I woke up with a churning stomach. The moment I opened my eyes, nausea hit me like a wave. My body lurched, and I barely made it to the bathroom before I started vomiting. My hands trembled as I clutched the sink, cold sweat dripping down my spine.
Stress. That had to be it. The betrayal, the heartbreak—my body was reacting to all of it. I turned my head, my blurry vision landing on the calendar hanging by the mirror.
Then it hit me. It was already the middle of the month. My last period… when was it? My breath quickened as I counted the days.
I had missed it. Panic surged through me as I stumbled to the drawer, digging through old boxes until I found what I was looking for—a pregnancy test. My fingers shook as I unwrapped it, forcing myself to breathe.
Minutes felt like hours as I stared at the test. Two red lines. My world cracked.
If this had been yesterday—before I learned the truth—I would have been the happiest woman alive. I would have run to Nathan, thrown my arms around him, told him he was going to be a father.
But now? All I could think about was his voice, laced with cruel amusement. Tears blurred my vision. My stomach twisted again, but this time, it wasn’t from nausea. It was from grief. From anger.
A knock on the door made me freeze.
“Sweetie?” Nathan’s voice called from outside.
I bit my lip, my heart hammering. He was home. I had no time to think.
With shaking hands, I shoved the pregnancy test into the cabinet and splashed water on my face. I forced a weak smile onto my lips before opening the door.
Nathan’s gaze swept over me, taking in my disheveled state, the broken vase on the floor, the wound on my palm. His expression shifted into concern as he signed.
"What happened? Are you hurt?"
I swallowed the lump in my throat. "I wasn’t feeling well. I knocked the vase over by accident."
His brows furrowed, but then he smiled—soft, warm. The way he used to.
"Be careful with yourself, love."
I almost believed it. Almost. Then, as he took my hand and started tending to my wound, his lips curled in irritation.
“Fucking idiot,” he muttered under his breath, thinking I couldn’t hear. “That vase costs more than she could ever afford, and she just knocked it over like it’s nothing.”
The sting in my palm was nothing compared to the pain in my chest. I forced myself to stay still, my face blank, my hands obediently resting on my lap as he wrapped my wound.
He still didn’t know I could hear. And I wasn’t going to let him. My mind drifted to the past, to the boy I had fallen in love with.
I grew up in an orphanage, alone in the world. Nathan’s family had been one of the sponsors, and that was how we met. He was kind to me, talked to me when no one else did. And even though I knew he loved Amelia, I had still held onto hope.
Then the accident happened. I lost my hearing. And Nathan… he married me. I had thought it was love. That he chose me. That he wanted to build a life with me.
But it was never about me. It was always Amelia. Always.
Nathan finished tending to my wound and signed, “I’ll be gone for a few days. Business trip."
I forced a nod, pretending to be understanding. "Take care."
His phone buzzed. Without thinking, he answered on speaker.
“Finally,” Amelia’s voice purred through the speaker. “Where are you?”
Nathan smirked. “On my way. My useless wife believed everything.”
I felt bile rise in my throat.
Amelia laughed. “Can’t wait, baby. I’m already in my lingerie.”
Nathan chuckled, glancing at me. His lips curled into a sweet smile as he signed. "I have to go, sweetie. Get some rest."
I barely managed to nod.
The moment he left, I locked the door, my legs giving out beneath me.
I couldn’t do this anymore. I had given him five years. Five years of my love, my loyalty, my trust. And now, I was carrying his child. But he didn’t deserve to be a father. This baby didn’t deserve to be a part of his life.
By the time the sun set, I had made my decision. I wasn’t going to be tied to him forever. I refused to bring this child into a world of betrayal and lies.
That night, I walked into the hospital. The procedure was quick, but the pain that followed was unbearable.
I spent three days in that hospital bed, staring at the ceiling, waiting.
Not once did Nathan call. Not once did he ask if I was okay.
By the third day, I was discharged. I clutched the hospital documents tightly in my hands, ready to go home. Ready to finally free myself.
But as I stood at the nurse’s station, signing my papers, a voice gasped behind me.
“Oh my God,” an elderly woman whispered. “I finally found you.”
I turned, startled. She was old, dressed in an elegant coat, her hands trembling as she reached toward me.
“My dear, you… you’re the long-lost daughter of the Johansen family.”
I frowned, confused. “Excuse me?”
Her eyes filled with tears as she reached for my shoulder, her fingers brushing against the back of my neck.
I stiffened as her touch traced over my birthmark. That strange, unique mark I had always had. A birthmark I had never thought twice about.
“You…” Her voice trembled. “You are one of the Johansens.”
I stared at her, my heart pounding. Johansens? The wealthiest family in the States?
