Payback for the Lost Baby

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I was three months pregnant when I found a half-empty condom box in my husband Kevins car. I demanded a divorce immediately, not even knowing who the other woman was.

He begged on our porch for days. My best friend Brooke warned, Men are unreliable. Let me set you up, and you should lose the babyitll only hold you back. But I couldnt. Each time I touched my growing belly, I softened.

We reconciled. Kevin changedcame home early, gave me his unlocked phone, even added a GPS tracker. My mother said a changed man is precious. I believed her.

Until the day I started bleeding heavily. Rushed to maternity in agony, I needed a signature for an emergency C-section. Shaking, I called Kevin over and over. No answer.

Finally, he picked up, voice sharp with impatience. "One late night and youre already tracking me?"

A womans laugh cut in from the background, clear and cold: "You havent even fixed things with Brooke yet, and your wife is checking up. Arent you scared shell find out?"

White noise flooded my ears.

My knuckles turned white as I gripped the phone, desperately hoping I had misheard.

Then came Kevin's low, familiar voice.

"If she was going to catch me, she would have done it by now."

I could practically hear the smirk on his face.

"It's her own fault for telling Brooke everything. It just makes logistics easier for us. Plus, Brooke actually knows how to act. She's wild in bed and easy to keep happy."

His buddy gave a half-hearted warning. "Have your fun, man, but keep it in check. If you end up putting the girl in the hospital, things are gonna blow up."

Their laughter echoed through the speaker, twisting like a serrated blade in my chest.

No wonder Brooke hadn't come to visit me the last couple of days. She said she was "busy."

Right after Kevin and I got married, Brooke moved into the apartment right next to ours, claiming she wanted to be close to her best friend. Her appliances were always magically breaking down, giving her the perfect excuse to knock on our door and ask Kevin to fix them.

I had never thought twice about it.

The day I first caught Kevin cheating, I was a sobbing mess. I called Brooke. When she rushed over to comfort me, there was a fresh hickey bruised into her collarbone.

I didn't connect the dots. I didn't even notice the faint, triumphant little smile playing on her lips while she held me.

Back then, I was obsessed with finding out who the homewrecker was. Kevin swore he had been black-out drunk and couldn't even remember the woman's face. I went crazy playing detective, stalking the socials of every woman in his orbit. I found nothing.

I stopped sleeping. I couldn't understand why the man who vowed to cherish me forever would throw it all away. I fell into a deep depression, paranoid of everyone around me.

And Brooke was the one who held my hand through it all.

Eventually, for the sake of the baby and the years of history we shared, I went back to him. But the reconciliation was tainted. Every time Kevin tried to be intimate, my mind would instantly flash to the image of him sweating over someone else.

Nausea would rise in my throat. I would physically shove him away.

"Just... give me some time," I had pleaded.

He had looked so hurt. He nodded, eyes red. "It's okay. I'll wait as long as it takes."

After that, he played the role of the perfect husband. Breakfast in bed, drawing my evening baths to the perfect temperature. He even volunteered to sleep in the guest room, promising to give me space until my trauma healed.

I really thought things were getting better. I really thought he had changed.

But a cheater never stops. They just get better at hiding.

Another violent wave of pain hit me. The phone slipped from my sweaty fingers and clattered onto the linoleum. Hot fluid gushed between my legs, soaking the hospital sheets.

"The patient's vitals are crashing! We're out of time, prep the OR for an immediate C-section!"

Cold steel instruments brushed against my skin. The blinding surgical lights faded into total darkness.

When I finally opened my eyes again, the doctor was standing over me, his expression grave.

"The fetal asphyxia lasted too long. We did everything we could."

I stared blankly at the ceiling. Tears spilled over my temples, soaking into my hair.

Because of my fragile health, I had to go through IVF. I endured daily hormone injections until my arms were bruised black and blue. I swallowed handfuls of pills that ruined my stomach lining, all to finally conceive this child.

The day we found out I was pregnant, Kevin wept tears of joy. He went to the local chapel and prayed all night, thanking God for our miracle.

Brooke had hugged me so tight, practically squealing about how excited she was to be the godmother.

But now... maybe God just didn't want me wasting any more of my life on this toxic marriage. So He took my baby back.

Ignoring the tearing pain in my abdomen, I dragged my hollow, exhausted body out of the recovery room. I walked straight to the nurse's station and asked for Brooke's room number.

As I turned to leave, I overheard two nurses gossiping behind the counter.

"That patient is so lucky. Her boyfriend is amazing."

"I know, right? When she came in sick last month, he stayed by her bed the entire night. Didn't even close his eyes."

My footsteps faltered.

Last month. That was my birthday.

Kevin had promised to get off work early. He had even pre-ordered my favorite cake. But as the sun went down, all I got was a phone call.

