.”

The laughter that followed felt like knives under her skin.

“I would never,” Ophelia said quietly, setting the glasses down.

But Clara’s voice turned syrupy sweet. “Really? Because I think this one smells strange.”

She lifted the glass to her nose and made a dramatic show of coughing. “It’s too hot, Philip. She must’ve heated it! She’s trying to hurt me.”

Ophelia’s head jerked up. “What? No! It’s just—”

Before she could finish, Philip’s hand cracked across her face. The sound echoed through the marble hall like a gunshot.

The glass slipped from her hand and shattered.

“Don’t you ever raise your voice at her!” Philip roared. “Ungrateful woman. I bring home a guest and you try to humiliate her?”

Her cheek burned. The taste of iron filled her mouth. But worse than the pain was the look in his eyes — no trace of love, no trace of the man she once knew.

Clara pretended to tremble. “Philip, stop… She’ll hurt me again…”

His fist slammed onto the table. “Get out of my sight, Ophelia!”

Her vision swam. “Philip, please—”

But he didn’t stop. His hand struck again — then again. She stumbled backward, hitting the corner of the table. A sharp pain tore through her stomach. She gasped. A thin warmth trickled down her leg. Her heart turned to ice.

“No… no, no…” Her trembling fingers touched the spreading red on her nightgown. “Philip… the baby…”

He froze for a heartbeat — just one — before scoffing. “You’re faking again, aren’t you? Always some drama.”

She sank to her knees.

“The baby,” she whispered again. “Our baby…”

But he had already turned away, wrapping an arm around Clara, who clung to him like a triumphant viper. “If you want to act,” Clara murmured sweetly, “you should’ve gone to theater school.”

The world tilted. The lights blurred. Ophelia felt the cold marble against her cheek, the taste of blood on her tongue — and then, nothing.