Six years of crushing hard, and after all my hustle, he finally put a ring on it.

I thought we were endgame.

But on our third anniversary, the same day I found out I was pregnant, he bumped into his ex.

Next thing I know, he's buying her a crib, and they're inseparable.

He ghosted me and our baby.

Turns out, I was just a placeholder all along.

Whatever. I got the abortion and bounced.

I'm loaded now, anyway.

Love? Not my vibe anymore.

---

My marriage imploded the day I discovered I was pregnant.

That morning, I hid the pregnancy test – two faint lines mocking me – and asked Benjamin to tag along to the hospital for a check-up.

It was supposed to be a surprise.

We'd been trying for a baby for three years, zero luck.

So many nights, lost in the moment, I'd whisper-scream, "I'm dying to have your baby."

He'd kiss away the tears and murmur, "We will. And if not, it's okay."

I ate that up, thought he was head-over-heels.

Thought I, the ultimate loner since childhood, had finally found my person.

But when I finished my exam and hurried back to the waiting room with my report, Benjamin was MIA.

I searched high and low, until I spotted his familiar silhouette next to a woman.

She was rocking a floral sundress, her hair a cascade of soft waves.

As I got closer, I saw her face – delicate, fair, with subtle, elegant makeup that hinted at a secret allure.

She was a whole mood, a stark contrast to the other women there for prenatal check-ups, most of them looking decidedly bare-faced.

Even from afar, I swear I could catch her perfume.

Clutching the report, I stared, dumbfounded, my feet feeling like lead as I finally moved.

She looked up at Benjamin with eyes full of adoration and dropped the bombshell.

"Benjamin… I’m pregnant…"

Her words were a direct hit. My body started shaking uncontrollably.

Benjamin stood beside her, his hand hovering near her hair, then pulling back.

He asked, his voice gentle, "Are you going to keep it?"

Her voice wavered, thick with unshed tears. "I… I don't know. The father is a total jerk, but the baby… it's innocent…"

She then stood up and took Benjamin's hand.

"Benjamin, please help me!"

The baby wasn't Benjamin's!

Hearing that, the hurricane raging inside me finally calmed, just a fraction.

But the report in my hand was now a crumpled ball of paper.

Maybe my stare was too intense, because Benjamin turned and saw the shock plastered all over my face.

He dropped the woman's hand and walked over to me.

"Nora, you're back. How was the check-up? Everything okay?"

He said it so casually, as if the intimate moment I’d just witnessed with another woman was just a hallucination.

"Honey, who is this lady? She seems to know you pretty well."

I never really called him "honey."

But this time, I felt the need to stake my claim.

Benjamin went silent, looking like he was miles away.

It was the woman who jumped in, flustered. "Mrs. Stewart… you're mistaken. My name is Sophia Morgan. I'm… a friend of Benjamin's. We just… bumped into each other and were catching up."

Sophia Morgan?!

Her name shared a character with mine.

My ears were ringing, and my mind went completely blank.