Chapter 48

Isabel

As I sat in the hospital room, my mind reeling from the doctor's words, shock and disbelief washed over me like a tidal wave. The truth was finally catching up with me, shattering the fragile web of lies I had woven around myself.

The baby had not survived. The poison had done its damage, and my desperate plan to give birth prematurely had failed miserably. Everything I had hoped for—keeping up the facade, ensuring no one would question the paternity of the child—had crumbled before my eyes.

Beside me, my mother, looked equally stunned. Her face mirrored the shock and dismay I felt inside. We had both been complicit in this deception, but now the consequences were too grave to ignore.

When Nick arrived at the hospital and learned the truth, his absence spoke volumes. He didn't bother to come see me once he realised he couldn't be the father. The weight of his rejection hit me like a sledgehammer, compounding the agony of losing our child.

I couldn't contain the torrent of emoti