"I'm so sorry, babe. Emergency out-of-town conference. I can't make it tonight."

He had FaceTimed me from a generic-looking hotel room just to prove it, swearing up and down how guilty he felt. I was disappointed, but I told him not to overwork himself.

He never texted back. I assumed he was busy.

He was busy, alright. Busy taking care of my best friend.

I stood outside Brooke's hospital room. I raised my hand to knock, but my fingers were trembling so violently I couldn't make a sound.

Through the thin door, Brooke's whiny, sweet voice drifted out into the hallway.

"Once you're a daddy, you're going to spend all your time taking care of your wife and kid. You're going to forget all about me."

Kevin's response was lazy, laced with a casual arrogance.

"We'll split it. She gets me Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. You get me Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Deal?"

"What if she catches us again? Who are you going to pick? Me or her?"

I didn't wait to hear his answer.

I grabbed the handle and shoved the door open.

Two heads snapped toward me, their faces draining of color. I forced a stiff, mocking smile onto my face.

"I heard my husband went so hard he ruptured my best friend's ovarian cyst. Thought I'd drop by and check on the patient."

The first time I caught Kevin cheating, he looked like he was going to vomit. He was a trembling, frantic mess, terrified I would walk away.

This time, he was infuriatingly calm.

He looked at my disheveled hair, my swollen, bloodshot eyes, and just let out a heavy sigh.

"Sarah, let me explain. It's not what you think."

Seeing him so composed made something snap inside me. I choked back a sob, my voice cracking. "Did you forget what you promised me?! You swore on your life there wouldn't be a next time! And with her? How could either of you look me in the eye?!"

All the tiny, overlooked details from the past year suddenly flooded my mind, slotting perfectly into place.

Whenever Brooke came over for dinner, she intentionally went braless. When I gently suggested she cover up, she just rolled her eyes and laughed. "It's the twenty-first century, Sarah! Free the nipple!"

She acted so righteous about it that I ended up feeling like a prudish, jealous housewife.

I remembered coming back from the bathroom at a restaurant once, catching Brooke reapplying her lipstick, her breathing slightly heavy. Kevin was wiping his mouth with a napkin. The air between them was thick and sticky, but I had been entirely blind to it.

Then there was the time Kevin had to go away for a week-long "business trip," right around the same time Brooke announced she was going on a solo vacation. When Kevin got back, he gifted me a pair of stunning diamond earrings. I cherished them. A few days later, I noticed Brooke wearing a diamond necklace with the exact same cut and setting.

I thought it was just a coincidence.

Now I realized the earrings I refused to take off were just the free gift that came with her necklace.

I bit down on the inside of my cheek until I tasted blood. I raised my hand, fully intending to slap the life out of Brooke.

"I treated you like my sister! Is this how you repay me?!"

I had known Brooke longer than I had known Kevin. When I was twenty, I was in a horrific car accident. Brooke stayed in the waiting room until dawn, praying for my survival. When I needed a massive blood transfusion, she stepped up without hesitation, donating until she passed out from severe anemia.

When I woke up and called her an idiot while crying, she just gave me a pale, weak smile. "You're my best friend, Sarah. I can't lose you."

When I found out Kevin was cheating, she was the only person in the world I didn't suspect.

And in the end, it was my best friend who slid the knife the deepest into my back.

Before my hand could make contact with her face, a strong grip clamped around my wrist.

Kevin stared down at me, his eyes dark, acting like he was dealing with an unreasonable toddler.

"Sarah, I'm a normal guy. I have physical needs. You have to be realistic."

"You wouldn't let me touch you. What was I supposed to do? I had to find somewhere to blow off steam."

"You're pregnant. Stop causing a scene."

I froze. A pathetic, acidic burn stung my nose.

How long had it been since he actually looked at me? He didn't even notice that my stomach was flat.

The baby was gone.

A hollow, self-deprecating laugh escaped my lips, but the tears fell faster.

"We're getting a divorce, Kevin."

He paused for a second, then gave a dismissive scoff.

"Don't pull the divorce card again. It was exhausting the first time. You're a mother now. Act like an adult. You really want our baby to grow up in a broken home?"

Maybe he thought my love for the child made me weak. Maybe he thought I was completely trapped. He let go of my wrist, stepping forward to pull me into a suffocating hug, lowering his voice to a coaxing whisper.

"Look, Brooke and I just needed to scratch an itch. There are no real feelings there. You're the only woman I actually love."

"As soon as you're ready to be a real wife to me again, I swear I won't touch another woman. And honestly, considering how close you two are, it's better I do it with her than some random escort off the street, right?"

His cologne mixed with the sterile hospital smell made my stomach heave. I shoved my hands against his chest, ready to fight my way out.

But as I turned my head, I saw my mother standing in the doorway.

