Lily’s Pov

“Mom, I’m ready for the arranged marriage, please just get me out of here, I’ll do anything,” I sobbed into the phone.

My mom’s panicked voice sounded over the phone, “Should I come get you now?”

“In seven days, Mom, I need to tidy things here,” I whispered.

My hands shook and my stomach hurt as I ended the call, sprawled on the floor bleeding.

My entire world had collapsed two days ago when I found out about the biggest betrayal ever from the three most important people in my life.

I was three months pregnant when I was kidnapped by some unknown gunmen.

That night they called and called but he didn't pick up his damn phone.

The kidnappers had mocked me, “Your husband doesn't even love you enough to pick your calls.”

Ninety-nine missed calls, that's how many times they called him with my phone.

Then they called Peter, Jacob’s younger brother and my childhood friend.

I was certain he would pick up and he did but his words made me wonder if truly this was the same person who had vowed to always protect me.

“Stop calling, Lily, can't you see we’re in a business meeting?!”

He had ended the call and switched his phone off before they could call back.

Furious, the kidnappers shoved me out of a moving car. There was so much blood, I passed out.

—

When I opened my eyes I was in the hospital. My body hurt and there was no one by my bedside.

“How are you feeling, Miss?” the doctor asked me.

I blinked, my throat felt sore and I stared at him, “No one came to visit me?”

The doctor shook his head, “I’m sorry but no.”

I grabbed my phone from the bedside and still there were no missed calls from Jacob or Peter. No one replied to the messages I had sent either.

“Your accident was fatal and you survived by luck but your baby didn't,” the doctor informed me.

Tears rolled down my cheeks as I touched my now flat stomach.

I dialed Jacob’s phone again and I heard the familiar ringing tone just down the hall.

Frowning, I limped out of bed when I heard familiar voices in a room across from mine.

“You guys are so sweet, your wife gave birth two days ago and neither you nor your brother would leave her alone,” a nurse was saying.

Then I heard my husband’s familiar voice as he replied, “I’d never leave Nadine’s side. She's given me an heir, she deserves the whole world.”

“I feel so bad for the woman down the hall. She came in two days ago battered and bruised. She even had a miscarriage and no one has visited her,” the nurse said.

“Well, that’s sad but Nadine is never going to be alone, not when she has us,” Peter’s voice sounded.

The door opened slightly and I saw them, my husband, and my so-called brother-in-law as they hovered around my best friend and the new baby in her arms.

The resemblance was uncanny, it was indeed Jacob’s baby and suddenly everything clicked.

While I was kidnapped and shoved out of a moving car, bleeding to death and losing my baby, my husband was down the hall with another woman taking care of her and their new baby.

My heart squeezed painfully in my chest. I almost passed out as I stumbled to the restroom and threw up in the sink.

Tears ran down my cheeks as I held my flat stomach and cried my eyes out.

Four years of marriage was ruined in an instant. But how could I have missed it? All those months they had lied that Nadine traveled overseas for work; it was only because they were hiding her pregnancy.

Just then the door opened and I heard Nadine’s mocking voice.

“Oh sweet Lily, I’ve waited for nine months to rub it in your face,” Nadine laughed.

I stared at her, my eyes filled with hurt, “How could you? I trusted you! You were my best friend!”

“Oh please,” Nadine scoffed, “I was only close to you so I could seduce Jacob. Imagine my surprise when I found out you were also pregnant.”

I turned away as bile rose in my throat, “Well, you have nothing to worry about anymore. The baby is gone.”

“I know,” Nadine giggled, “I sent the kidnappers!”

I turned to her as I felt blood rush to my ears and I stopped thinking at that moment, I lunged at her.

Nadine let out a high-pitched scream as she fell to the floor.

As if on cue, the door of the restroom was pushed open as Jacob and Peter stood in front of it.

They turned accusing eyes toward me.

“What have you done?!”

