I looked at the needle marks on my belly, felt the bitter taste of that medicine swirling in my stomach and couldn’t even walk properly with how swollen my legs had gotten.

But I kept pushing through, clenching my teeth, trying to hang in there.

Every time I saw Kevin happily decorating the baby room, excited about our future as a family of three, I convinced myself that all the pain would be worth it.

Then I heard it.

"Oh, shit! Kevin, I think I forgot the condom!" she said, her voice playful and breathless.

"It's fine, baby. I’ll give you a child," Kevin said, too casual for my liking.

I bit down on my lip, trying to keep my emotions in check, curling up under the blanket as the tears started falling.

He had told me it didn’t matter about the baby.

When I miscarried, his eyes were red and he held me close, his hands shaking as he whispered in my ear, trying to comfort me. "It’s okay, Sabrina. This baby wasn’t meant to be. But we’ve still got each other. That’s enough."

Kevin had promised he had never lie to me, that he’d never betray me. But now, less than six months later, here he was, doing exactly that.

"Kevin, you’re amazing! Come over tonight!" she cooed, her voice full of lust.

After a long silence, Kevin finally walked out, Molly in his arms, their footsteps fading down the hall.

Once they were gone, I grabbed my phone with trembling hands and opened it. There it was, the confirmation for my flight.

The betrayal was all real. The suffocating feeling didn’t leave. The clock barely ticked, but it felt like hours, maybe even days.

I staggered barefoot across the cold floor, stumbling as I opened the window.

The cold wind sliced through me, but weirdly, it helped the knot in my chest loosen just a bit. I breathed in the icy air, punishing myself with every breath, until I tasted the sharp, metallic tang in the back of my throat.

Without thinking, I dialed the number. "I’ve made up my mind," I said, my voice steady despite everything.

"Are you really going home? Are you sure you want to leave Kevin?" my brother on the other end asked.

My nose suddenly tingled and tears started to fall. I opened my mouth, but I couldn’t say anything.

He went quiet for a moment, then sighed. "Pack up, you're always welcome back here."

I forced out a hoarse, "Okay. Pick me up at the airport in three days. I’ve still got some stuff to take care of."

I had left everything behind to marry Kevin, ignoring my parents’ objections.

I followed him to Derriston, thinking that would be enough, that he was the one I was meant to be with for the rest of my life. But everything changed in just a few years.

I couldn’t sleep at all that night, but I felt something in the air, something uneasy, getting closer.

I opened my eyes and saw Kevin's face, looking so handsome and affectionate. It almost felt like I could see myself reflected in his eyes.

He reached out to touch my hair, just like he always did, like the sweet mornings we used to share.

But all of a sudden, I felt a wave of nausea. I slapped his hand away and rushed to the bathroom to throw up.

I didn’t expect it, but my body was rejecting him already. Just being in the same space as him made me feel suffocated.

I stayed hunched over the toilet, gagging until I could breathe again. When I finally looked up, I saw a black-and-white photo sticking out of the laundry basket.

It was an ultrasound picture of the baby we lost. She was already four months old. I could just make out her little smiling face and almost feel her gentle movements inside me.

I stared at the photo, unsure of what to do. I didn’t dare touch it, afraid that if I did, she would disappear. Or worse, she would somehow laugh and call me "Mom," or cry and accuse me of not protecting her.

She seemed to be laughing at how I failed to protect her, at how stupid I was for holding onto love and at me—so heartbroken I couldn’t even speak.

Since the miscarriage, I had been in a haze. The doctor called it mild depression, so Kevin took it all into his own hands.

He hid everything about the baby, moved us to a new place and even got Molly, a nurse, to take care of me.

Kevin rushed after me, looking panicked.

He pulled me up with this horrified expression and wrapped me in a tight hug. "Sabrina, what’s wrong? Are you okay? Why did you push me away? I can’t lose you, I only have you left. Please don’t push me away."

He held me so tightly, his damp head resting on my shoulder. I almost reached out to comfort him, but the rose scent on him snapped me back to reality.

That was Molly’s shower gel. She had told me it was her favorite, which meant Kevin must’ve gotten it specially for her.

This guy, who had just been sleeping with another woman, was still lying to me, whispering sweet words.

I tried to pull away, but when I saw his tired face, I managed to speak as calmly as I could. "Maybe the new meds Dr. Leighton prescribed are messing with me."

Kevin sighed with relief and grabbed my hand, leading me to the couch. He knelt down, grabbed a wet tissue and started wiping my hands like he was trying to fix everything.

That damn rose scent again. Why did everything in the house smell like roses now?

"I made your favorite for breakfast, soy milk and fried eggs," he said.

I glanced at the soy milk on the table, but my stomach turned. The thing that had covered the photo earlier, some weird white lace underwear, made me feel even worse.

However, I forced a smile at Kevin.

"Kevin, Sabrina might not feel like eating right now. Should I share my orange juice with her?" Molly asked, holding up a glass of bright orange liquid.

The red string bracelet on her wrist caught my eye, standing out like a flashing neon sign.

Kevin had the same one in his car. I remembered how he had taken my carefully chosen amulet, the one I had gone out of my way to get and replaced the string, saying it would look better and more discreet for work.

He swore it didn’t change the meaning. At the time, I’d believed him. Now, seeing that identical red thread on Molly’s wrist? The meaning was all too clear.

