Jessica Johnson happily accepts to enter into an arranged marriage with Ethan Mitchell, her first love, even when she knows that he feels nothing for her romantically. She dedicates her time and effort for the first few years of their marriage in hopes of getting Ethan to change his mind and finally fall in love with her. Her whole world comes crashing down when he reveals to her that another woman is carrying his child and requests that she leaves their matrimonial home immediately. “I love you, Ethan” Jessica says watching as her words fall on deaf ears. Unknown to him was the positive result of the pregnancy test that Jessica had gotten from the hospital earlier on in the day. Years later, their paths cross again at his mother’s birthday party, where Ethan is surprised to see Jessica with a baby boy that looked like him. “Is he my child,Jess?” Ethan asks, backing Jessica into a corner. “No child of mine will ever have you as a father.” Jessica replied furiously, watching as guilt consumed Ethan.
view more“This marriage is over, Jessica!” Ethan Mitchell screamed at the top of his voice, his eyes red and filled with anger as his shaking wife tried to keep her test results away from his wrath.
Behind her was the pregnancy test kit she had earlier peed on which showed her a positive sign meaning she was pregnant for Ethan, after 5 long years of trying. Love making with the man of her dreams, Ethan, these past few years had only happened when he was intoxicated so she was elated when she realized that soon she would be hearing the cries of a baby in their home.. “What is the meaning of this, Ethan?” Jessica asked as she felt tears run down her eyes uncontrollably. How could this happen now? Why did the universe hate her? “Olivia is pregnant with my child and I can’t let you hold me back from being a father to my unborn child.” Ethan informed her without any warning, no hint of remorse on his face. “Olivia? Your personal assistant from the office?” Jessica echoed back at him, her eyes finding it difficult to take the shock of this news. Whenever she saw them, her eyes would catch glimpses of his assistant touching him in an awkward manner but she would always smile and downplay it. “That doesn’t matter. I came by to tell you that I want to get a divorce and end whatever it is that we have going on here.” Ethan broke the news to her, setting off a bomb in her heart. It felt like the man she loved all through her childhood was gone and all she could see was a new person standing in front of her, ripping her heart apart. “Why would you do this to me, Ethan? I…I thought we were trying to make things work between us” Jessica stammered as she continued to break down in tears. The weight of this news was worse than when than the time she heard it would be difficult for her to get pregnant. “Don’t do that, Jess. This marriage was just a way for our families to become one beyond business.” Ethan replied as he pulled down on the tie he had been wearing all day, allowing him to breath more easily. Jessica and Ethan had been married for five years. Five years of Jessica trying and watching her love never being reciprocated in return. As a way of strengthening their relationship beyond business, both families had agreed to the marriage of their children. What better way to make their bond grow. Jessica and Ethan had known each other since they were kids but Ethan had always seen as a sister, never harboring any feelings towards her. On the other hand, Jessica was head over heels for Ethan since they were little. He was her prince charming hence the immense joy that filled her heart when she heard that she had be betrothed to him since they were children. As Jess tried to push their friendship towards the romantic direction, Ethan had to leave the country to further his studies in London. He was next in line to take over the family business but deep down he was actually happy to be away from Jessica cause he felt no feelings of love towards her. This was why she could feel their friendship coming to an end no matter how hard she tried. Finally, Ethan returned back to Los Angeles at twenty eight years old to take over his family’s business. Jessica was love struck once again when she saw how jacked he look after few years of studying abroad. His muscles filled every space in his shirt, beards shinning like that of a god but she knew something was off. Her true love had returned with another woman, Olivia, from his trip. This new strange woman was his personal assistant who helped him whenever he called on her. But Jessica could see that she was more than that as she was no fool. One time, she walked in on them in a very awkward position and Olivia had apologized to her saying she dropped some documents on the floor but she could see that if she hadn’t waltzed in when she did, things would have gotten way more intense than it already was. Though heartbroken that her childhood love was now being taken away from her by another woman, Jessica still made time to check up Ethan. But on the other hand, he made it a habit to ensure that she felt unwelcomed and unloved but praised and enjoyed Olivia’s presence at every chance he got. Personal assistant, my a** Seeing all that was happening, Ethan’s parent threatened to cut off Ethan if he didn’t hurry up and get married to Jessica. They were infuriated by the news they had been hearing about their son and his “personal assistant”. Ethan agreed to marry Jessica but made she hated every single day of their marriage as she was the reason he and Olivia couldn’t be together freely. Jessica was completely consumed by her emotions when she finally achieved her life long dream of marrying Ethan. She was grateful to her father-in-law for making it happen. She had spent years yearning for his love and wasn’t about to let a girl with an accent take him away from her. A year into their marriage and Jessica had never felt so choked in her own home. She only got to see her husband very late at night, most times he was drunk and would keep on muttering Olivia’s name in bed. They finally discovered that Jessica would find it difficult to get pregnant and things went down hill for her from that moment. It felt like she had become totally invisible and useless to him. “Olivia would be moving into the house tomorrow so I’ll need you and all your things gone by then. I think I’ve given you enough time.” Ethan announced to Jessica’s ears. It was really over and there was nothing she could do to stop it from happening. “Ethan! Don’t do please! I love you!” Jessica screamed at the top off her voice but her screams fell on deaf ears as Ethan had already made up his mind. “I know and I don’t care. I needed a way out of this marriage and I