“Jacob, Nadine is responsible —” but I didn't finish as Jacob pushed me roughly.

“How could you be so cruel?! Nadine just gave birth and you're bullying her?” he snarled at me.

I whimpered softly as I felt pain bloom in my stomach from the way he shoved me.

“But Jacob —” I tried to speak again.

“Shut up!” Peter snarled as he kicked me harshly.

I gasped, losing my breath as I sprawled on the floor. I felt the blood trickling down my thighs as I watched them leave with Nadine without sparing me a second glance.

No one asked why I was in the hospital restroom or why my stomach was so flat.

All they cared about was that I had hurt Nadine. At that moment I realized, I was all alone.

But soon I’ll be gone. In seven days, this will all be over.

Lily’s Pov

After they left, I managed to crawl to the door but it was locked. I started banging on it but it wouldn't budge.

“No, no, no,” I mumbled, tears rolling down my cheeks.

My stomach hurt so badly as blood trickled down my thighs.

I grabbed my phone and hurriedly opened it just as a voice note from Nadine popped up on my phone.

I tapped it and her mocking voice filled the restroom.

‘Hey, bitch, so I mistakenly locked you up and put up a do not disturb sign. Oops, guess no one would find you now. Just bleed to death already and die!’

Immediately I finished listening to the voice note, it was automatically deleted immediately.

Tears ran down my cheeks as I dialed Jacob’s number. He picked up on the fifth ring.

“Please, Jacob, help me. I'm stuck in the bathroom. Nadine —”

“I know,” Jacob’s cold voice sounded over the phone, interrupting me.

I paused as I stared at my phone, my mouth open in shock.

“You know she locked me up?” I asked, desperately hoping it wasn't what I was thinking.

“Yes, it’s your punishment for trying to hurt her. Sleep on that cold dirty floor and reflect on yourself,” Jacob answered coldly.

Peter’s voice sounded immediately, “And don't come back if you aren't ready to beg for forgiveness!”

The line went dead immediately as I stared at my phone speechless.

The two people who had vowed to protect me had just locked me up leaving me in so much pain after the trauma I've gone through in two days.

I was kidnapped, shoved out of a moving vehicle, lost my baby, all because of Nadine and I'm the one who hurt her and should apologize.

That night I laughed so hard my cheeks hurt. My laughter sounded hollow, like someone who had lost her mind.

By morning, the cleaners found me passed out in the restroom. They took me to the doctor who sighed when he saw me.

“What have you gotten yourself into, Lily?” he asked me with a weary sigh.

I gave him a teary look, “I have no idea, doctor.”

“You’ve lost so much blood, Lily, you've been through a lot of stress. I'm afraid if you don't rest and recover your body could face irreversible damage,” the doctor advised me.

I nodded, “Thank you, doctor.”

“Also, the nurse will bring the bill. You don't have insurance to cover your medical bill with us,” the doctor informed me.

I sat up on the bed, wincing and frowning, “What do you mean, doctor? I have insurance with my husband’s account.”

The doctor frowned as he tapped on his phone, “I’ll call the nurse in accounting to come sort this out.”

Shortly after he left, the nurse stepped inside holding a laptop.

“Miss, please what’s your husband’s name?” she asked.

I felt bile rise in my throat, I hated acknowledging him now but I had no money to pay for my bills.

“Jacob Reynolds,” I answered.

The nurse tapped furiously on her keyboard and then looked up at me with a frown.

“I’m sorry, there's no record of you in our system. The person recorded under Jacob Reynolds insurance is Nadine Grey and their daughter, Angel Reynolds,” the nurse informed me.

For a moment I forgot how to breathe as I stared at the nurse with my mouth hanging open.

“W…what?” I stuttered.

My husband had registered someone else under his insurance leaving me out to dry.

“How do you intend to pay for your bills, Miss?” the nurse asked impatiently.

I gulped softly, “Credit.”

She glared at me and nodded. Immediately she left, I grabbed my phone ready to call Jacob and yell at him but I thought against it.

