Drake brought Chelsea home that very night. He even cooked dinner, fussing over her, serving her favorite dishes, pouring her soup. He knew her preferences, her little quirks. Their easy intimacy, their whispered jokes, their shared glances, were a knife twisting in my gut.
My eyes burned, but no tears fell. I kept my head down, picking at my food, a silent ghost at my own dining table. I couldn't react. I couldn't show weakness. My plan depended on it. I had to hide my departure. I had to hide my pregnancy.
"Are you sure you don't mind, Kaitlyn?" Chelsea asked, her voice sweet, innocent, but with an underlying edge of malice.
Drake gave her a quick, reassuring glance. "Kaitlyn understands," he said, his voice firm.
I kept my gaze fixed on my plate, my face a carefully constructed mask of indifference.
After dinner, I sought refuge in the garden, needing air, needing space. As I reached the gazebo, I saw Chelsea approaching.
"Are you upset, Kaitlyn?" she asked, her voice dripping with mock concern. She sat across from me, a challenging glint in her eyes. "Why are you pretending? Don't you care that you'll be raising another woman's child? Don't you ever think about leaving?"
I merely glanced at her, my silence a deliberate provocation. I stood up, ready to walk away.
But she blocked my path, her face twisted in a snarl of fury. My composure only seemed to fuel her rage. She wanted to see me break, to scream, to lash out. She wanted to savor my pain, to confirm her victory. My pregnancy, she believed, had crushed me.
"Why are you pretending, Kaitlyn?" she hissed, her voice low and venomous. "Why are you pretending not to care, pretending to be so magnanimous? What kind of woman willingly raises her husband's child with another woman? Why don't you scream at him? Why don't you fight him?" Her voice rose, shrill with contempt. "You're pathetic."
She leaned in, her eyes narrowed. "Do you think playing the understanding wife will make him feel guilty and compensate you? That's not love, Kaitlyn. That's pity. Staying in a loveless marriage will only bring you pain."
I bit down hard on my lip, willing the burning tears to stay hidden.