have finally found. That’s all that matters to me.” Ethan answered with a blank expression on his face. He truly didn’t feel a thing for her or care one bit for her feelings. "I'm gonna leave this house and by the time I come back. I don't want to see a trace of you, anywhere." Right there in their mansion, she cried bitterly as her heart had been broken into several pieces. She tried to talk but found no words coming out of her lips. The signs had been so clear for her to see but she chose to ignore them, now she had to pay the price. Did she want to beg? Yes. But all she could see were images of Ethan and Olivia’s baby running through her mind. It should be her baby but she was powerless as she watched him walk away knowing he was returning back to Olivia’s arms.Ethan’s car slid into the company’s private driveway, the engine purring and coming to a stop as he cut the ignition off. His fingers drummed against the steering wheel before he finally summoned the courage to force himself out. The towering glass building loomed above him, its mirrored surface catching the late afternoon light. Normally, he carried himself with the quiet authority of someone who was born into the Mitchell legacy, but today a knot of nerves tugged at his stomach.The familiar marble lobby echoed with the sharp clicks of his polished shoes as he strode across it, greeting no one, eyes fixed on the elevator just ahead of him. Inside, the doors closed him in, and the silence was suffocating. He tugged at his tie, muttering under his breath.“Why now? What’s he going to say this time?”His knuckles tapped against the elevator’s railing, a steady rhythm of unease. With a sigh, he slipped his phone out of his pocket and put it on. The screen lit up with his new wallpape
Ethan’s black car slid smoothly into a spot near the entrance of the mall. The moment he opened his car door and stepped out, tall and composed in his crisp shirt, Avery’s eyes lit up with joy.“Daddy!” she squealed, slipping her hand from Jessica’s grip before her mother could catch her.“Avery, wait!” Jessica started, but the little girl was already running full speed.Ethan bent just in time, scooping his daughter into his arms and spinning her in the air. Avery’s laughter rang loud, echoing across the lot as Ethan grinned with joy. “There’s my girl! Did you miss me this much?”“Yes! So much!” she giggled, clinging to his neck.By the time he carried her back to where Jessica waited, the brightness on Jessica’s face was a practised mask. Her smile was polite, but her eyes flickered with something that looked like annoyance.“Mommy, I’m sorry,” Avery said quickly, wrapping an arm around Jessica’s waist. “Please, forgive me.”Jessica exhaled, softening slightly. She brushed Av
The clinking of cutlery against plates filled the quiet dining room until Avery bowed her head down, small fingers folded together to pray. “Thank You, God, for the food,” she said softly, eyes squeezed shut. “And thank You because Daddy is finally eating with us tonight.”Jessica’s throat tightened. Her daughter’s prayer was so innocent, so disarming, yet it hit her in the face with the force of a tidal wave. She kept her gaze fixed on her plate, lips pressed together, while her chest was filling up with emotions that she refused to show.Ethan glanced at Jessica, a flicker of something unreadable in his expression before his gaze shifted back to Avery. “Amen,” he said quietly.“Amen,” Jessica echoed, forcing her voice steady.The three of them dug their cutlery into their food, silence stretching thin until Avery perked up, her eyes bright with curiosity. “Daddy, can you tell me a story about when you were little? Maybe when you did a school project with your dad?”“Avery,” Jes
The kitchen smelled faintly of coffee, its warmth blending with the sharper tang of lemon dish soap that had been used earlier. Sunlight slid across the table, hitting Jessica’s open laptop. On the screen, a cheerful blog displayed rows of “Budget-Friendly School Fair Projects,” each photo showing smiling parents and kids holding popsicle stick crafts, paper crowns, or jars of homemade slime. That was the pace she wanted she wanted Avery to go in, something manageable, affordable, and something Avery could proudly say she’d done herself.The front door creaked open.Jessica glanced up to see Ethan step inside, holding a sketchpad in his hand, the faint scent of rain clinging to his jacket. His hair was damp at the edges, and there was an energy about him for some reason. It felt bright for this early in the day.“I’m right on time,” he said with a smirk, as though punctuality was a personal victory to him that meant something.Jessica didn’t look away from the laptop. “You want a
Jessica nudged the car door closed with her hip, juggling a paper cup of coffee in one hand and Avery’s purple backpack in the other. The school’s front walkway still glistened from last night’s rain, the air cool and smelling faintly of wet pavement and pencil shavings.Avery skipped a step ahead, humming some tune only she knew from one of her TV shows. Jessica followed, sipping her coffee, already mentally mapping out her day. She was going to do some laundry, a client call, and groceries, but it all disappeared when a voice called out.“Morning, Jessica!” Mrs. Diaz, who always wore a smile of sunshine on her face and warm cardigans, waved from near the classroom door. “Don’t forget, the parents’ meeting with the school staff starts in a few minutes!”Jessica froze mid-step. “The what? A meeting?”Mrs. Diaz’s eyebrows lifted in mild surprise. “Yes, for the Parent–Children Creativity Fair. It’s today in the school’s auditorium.” She gestured toward the double doors down the hall
Jessica woke before the alarm, the pale morning light pooling across the bedroom wall. Avery was curled against her, her little fist resting near her chin, the purple wristwatch gleaming faintly in the soft light.Jessica’s eyes lingered on it, the small, shining circle that had made Avery beam last night — and the words from her daughter’s dream echoed like a quiet knock inside her head. ‘Daddy left just like Uncle Ricky did.’Her chest tightened. What if he does leave again? The thought came uninvited, dragging with it a heavy ache. What if I’ve just opened the door for him to hurt her in the same way he hurt me?“Good morning, Mommy.” Avery’s voice was still groggy, breaking Jessica’s thoughts.Jessica smiled, masking her worry immediately. “Morning, baby.”Avery sat up, holding her wrist toward Jessica like she was hiding treasure. “Look! Still here!”Jessica chuckled, though it came out softer than she intended. “It’s not going anywhere.” She smiled at her because last nigh
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