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, waiting for even a flicker of hesitation, but there was nothing.

Nadia leaned into him dramatically, her face already twisting like she was in pain.

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

My stomach tightened instantly.

She sniffled like she was holding back tears, then continued.

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

Her hand pressed against her stomach again.

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

“I’m not doing that,” I said firmly.

The room shifted immediately.

Nadia’s face crumpled like she had been struck.

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

Her voice broke into full tears now, loud and messy.

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

Dennis stiffened instantly.

“Nora …he warned, turning back to me.

But Nadia wasn’t done.

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

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

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

Nadia wiped her tears dramatically and turned back to Dennis , clutching 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’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 clean through her tears.

Nadia blinked, clearly not expecting that.

"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 home wrecker. Did you also tell him that you were once an escort and 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 and my head snapped sideways from the force of it.

I pressed my hand slowly to my 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 and gave her a hot slap and she 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 lasted exactly one second then Nadia crumpled on 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!" He dropped to his knees beside her, both hands on 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.

Three hours passed before I heard the front door, I was on my feet before I could stop myself.

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

He stopped walking, his back was to me.

"Are you happy now?”

He turned slowly, and 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, stepping back. "She slapped me first, I just…”

He moved so fast I didn't see it coming..

His hand closed around my throat, walked me backward, one slow step at a time, until the night air hit my back and I realized the balcony doors were open behind me.

"Dennis …" My voice broke. "What are you doing? Please… you know I'm scared of heights, please…"

"So this was your plan." His voice was ice. "You wanted to kill my child."

"No, I swear, I didn't…”

His grip tightened slightly as he leaned closer, eyes black with fury..

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

“Dennis please…don't do this, I beg you”

His hand shoved me back hard and I lost my balance instantly..

My heels slipped against the floor as I tried to catch myself, but there was nothing to grab onto.

I hit the ground just inside the balcony doors, the impact knocking the breath clean out of my lungs before darkness claimed me fully.