Allison Benson's POV

Calvin didn't come home that night. Around midnight, I received a text: "Very busy today. Staying overnight at the office, don't wait up."

I thought about all those other similar nights. The nights I lay in bed staring blankly at the ceiling, my mind doing backflips guessing where he was and why he had grown so distant. Now, it all made sense.

"Allison, you just don't understand my stress. This company is everything to me. It's all for our future." And I had always believed him, always trying to play the supportive wife, suppressing my own anxiety. I had learned to bury the loneliness deep inside, carrying the weight of our supposedly shared dreams all by myself.

But it was different now. His absence actually felt like a release.

I went into the bedroom, pulled out my largest suitcase, and started packing. Not just clothes, but documents, financial statements, my old work laptop... everything that proved my independence outside of "us."

Just as I zipped up the suitcase, I heard a key slide into the lock.

My heart jumped, and for a fleeting moment, I actually felt something akin to hope. Had he come back for me? Had he realized his mistake? My brain had momentarily reverted to the past, to the "old Allison" who longed for his affection and desperately wanted to believe in his love.

The front door opened. Calvin stood there, his clothes rumpled, but he didn't look exhausted. He looked anxious. A second later, Katerina Copeland stepped out from behind him.

Her hand rested lightly on his arm. She was pale, her eyes slightly red, and she was wearing one of Calvin's oversized dress shirts, draped loosely over her pregnant belly.

My breath caught in my throat, the air suddenly turning thin. The image of them standing there shattered whatever lingering doubts and hopes I had into a million pieces.

Calvin's eyes landed on my packed suitcase. He grew even paler. His gaze darted back and forth between the suitcase, me, and Katerina.

"Allison, I... I can explain. Katerina... she fainted again. The doctor said she needs complete bed rest. She didn't have anywhere else to go. I just brought her here to stay for a few days until we figure something out."

Katerina took a small step forward, her lips trembling. She looked up at Calvin, unshed tears welling in her eyes, looking like a frightened fawn, totally helpless.

Calvin turned to me, his tone pleading. "Allison, please. She needs help. And you... you've always been understanding and compassionate. Can you just... take care of her for a few days? Just a few days, until I figure things out."

"You expect me, in my own home, to take care of your pregnant mistress, and look at the belly carrying your child?" This was so far beyond my imagination.

"Allison, don't say that!" he snapped suddenly, a sharp edge to his voice. "She isn't my mistress. She is a colleague who needs help. Yes, she is pregnant with my child. But she's in a dangerous condition right now, she needs a stable environment, a home."

Katerina let out a soft sob, leaning her face slightly against Calvin's shoulder as if seeking comfort, sneaking a glance at me with feigned vulnerability.

"You actually expect me to take care of the woman who stole my husband and my future?" My voice rose, filled with incredulous fury. "Do you think I'm crazy, Calvin?"

"Allison, calm down." He stepped closer, trying to grab my arm. "You don't have a job right now, you have plenty of time. It's just temporary, for the health of the baby."

I forcefully shook off his hand, my movement full of disgust and anger. "No," I said, my voice shaking, speaking through gritted teeth. "Absolutely not. I will not be your pregnant mistress's nanny. Get her out of my house, Calvin. Right now!"

Katerina let out a soft whimper and pulled away from Calvin slightly. "Maybe I should just go," she said in a weak, frail voice, taking a step back, pretending she was going to leave.

"No, Katerina, you are staying!" Calvin's voice suddenly boomed. He pulled her back to his side, shielding her protectively. He turned to me, absolutely furious. "This is my house, Allison! My family! I decide who gets to stay!" He pointed at my suitcase. "If you can't handle it, then you can leave!"

Those words hit my heart like a massive boulder, heavy and final. "My house, my family, my decision." His words were a knife twisting deep into my chest. The pain was excruciating, as if I had been hollowed out.

Katerina looked up, a smug smile barely playing at the corners of her lips. "Allison, I am so sorry. I never meant for things to turn out this way."

Calvin let out a cold laugh, mocking. "She never meant for it to turn out this way? Allison, this is all your fault! You're the one being unreasonable! Now, are you leaving or not?"

I sneered. "Oh, I'll leave, Calvin. And when I do, I am taking every single thing that belongs to me. Don't think you'll get to keep a dime. Sooner or later, you will pay for what you've done!"

I walked right past him toward the bedroom and grabbed my packed suitcase.

He didn't try to stop me. He just stood there, Katerina clinging tightly to him, a hint of fear in her eyes.

As I headed for the front door, Bobbie Brooks suddenly stepped out from the shadows of the hallway.

She shot a glance at my suitcase, a gleam of satisfaction flashing in her eyes, before quickly looking away and walking straight toward Calvin and Katerina.

"Oh, sweet Katerina, are you feeling better, darling? Don't worry. You are safe here now. This is your home."

She put an arm around Katerina's waist, pulling her closer. "Katerina, you are carrying our heir. You are part of our family now. I will protect you, we will all protect this child."

I stopped at the threshold, her words echoing in my ears. "You are part of our family now."

That phrase, which I had so desperately craved, now sounded like the death knell of my old life.