"This is freshly squeezed by Kevin this morning!" Molly added, smiling at me as if she didn’t notice my stiff expression. "Sabrina, you’re so lucky. A husband like Kevin? Handsome, rich, thoughtful—you’d better keep an eye on him. Wouldn’t want someone else to snatch him away!"

Kevin, still focused on cutting the ham and eggs on my plate, shot her an annoyed glance. "Molly, stop it. That’s not appropriate."

She wasn’t fazed in the slightest. Instead, she slid the medicine box toward me, her voice dripping with fake concern. "How did you sleep last night, Sabrina? Was the new prescription any better?"

I didn’t answer right away. My eyes caught hers, then flicked over to Kevin. He was too busy pretending to care about the ham to notice her smug little smirk.

"Did you hear anything… unusual?" Molly pressed, leaning just a little closer. "Or maybe see something strange?"

My hands clenched in my lap, gripping the fabric of my skirt, but I managed a small shake of my head.

Kevin broke the silence. "Come on, sweetheart. At least have a bite of these eggs," he said, holding out a forkful with that same overly patient tone he always used when he thought I might break.

I looked at the eggs, at his hopeful face and shook my head. I let my shoulders sag, playing up the exhaustion instead of the anger bubbling under the surface.

Molly didn’t miss a beat. "Oh, let me help!" she chirped, standing up and grabbing Kevin’s hand. Before I could react, she popped the eggs into her mouth, then licked the fork with a slow, playful grin.

Kevin paused for a second, then shrugged and kept eating with the same fork Molly had licked. Like it was no big deal.

I dropped my gaze, pretending I hadn’t noticed, but the glass reflection didn’t lie. I saw everything and it hit me like a punch to the gut.

Were they even trying to hide it anymore? Or were they so sure I wouldn’t say anything that they just didn’t care?

My phone buzzed on the table, breaking the silence. It was a WhatsApp notification. [Sabrina, I checked with Dr. Leighton. Your symptoms are improving. The vitamins prescribed shouldn’t have side effects and you’ll feel less drowsy now.]

Kevin leaned over, concern plastered on his face. "Everything okay, honey?"

I forced a smile. "Yeah, fine." Picking up the pills in front of me, I popped them into my mouth and swallowed without a second thought.

He gave a soft, almost rehearsed smile. "Today is our wedding anniversary. I’ve got something to take care of first, but I’ll come back and pick you up later."

Before I could respond, Molly jumped in, her voice all sugar. "Kevin, I need to run some errands too. Mind giving me a ride?"

I stayed silent, just watching them head for the door. The moment it shut behind them, I changed clothes and followed.

In the underground garage, the air felt heavy, almost suffocating. I spotted them by my red Ferrari. Molly was clinging to Kevin’s arm, laughing at something only she found funny.

A couple walked by and Molly waved like she didn’t have a care in the world. "Mr. and Mrs. Liddel! Off somewhere fun?"

The woman smiled politely. "Just shopping for my sister’s birthday."

Molly nodded enthusiastically, her hand still on Kevin’s arm. "That’s so sweet! And Kevin’s been so amazing, too, taking care of someone with depression. It’s not easy, but he’s just the best."

Kevin gave a polite smile, like the whole thing wasn’t awkward at all. "It’s what you do for the people you love."

Molly beamed. "See? Isn’t my husband so great?"

Then she pulled out the keys to my Ferrari—my keys, with my little puppy pendant dangling from them. She hit the unlock button and the car’s lights flashed. It felt like the car itself was protesting.

I froze as they got into the car. Under the dim garage lights, Molly leaned toward him and their lips met. It wasn’t a quick peck. It wasn’t casual. It was full of passion, like they had all the time in the world.

My chest tightened as I stood there, the bitter taste of betrayal rising like bile. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. The pain and anger twisted together, leaving me completely hollow.

I used to believe him when he said we would grow old together. I held on to that dream like it was unshakable, but now, looking at this scene, it all felt like a cruel punchline to a bad joke.

He and Molly weren’t even trying to hide it anymore. They had been out there, soaking up everyone’s praise, acting like a perfect couple, while I was left at home, buried in depression.

Even today, our wedding anniversary, he kissed her with so much love it made me sick.

And me? What was I? Just some pitiful burden stuck at home, waiting for their scraps of attention.

What about his promises to me?

The days we scraped by together, promising to build something better?

And our baby?

I didn’t even remember how I got moving again. My head was spinning, my chest tight.

At some point, I opened the location-sharing app on my phone—the one he had insisted we use. He once said it was to keep me safe, to always know where I was. The irony of using it now to track him down wasn’t lost on me.

The app led me to our old house. The first place we called home. I could barely breathe as I pulled up, memories flooding back.

We had picked out the furniture together, spent entire weekends painting the walls and lovingly planned a nursery that never got to be used.

But now? It felt like a stranger’s house.

As I got there, I pushed the door open and froze. The living room was decked out like a romantic fairytale; pink balloons, rose petals, a cake with cheesy couple toppers, plates of food and candles.

And the kicker, there was a giant banner on the wall that read, [Molly, my wife, we will be together forever!]

My stomach churned.

My eyes dropped to the mess of clothes on the floor—his coat, her high heels, stockings—leading a trail to the bedroom door, left just slightly ajar.

And then I heard it. The laughter. The whispers. The sounds I didn’t want to hear.

I didn’t want to look, but I did anyway. Through the crack, I saw them. Twisted together, kissing like they couldn’t get enough of each other.