Chapter 3

In that moment, all hope inside me died.

"Lily, let's go home, pack our things, and leave," I said quietly.

She didn't respond, only gave a small nod.

On the way back, I scrolled through Facebook and came across Annie's latest post.

She had uploaded a photo of a newborn baby with a caption that read, "Welcome to the world, my little angel. So grateful to have Sam and Leo by my side."

In the picture, Annie cradled an adorable baby in her arms, her face glowing with happiness. Sam and Leo stood beside her, their eyes filled with affection.

In the comments, both Sam and Leo had left messages.

"Annie, you're incredible. Thank you for bringing such a beautiful baby into our lives."

"We'll love this child like our own."

Seeing that, I could no longer hold back my tears.

Lily and I had both lost our children, yet here was another woman parading her joy for the world to see.

And the kind of happiness she had... it was supposed to be ours.

The grief of losing my baby spread like a poison through my chest.

When we got home, I opened the door and stepped into what used to be our cheerful, love-filled house. The moment I crossed the threshold, my heart ached.

This was once the place where I pictured a future full of hope. Now, it was just a house full of memories I didn't want to face.

I began packing my bags silently, ready to leave this painful chapter behind.

Suddenly, the door swung open, and Sam appeared.

He looked surprised to see me, but his expression quickly shifted back to indifference.

"You're back? Where's that baby blanket you hand-knit before?" he asked. "Hurry up and find it. Annie needs it."

I turned to him, holding back my tears. "Sam, I made that blanket for our child. Every stitch was sewn by hand with love. How could you give it to someone else's baby?"

He frowned, clearly annoyed. "Why are you being so petty? Our baby hasn't even been born yet. I'll just buy a new one later. What's the big deal?"

He glanced around the room, and his irritation deepened. "Why didn't you clean up the place?"

His tone was full of blame, as if everything wrong in the world was somehow my fault.

"By the way, Lily and Leo are fighting again. Did you stir things up between them? Can you stop dragging other people into your drama? You're about to be a mother. Can't you act like an adult?"

His words were like knives, each one cutting deeper than the last.

I clenched my fists, digging my nails into my palms, trying not to let myself break down in front of him.

"I'm tired, Sam. Whatever it is, let's talk tomorrow," I said, turning away.

I walked into the bedroom and shut the door with a loud thud.

Leaning against it, I let the tears fall freely.

That night, I tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.

Every time I thought about Sam and Leo's betrayal, a fresh wave of pain and despair crashed over me.

Finally, morning came. I got up early and began packing the rest of my things.

But when I opened the door, what I saw stopped me in my tracks.

In the living room, Sam and Leo were sitting with Annie and her newborn baby. The three of them were laughing and chatting like this was their home.

My chest tightened at the sight.

"What is she doing here?" I asked, unable to hold back.

Sam looked at me and said with his usual coldness, "Annie just gave birth, and she needs care. We talked it over and decided it's best if she stays here for a while."

"What?" My eyes widened. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"How could you do this? This is my home, not her hotel!"

"Lucy, stop making a scene," Leo said, frowning. "It's only temporary. Once Annie recovers, we'll find her another place."

I opened my mouth to object, but Sam cut me off. "That's enough. Annie and the baby are hungry. I'm going to make them something to eat."

He and Leo turned and headed toward the kitchen.

Annie glanced at me with a smug smile, then slowly walked over.

She lowered her voice and whispered, "You lost, Lucy. Sam and Leo love me now. You and your sister were just extras in their lives. They never really need you."

Then, she suddenly staggered and fell to the ground.

"Ow!" she cried, letting out a sharp scream. "Lucy, why did you push me?"

"Annie! What happened? Lucy! Did you hurt her?"

Sam rushed over, his eyes blazing with fury as he glared at me.

"I didn't!" I panicked, trying to explain, but he wasn't listening.

"Lucy didn't even touch her! She fell on her own..." Lily tried to step in, but Leo blocked her.

"You stay out of it! Stop lying to protect your sister!"

Right then, Sam's eyes dropped to my stomach.

"Lucy, where's our baby?" he asked, his voice suddenly low and sharp. "Why does your stomach look flat?"