r Mar

ad not known was possible. A baby. Our baby. Cole's and mine. I clutched the test stick. Tears welled in my e

ke. I would hide the test stick inside a small gift box. It would be perfect. I wanted to see his joy, to share th

voices. Cole was on the phone. The door was slightly ajar. I stopped. I wanted to surprise

ry single lie. She thinks I love her. She thinks this marriage is real." The words hi

was a meticulously crafted lie. A cold, calculated deception. He never loved me. He never cared. I

t Bernard out of the picture. Davida wanted him, but a public divorce would have been mess

for Davida. He married me to secure his position. Our entire relationship was a charade. My heart

e buckled under the scrutiny. Davida would have made a scene. This way, everyone wins. Davida

oy. The thought was chilling. My future, our future, was a lie. He ha

rnity test done. Accuse her of infidelity. Annul the marriage. She'll leave with

any more. The words blurred into an incomprehensible torrent of betrayal and evil.

s. My body felt rigid, an ice statue. My hands were shaking uncontrollably. The chill of the night

tered dreams, a future that would never be. The tiny pink line, once a beacon of hope

asp, clattering to the floor. I did not pick it up. My vision blurred. A wave o

t wait to see you tonight." The words were a cruel joke. They mo

d stinging. They blurred my vision, hitting the cold screen of the phone on the floor. My chest ached. It was a

l, muted. Every color had drained away. There was only ash. An empty, desolate landscap

g to escape this suffocating city, this suffocating life. I needed a clean break,

de with a chilling clarity. This child, conceived in a deceitful marriage, could no

et, burning resolve. I had a secret. Cole never legally filed our marriage license. He thoug

a legal fiction. He thought he could annul it and leave me with nothing. But there was nothin