If he didn't see me as his wife then I would end this sham of a marriage.

I limped out of the hospital despite the doctor and nurses protesting for me to rest and recover. I hailed a cab and went straight to a lawyer’s office.

I sat down in the receptionist office, patiently waiting for the lawyer to request my presence.

Thirty minutes later, the lawyer called for me. I entered his office and sat across from him, my eyes filled with determination.

“How may I help you?” the lawyer asked.

“I’d like to file a divorce and erase all ties with Jacob Reynolds,” I answered.

The lawyer nodded and started typing on his computer when he frowned.

“Are you Nadine Grey? You'd like to divorce your husband, Jacob Reynolds?” he asked me.

I frowned, “No, I’m Lily Reynolds. I've been married to Jacob for four years.”

The lawyer frowned, “According to the national database, that's incorrect. There's no record of Lily Reynolds married to Jacob Reynolds. The only marriage record here is the one of Nadine Grey and Jacob Reynolds from two years ago.”

I frowned, shaking my head, “That’s impossible, Sir. We had a court wedding and all.”

I showed him the picture of the wedding certificate on my phone but he just shook his head.

“That’s a fake, Miss. See for yourself.”

He pushed the computer toward me and my heart stopped.

Right before my eyes was the legal proof that Nadine and Jacob had been married for two years and Peter had witnessed it.

And the date? It was the exact date my car had broken down in the middle of a storm. I had called Jacob and Peter begging them to come pick me up but they didn't pick up my calls and claimed they were in a meeting.

That night I took a shortcut and was robbed and stabbed twelve times and almost bled out in an alley except for a stranger who saved me.

I was nine months pregnant then, I lost my baby and had eighteen stitches.

So two years ago when I almost died, my husband was getting married to someone else which made him too busy to save me.

My chest clenched so violently, I couldn’t sit still.

I stood up—but the ground spun. My knees gave out. I hit the floor, sobbing, gasping for air.

“No… it can’t be.”

The lawyer rushed to my side.

“Miss, are you alright? Should I call an ambulance?”

His voice echoed like it was underwater.

I curled into myself, rocking back and forth. My nails digging into my arms. The pain was suffocating.

“No, it can’t be. No, it can’t be. No, no, no—”

Lily’s Pov

I don't know how long I cried on the floor in the lawyer’s office curled up like a ball but when I finally stood up, I wiped my tears and sighed.

It couldn't get any worse than this. My marriage of four years to Jacob Reynolds had been nothing but a farce.

I wanted to scream at him and ask why he would do such wickedness to me. Why tie me down for fifteen years?!

Fifteen years ago, I moved into Jacob and Peter’s mansion to take care of them after they lost their parents and their sister in a car accident.

I had been their best friend and they asked me to live with them. For years I helped them heal, I woke Peter up when he screamed from the nightmare of the crash.

When we became adults I fell in love with Jacob and he said he loved me back. He married me shortly after and like a fool I happily did whatever I could to keep making them happy.

Even when Nadine came into the picture a year after my marriage, I hadn't been bothered. Nadine had been my best friend in college.

Nadine was my childhood friend. She was my bridesmaid, she’d never harm me but I was so wrong.

The three of them hurt me in a way that I couldn't even think about it fully without losing my breath.

What did I ever do to deserve this? Why didn't he just tell me he never loved me? Why go through all this hell just to ruin me?

“Miss, should I call someone for you? Hospital? Police? Friend?” the lawyer’s voice broke through my thoughts.

I stared at him and smiled bitterly, “Thank you so much, I’ll leave now.”

I staggered out of the office watching as they all stared at me, pity evident in their eyes.

I hailed a cab to head back to the mansion. I had nowhere else to go and I needed to pack my things.

I had one goal now: get my passport. Cancel this identity. Erase “Lily Reynolds” for good.

