Chapter 3

Nora’s POV

Dennis didn’t even wait for me to process what was happening.

“You heard her,” he said flatly, his voice leaving no room for argument. “Go do it.”

I stood there frozen, staring at him and waiting for even a flicker of hesitation, some tiny sign that he knew how humiliating this was. But there was nothing.

Not even a hint of sympathy.

Nadia leaned into him dramatically, her face already twisting as though she were in pain.

“My stuff is in that bag,” she said, pointing toward a small designer tote lying on the floor. “My underwear is in there too. I want you to wash everything properly.”

My stomach tightened instantly.

She sniffled as though she were holding back tears before continuing.

“And I want you to make me macaroni and cheese and buffalo wings, extra spicy. I’ve been craving them all day.”

Her hand pressed against her stomach again.

“And everything needs to be done in thirty minutes,” she added softly. “It’s the baby’s request.”

I stared at her in disbelief before turning toward Dennis.

“I’m not doing that,” I said firmly.

The atmosphere in the room changed immediately.

Nadia’s face crumpled as if I had struck her.

“Dennis…” she gasped, grabbing his arm. “Did you hear her? She doesn’t care about your child!”

Her voice broke into full-blown tears, loud and messy as she clung to him.

“I can’t believe this,” she cried. “I’m carrying your baby, and she’s treating me like this on purpose. I think I should just leave. I’ll abort this baby. I can’t suffer like this.”

Dennis stiffened instantly.

“Nora…” he warned, turning back toward me.

But Nadia wasn’t done.

She stepped slightly away from him, shaking her head as tears streamed down her face.

“I shouldn’t even be surprised,” she said bitterly, looking directly at me. “Well, I don’t blame you. You’ve never carried a child, so you don’t know what it feels like.”

I laughed bitterly.

“But I’m far better than a pregnant whore fucking her best friend’s husband.”

Nadia’s mouth fell open.

She quickly wiped her tears and turned back to Dennis, clutching the front of his shirt.

“Dennis, did you hear her? She just called the mother of your child a whore! I don’t feel safe here,” she sobbed.

She pressed a trembling hand against her stomach.

“She’s stressing me out on purpose. What if she decides to harm me or the baby? I think I should leave. I don’t want anything to happen to the baby.”

“Then leave!” I snapped, my voice cutting cleanly through her tears.

Nadia blinked, clearly not expecting me to agree.

“Leave,” I said again, louder this time. “Go ahead. Nobody is stopping you, you husband snatcher. And take your fake BBL with you!”

Nadia’s jaw dropped as she slowly turned back to face me.

“What did you just say?”

“Did I lie?” I shot back, stepping forward without flinching.

“You homewrecker. Did you also tell him that you were once an escort? Did you tell him that the body he is dying over is plastic and fake and has been used by millions of men?”

My voice didn’t shake this time.

“You’re nothing but a second-hand sex toy.”

The next thing I felt was a sharp crack across my face.

My head snapped sideways from the force of the slap.

For a moment, I simply stood there, stunned. Then I slowly pressed my hand against my burning cheek and turned back to face her.

“Did you just slap me?”

Nadia tilted her head, her eyes cold and glittering with satisfaction.

“Yes,” she said sweetly. “I’m sure it’ll help you lose weight faster.”

She raised her hand again.

But this time, my hand moved first.

My palm connected with her cheek, and Nadia screamed in pain.

“That,” I said, my voice shaking with everything I had swallowed for five years, “is for betraying our friendship.”

Then I slapped her again.

“And that is for sleeping with my husband.”

The silence that followed lasted exactly one second.

Then Nadia crumpled to the floor.

She went down dramatically, one hand clutching her stomach as she hit the floor and began to writhe.

“Dennis!” she screamed, her voice breaking into a full wail. “Dennis, help me! She wants to kill me! She hurt the baby, please help! Please!”

“Nadia!”

Dennis dropped to his knees beside her, both hands immediately cupping her face.

“Hey, hey, look at me. Where does it hurt?”

“Take me to the hospital,” she sobbed, grabbing his shirt. “I think I’m bleeding. Her plan finally worked… She killed our baby, Dennis. She killed our baby!”

“Call 911!” Dennis shouted, his voice cracking with panic.

I stood there frozen.

“Dennis, I didn’t…”

“Call 911!” he screamed again, not even looking at me.

Then he scooped Nadia up and rushed toward the door.

I watched them disappear, unable to move, unable to understand how everything had fallen apart so quickly.

Three hours passed before I heard the front door open.

I was on my feet before I could stop myself.

Dennis walked inside.

The moment I saw him, my heart lurched.

“Dennis.” My voice came out smaller than I intended. “How is she?”

He stopped walking.

His back was still turned toward me.

For several seconds, he said nothing.

Then his shoulders stiffened.

“Are you happy now?”

He turned slowly.

The look on his face made my stomach drop.

“Because of you,” he said, his voice dangerously quiet, “Nadia is fighting for her life. And the life of my child.”

“Dennis, I…”

“What kind of woman,” he said, stepping toward me, “fights a pregnant woman?”

“But you know she provoked me,” I stammered, instinctively stepping backward. “She slapped me first. I just…”

He moved so quickly that I didn’t see it coming.

His hand closed around my throat.

A gasp escaped my lips as he walked me backward, one slow step at a time.

I stumbled as my back hit the wall beside the open balcony doors, and the cold night air brushed against my skin.

That was when I realized exactly where he was taking me.

My eyes widened.

“Dennis…” My voice broke. “What are you doing?”

He didn’t answer.

“Please…” I swallowed hard, panic rising in my chest. “You know I’m scared of heights. Please…”

His grip tightened around my throat.

“So this was your plan,” he said, his voice ice-cold. “You wanted to kill my child.”

“No.” I shook my head desperately. “I swear, I didn’t.”

His eyes burned with fury as he leaned closer.

“If Nadia has to go through pain,” he said quietly, “you deserve ten times worse.”

“Dennis, please…” Tears filled my eyes. “Don’t do this. I beg you.”

For one brief second, I thought he might listen.

I was wrong.

His hand shoved me backward hard.

I lost my balance instantly.

My heels slipped against the smooth floor as I desperately tried to catch myself, but there was nothing within reach. My fingers clawed at the air, searching for something, anything, that could keep me upright.

“Dennis!”

My scream tore through the room.

But he didn’t reach for me.

I fell backward, hitting the ground just inside the balcony doors. The impact knocked the breath completely out of my lungs.

Pain exploded through my body.

My vision blurred.

I tried to move, tried to breathe, tried to call his name one last time, but my body refused to obey me.

The room began spinning around me.

The last thing I saw was Dennis standing over me, his face cold and unreadable.

Then everything went black.