I should have stayed somewhere else.
That thought crossed my mind the second I walked back into the penthouse.
The house felt different now.
Not because anything had changed.
Because I had.
Every room carried a memory that suddenly felt fake.
The kitchen where Ethan used to kiss my forehead before work.
The dining room where I hosted endless business dinners.
The living room where his family praised me for being "the perfect wife."
Now all I could see were lies.
My phone buzzed.
I glanced down.
A text from Ethan.
We need to talk tonight.
I laughed.
Then ignored it.
Another arrived.
Mom called me.
A third.
You had no right to involve her.
That one actually made me stop walking.
No right?
I stared at the message.
Then typed back.
Your mistress had no right to sleep with my husband. Yet here we are.
His reply came instantly.
Stop being childish.
I looked at the screen for several seconds.
Then blocked his number.
For the first time in three years.
The silence afterward felt surprisingly good.
Around six o'clock, the doorbell rang.
I assumed it was Ethan.
Unfortunately, I was wrong.
When I opened the door, Sophia Reed stood on the other side.
For a moment neither of us spoke.
She looked beautiful.
That was probably why she had gotten away with so much for so long.
Golden hair.
Perfect makeup.
Designer sunglasses.
The face of a woman who expected the world to forgive her because she looked good while destroying it.
She smiled.
"I was hoping you'd answer."
I stared at her.
"What are you doing here?"
"Talking."
"No."
I started closing the door.
She put her hand against it.
"Don't be rude."
The audacity almost impressed me.
Almost.
I looked at her hand.
Then at her.
"Remove your hand."
Sophia smiled wider.
"I think we should clear the air."
"There is no air to clear."
"There is from my perspective."
I laughed.
"That's unfortunate."
She tilted her head.
"Ethan said you're dramatic."
Something inside me went cold.
Very cold.
"He talks about me with you?"
Her smile answered before she did.
"More than you think."
I should have slammed the door.
I should have called security.
Instead, I stepped aside.
Because suddenly I wanted to hear exactly how much damage they had done.
Sophia walked inside.
The confidence in her movements made my skin crawl.
She looked around the penthouse.
"Beautiful place."
I folded my arms.
"Get to the point."
She sat on the couch.
My couch.
Like she belonged there.
"I love him."
I laughed immediately.
The sound surprised both of us.
Sophia frowned.
"What's funny?"
"You."
She blinked.
"I just told you I love Ethan."
"And I just remembered you're sleeping with a married man."
The smile disappeared from her face.
Interesting.
Apparently she didn't enjoy hearing the truth.
Sophia crossed her legs.
"You don't understand what Ethan and I have."
I sat opposite her.
"No. Explain it."
"We were together first."
There it was.
The classic excuse.
The one mistresses always seemed to think was magical.
Sophia leaned forward.
"He never stopped loving me."
The words stung.
Not because I hadn't heard them before.
Because she looked proud saying them.
Like hurting me was an achievement.
I forced myself to stay calm.
"And?"
Her expression shifted.
Confusion.
She clearly expected tears.
A breakdown.
A scene.
Instead, I was just tired.
Sophia frowned.
"That's all you're going to say?"
"What do you want from me?"
Her voice sharpened.
"I want you to stop pretending this marriage means something."
I stared at her.
Then slowly smiled.
For the first time, Sophia looked uncomfortable.
"Interesting."
"What?"
"You came here expecting me to fight for him."
Her jaw tightened.
"I came here because you need to accept reality."
"No."
I shook my head.
"You came here because you're insecure."
The room went silent.
Sophia's expression hardened immediately.
Bullseye.
I continued.
"If Ethan loved you as much as you claim, he would've divorced me already."
Her face changed.
Just slightly.
Enough.
Because she knew I was right.
The silence lasted several seconds.
Then she laughed.
A forced sound.
"He's working on it."
I almost felt sorry for her.
Almost.
"Did he tell you that?"
She didn't answer.
Again.
Enough.
My phone buzzed.
A message from an unknown number.
I opened it immediately.
She's lying.
Then another.
Ask her why she came back after three years.
I stared at the message.
Then looked up at Sophia.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
"Why did you come back?"
She frowned.
"What?"