The house was quiet when I entered and I was grateful. However after I grabbed my passport and started coming out, I heard voices in the sitting room.

Putting on a calm facade, I walked out and ignored them. Peter and Jacob were having dinner while Nadine was lying on Jacob’s legs.

They looked like a beautiful family. A perfect picture of a deceitful family.

I had barely taken three steps when Jacob’s voice rang out.

“Lily!”

I didn't stop, however, I felt a painful grip on my arms. I turned to realize Peter had grabbed me.

“Are you deaf? Can't you hear us calling?” Peter snarled at me.

I ignored him and yanked my arm away from him, “I don't have time for whatever this is.”

Peter threw his head back and laughed coldly as he suddenly grabbed my bag.

“Kneel and apologize to Nadine for hurting her earlier and then maybe we’ll let you leave,” Peter said.

I turned my sad eyes to Jacob hoping that just maybe he might help me.

But instead, he agreed with Peter.

“Yes, Lily. The doctor said if we hadn't come in time Nadine would have bled and died. You almost killed her so an apology is the least you can do.”

I scoffed softly, “I almost killed her? She wanted me dead! I have been through hell for two days and no one asked me anything. Then —”

“It’s fine, Jacob. Let her be, Peter, she doesn't have to apologize,” Nadine interrupted me softly, acting like the victim once again.

Jacob suddenly stood up, furious, “No, it’s not okay, Nadine. She can't harm you and go scot-free. If you don't apologize this instant, I will punish you, Lily!”

I shrugged, “I’m not apologizing for what I didn't do, Jacob. Do your worst.”

Jacob dragged me roughly outside as he grabbed a bottle, smashed it against the floor.

Peter shoved me forward.

They forced me to kneel on the shards.

Pain sliced through my skin. I gasped as glass embedded in my knees.

“Count to one hundred,” Peter snapped.

I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood. They stood over me. Watching.

Nadine smirked behind them.

By the time they reached a hundred, I was faint from blood loss.

Peter tossed my bag at me.

“Fucking useless bitch.”

“Next time you touch Nadine, I’ll kill you myself,” Jacob added.

They walked away.

I staggered to the side wall, pulling glass from my knees, barely holding back screams.

I tore an old dress hanging outside and wrapped my knees. I refused to let this stop me. If anything it made me want to cancel my identity more.

I hailed a cab and went to the immigration office. I was attended to immediately by a junior staff member.

“Are you sure about this? Once we sign these documents Lily Reynolds doesn't exist again,” the staff said.

I nodded, “That’s what I want.”

He asked for my passport and I handed it over as he scanned it when suddenly red lights flashed, sirens blared and alarms echoed through the room.

“What’s happening?” I asked.

Men in black surrounded me. Guns holstered. I was seized, dragged into a cold, sterile office.

“What are you doing?! I didn’t do anything!”

The chief officer slammed the passport down.

“Fake document. Fraud. You’re under arrest.”

I was stunned as I stuttered, “No—Jacob Reynolds gave me that passport! Call him. He’ll explain—”

He picked up the phone, tapped into the registry system, then dialed.

Jacob answered, “Reynolds residence.”

“Mr. Reynolds, this is Chief Immigration Officer Lambert. A woman named Lily Reynolds—she claims you gave her this passport. Can you confirm that you know her?”

There was a pause.

Then Jacob’s voice—calm, composed, merciless.

“I don’t know anyone by that name.”

I screamed, “Jacob! It’s me! Please—”

The officer ignored me, “Just to confirm, sir. You deny giving her any documents? Please be certain because she will be arrested.”

Without a moment of hesitation, Jacob’s voice sounded again.

“I don't know her, do whatever you wish. I have to go take care of my wife and daughter,” then the line went dead with a click.

I watched in horror as I was handcuffed and led out of the office but I couldn't cry or scream. All that kept resounding in my ears was Jacob’s last words.

‘I don't know her, do whatever you wish. I have to go take care of my wife and daughter.’