"I am pregnant. It's your child."
Anne stood frozen at the doorstep, her world tilting beneath her feet. Her hand flew to her mouth, stifling a gasp. Denis, the man she loved, stood intimately close to another woman.
It was Tania, his first love.
"Are you sure?" Denis asked with hesitation.
"It's a result of that night."
Anne's hands shook, and the box of the cake slipped from her grasp, hitting the floor with a dull thud. The cake she had picked so carefully—his favorite chocolate ganache—lay ruined, frosting sared across the cold tiles.
The sound snapped Denis and Tania's attention to the door.
"Anne," Denis murmured, instantly releasing Tania's hands. "What are you doing here?"
Anne blinked, barely processing the question. Tears burned her eyes, but she held them back. She had bought a cake to celebrate her birthday with him. But instead, she got the biggest shock of her life.
"What am I doing here?" she cried out, fury and heartbreak warring inside her. "If I hadn't co, I wouldn't have seen this. I wouldn't have known you were cheating on ."
She pointed an accusatory finger at Tania. "This woman – she dumped you three years ago for her career. And the mont she strolls back into town, you can't wait to crawl into bed with her? You got her pregnant!"
"Don't be mad." Tania stepped forward, hands stretching toward her. "It's just..."
Anne recoiled and shoved her hand aside.
"Ah..." Tania crumpled to the floor, clutching her stomach. Her face twisted as if she were in pain. "My stomach... it hurts."
Anne froze, blinking in confusion. She hadn't pushed her at all.
Denis squatted, wrapping an arm around Tania. "What did you do, Anne?" he barked, shooting her a glare filled with accusation.
"I didn't do anything. I barely touched her." Anne tried to explain, but Tania cut in.
"Don't bla her. She did that impulsively." She winced, resting her hand on her tummy.
"Are you okay?" Denis asked worriedly.
Tania shook her head, eyes glistening with fake tears. "The baby. Please... save my baby."
"I'll take you to the hospital." He scooped her up in his arms, ready to leave.
"Denis," Anne's voice cracked as she called out. "Do you even consider your girlfriend?"
He paused, his back rigid. When he finally turned to face her, his expression was carved from stone. "If anything happens to her and the baby, I'll make you pay." He hurried toward the door.
Anne staggered back, heart-shattering. "If you leave, I'll break up with you."
He stopped mid-step, fury radiating from his eyes. "Anne Clair, you are overreacting," he said coldly. "Go ho. And don't make things difficult for ."
"Overreacting?" Anne was stunned. "You cheated on ...And I can't even question!"
"Enough," he roared.
"Denis, my stomach," Tania whimpered.
His anger lted in an instant, replaced by frantic concern. "I'm taking you to the hospital right now." Without sparing Anne another glance, he stord out the door.
Anne stood there, numb. Just hours ago, she had been brimming with excitent, rehearsing the perfect words to propose to Denis. But in the end, she was betrayed.
Her heart twisted painfully—ten years of loving him, from shy glances in school hallways to whispered confessions under the stars. Ten years of waiting, hoping, believing that one day he'd see her and acknowledge her love.
But he only had Tania in his heart. Three years ago, when Tania left him, he noticed her and asked her to be his girlfriend.
Anne had been the comfort, the distraction, the safe choice. And like a fool, she had believed she had finally won.
"Didn't you say you hated Tania for dumping you?" she choked out. "Why did you get back to her? Why did you play with my emotions?"
She had given everything—her love, her ti, her dreams—just to see him smile. She had adjusted her life around his, sacrificing pieces of herself without a second thought.
It was pathetic. She was pathetic.
"I hate you, Denis. I regret wasting my ti on you."
She sagged onto the cold floor and broke into tears, unable to hold her emotions.
"Why, Denis? I've been loyal to you. I loved you with everything I had. Why couldn't you love back?"
Three years of togetherness—Anne had truly believed she had found her safe haven. With Denis, she had imagined a future far from her abusive adopted mother and step-sister. But the man she loved the most had betrayed her, giving her unbearable pain.
"No one loves ," Anne mumbled through her sobs. "No one cares."
Tears kept falling until her body felt hollow, emptied of every ounce of hope. Slowly, she wiped her swollen eyes and forced herself upright. 'Crying won't change anything,' she told herself.
After crying for so ti, Anne pushed herself up to her feet.
Anne stord out of the office and went straight to Denis's penthouse.
The mont she stepped inside, she yanked open the closet and began stuffing every expensive gift he had ever given her into a large bag. She dragged the bag to the trash chute and dumped everything without a second glance.
Returning to the bedroom, Anne packed her suitcase swiftly. Gripping the handle of her suitcase, Anne stepped out into the hallway, her heart aching with every step. Finally, standing at the threshold of the penthouse, she glanced around one last ti.
'I'll never bother you again, Denis,' she thought. 'I hope you will find happiness with Tania.'
Thunder rumbled overhead, but she barely flinched. The storm outside was nothing compared to the one raging within her. She just wanted to disappear—vanish from Denis's life, from the cruel reminder of love she had foolishly believed was hers.
A sleek black car halted in front of her, water splashing up from the curb. Anne froze, blinking against the rain as the door swung open.
Tania.
Her pitiful look vanished. She stepped toward her with a stormy expression.
Anne was surprised. Wasn't she supposed to be at the hospital?
A derisive snort escaped her mouth. It was all drama. Of course, the doctor might have asked her to leave.
"Are you looking for ?" Anne scoffed.
"Why are you laughing at ?" Tania snapped, stepping closer. "You think you matter? You're nothing but a substitute Denis kept by his side."
Substitute?
The word struck like a slap. Three years of loyalty, love, and sacrifice—reduced to a single, cutting word.
A wave of pain twisted Anne's heart.
Tania's eyes glead with triumph. "He loves . Always has. And he'll marry soon." She took another step forward. "Leave him."
For a mont, Anne couldn't breathe. The rain blurred everything—her vision, her thoughts, her resolve. But then, sothing shifted inside her.
Anne straightened. "If you are so sure, why are you insecure? Go find him. Don't waste my ti."
She brushed past her.
Tania clenched her fists on her sides, her breathing becoming rapid. "As long as you're alive, you're a threat. A blockage on my way back to Denis."
At the ti, she saw a car speeding over. With a vicious snarl, she lunged forward and shoved Anne with both hands.
Anne barely registered the force against her back before she stumbled forward. Her eyes widened in alarm as she saw the glaring headlights speeding toward her. The car was already too close. Too fast.
The impact ca like a thunderclap.
Her body flung into the air before crashing onto the wet asphalt with a sickening thud. Her head slamd against the ground. She coughed out blood, her limbs trembling from the impact. Her chest heaved, struggling for breath as searing pain spread through her battered body.
With her blurry vision, she saw a figure approaching and stood beside her.
"You," Anne breathed, blood seeping out of her mouth.
Tania squatted. Her lips curled into a cruel smile as she leaned in. "Do you know what Denis said? He said he didn't care about you. With this child in my belly," she put her hand on her tummy, "I'll soon beco Denis's wife. And you – you will die tonight."
Rising to her feet, Tania strode away, leaving Anne in the middle of the road.
Anne's chest heaved, the last remnants of strength draining from her limbs. She got the punishnt of loving the wrong guy.
"I hate you, Denis," she whispered. "I regret ever falling in love with you. If I had another chance... I'd never let you into my heart."
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