"You disappeared for years."
I leaned forward.
"Then suddenly reappeared."
Her expression tightened.
"That's none of your business."
There it was.
I smiled.
"It absolutely is."
Sophia stood.
"Ethan loves me."
"Then why are you here instead of with him?"
The question hit harder than I expected.
Because she immediately became angry.
Not sad.
Not confident.
Angry.
"I don't need to justify myself to you."
"No."
I nodded.
"You don't."
The door opened before either of us could continue.
Ethan walked inside.
His eyes immediately landed on Sophia.
Then me.
Then Sophia again.
His face darkened.
"What are you doing here?"
Sophia looked genuinely surprised.
"You knew I was coming."
Ethan's expression changed.
Not guilt.
Panic.
Wrong answer.
Very wrong answer.
I stared at him.
"You invited her?"
"No."
The response came too quickly.
Sophia laughed.
"You literally texted me—"
"Stop."
His voice cracked through the room.
Sophia froze.
So did I.
Because for the first time since this started, Ethan looked angry with her.
Not protective.
Not affectionate.
Angry.
Sophia frowned.
"What is wrong with you?"
Ethan rubbed his forehead.
"What is wrong with me?"
His eyes landed on me.
Then on the pregnancy report sitting on the dining table.
My stomach dropped.
I had forgotten it was there.
So had he.
Apparently until now.
Ethan stared at it.
Then slowly walked closer.
"What is this?"
I moved immediately.
Too late.
He picked it up.
The room became silent.
Painfully silent.
Sophia frowned.
"What is it?"
Ethan wasn't listening.
His eyes moved across the page.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Then he looked at me.
His face had gone completely white.
"You're pregnant."
Not a question.
A fact.
I closed my eyes briefly.
Damn it.
Sophia looked between us.
Then understanding hit.
"Oh my God."
Her voice came out sharp.
"No."
Ethan looked at me.
"Eight weeks?"
I didn't answer.
He stepped closer.
"Olivia."
Still nothing.
Then he smiled.
Actually smiled.
The happiest smile I had seen from him in months.
And somehow that made everything worse.
Because now he cared.
Now.
After the livestream.
After the lies.
After the humiliation.
Now.
"We're having a baby."
I laughed.
The sound wasn't kind.
His smile disappeared.
"Olivia."
"No."
I stepped backward.
"Don't."
His expression shifted.
"What?"
"Don't suddenly start acting like a husband."
Sophia's face was becoming increasingly ugly.
"Ethan."
He ignored her.
His eyes stayed locked on me.
"We can figure this out."
I stared at him.
Then at Sophia.
Then back at him.
"You are standing between your wife and your mistress while talking about fixing things."
His mouth opened.
Nothing came out.
Good.
Because there was nothing he could possibly say.
Sophia finally exploded.
"Are you serious right now?"
Ethan turned toward her.
"Sophia."
"No."
She pointed at me.
"You're choosing her because she's pregnant?"
The room went silent.
Dangerously silent.
I looked at Ethan.
Waiting.
Because suddenly I wanted to know.
Not for the marriage.
That was already dead.
For the truth.
Ethan looked between us.
His hesitation lasted less than two seconds.
But it was enough.
Sophia saw it too.
Her face twisted with rage.
"Unbelievable."
She grabbed her purse.
Then looked directly at me.
The hatred in her eyes was startling.
Raw.
Pure.
Personal.
And for the first time, I felt genuinely uneasy.
Because that wasn't jealousy.
That was something darker.
Something dangerous.
Sophia walked toward the door.
Then stopped beside me.
Her voice dropped low enough that Ethan couldn't hear.
Only me.
Only us.
"You think this baby saved you?"
A chill ran through me.
Before I could answer, she smiled.
A terrible smile.
Then whispered,
"We'll see."
She walked out.
The door slammed behind her.
The room fell silent.
Ethan looked exhausted.
I looked at the closed door.
And for the first time since the livestream, genuine fear settled into my stomach.
Because the way Sophia had looked at me just now wasn't the look of a woman who had lost.
It was the look of a woman planning her next move.
And suddenly, without knowing why, I wrapped one protective hand over my stomach.
As if my baby already knew danger was coming.