I didn't know how long she had been there. Her face was an ashen, terrifying gray. Her chest was heaving erratically.

On our wedding day, Kevin had gotten down on one knee in front of my mother, swearing he would protect me with his life. Three years later, he had shattered that promise twice over.

My mother's lips trembled violently. She raised a shaking finger, pointing at the two of them.

She only managed to choke out the word "You..." before her eyes rolled back and she collapsed hard onto the floor.

Kevin panicked, taking a step toward her.

I shoved him back with everything I had, dropping to my knees to cradle my mother's limp body, screaming for a doctor.

The diagnosis was a severe stroke triggered by massive emotional trauma.

After hours of agonizing resuscitation, they moved her to the ICU.

"You need to prepare yourself for the worst," the doctor told me gently. "Even if she stabilizes, she may remain in a vegetative state."

The words felt like a slow, deliberate execution. I broke down right there in the hallway, sobbing until I couldn't breathe.

My father died when I was young. My mother sacrificed everything to raise me. When she first met Kevin, my usually fierce, independent mother had teared up. Before he left our house that night, she handed him my late father's vintage watch, officially accepting him into the family.

"Sarah has a pure heart," she had told him. "Please treat her well. Don't break her."

The first time Kevin's affair came to light, my mother drove straight to our house to defend me. She looked him dead in the eye and said, "If you don't love my daughter anymore, just let her go. Stop making her suffer."

I snapped back to the present, pressing my face against my mother's ice-cold cheek. My voice was a broken whisper.

"Mom, don't worry. I won't let them step on me anymore."

"I'm leaving him. For real this time."

As if she heard me, two tears slipped out from the corners of my mother's closed eyes.

Once she was stable enough, I left the hospital to meet with a lawyer to draft a bulletproof divorce agreement.

The lawyer, Nathan, was an old college classmate. As our meeting ended, he slid a sleek black business card across the table.

"If things get rough, call me. Anytime."

When I walked back into my mother's hospital room, I froze. Brooke was kneeling by the bed, her eyes red, putting on a flawless performance of a remorseful sinner.

"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Miller," she cried softly. "I was the one who seduced Kevin. I betrayed Sarah."

"But please don't be mad at him. If you want to blame someone, blame your daughter. She's the one who divorced him and then came crawling back like a pathetic dog."

My mother was awake. Her whole body was seizing with violent tremors, her eyes wide and burning with furious, helpless rage. She couldn't speak. She could only shake.

I sprinted across the room, grabbing Brooke by the shoulders and throwing her backward.

"What the hell are you doing?!" I screamed, scrambling to press the emergency call button for the nurses.

Brooke caught her balance and grabbed my wrist, a vicious, triumphant glare replacing her tears.

"Am I wrong?!" she hissed. "Kevin was sick of you ages ago! He told me I'm the only one who can actually make him feel like a man!"

I ripped my hand free and slapped her across the face. The crack echoed in the quiet room.

"Is that how you justify destroying my life?" I spat. "It's a shame that Kevin was willing to beg on his knees outside my door, yet he never once considered marrying you. What does that tell you?"

Her face morphed into an ugly, mottled purple.

"You don't know anything! You think he took you back because he loves you? He only did it because you're obedient and stupid!"

She paused, a sickeningly sweet smile stretching across her lips.

"Did you know? In exchange for me sleeping with him, he promised he wouldn't let you get pregnant. Those special herbal fertility blends he brewed for you every night for three years? They were contraceptives. Toxins."

"Those herbs were meant to make you permanently infertile. And if by some miracle you actually conceived, the baby was supposed to be born deformed!"

I stood paralyzed. The blood in my veins turned to ice.

Those three years of grueling IVF. Every single night, Kevin would meticulously boil those foul-tasting herbal teas, claiming they were holistic supplements to prepare my body for a baby.

I choked down every bitter drop, my heart full of absolute devotion, dreaming of the family we were building.

It was all a lie. A calculated, venomous lie.

My chest caved in. The pain was so sharp it felt like thousands of surgical blades slicing through my organs.

My vision went red. Before I even realized what I was doing, I lunged. I tackled Brooke to the floor, wrapping my hands around her throat and squeezing with every ounce of strength I had left.

Pure terror washed over her face. She thrashed, gagging and clawing at my arms.

I didn't let go until someone grabbed a handful of my hair and yanked me backward.

I hit the floor hard. Kevin was standing over me, pulling Brooke behind him, his face twisted in disgust.

"Have you completely lost your mind?! Are you trying to kill her?!" he roared. "I never knew you were this deranged!"

When he shoved me, my head clipped the edge of the metal bedside cabinet. Warm blood instantly started dripping down my temple.

Kevin flinched, a flash of genuine panic crossing his eyes. He took half a step toward me.

But Brooke dropped to her knees, clutching her throat, sobbing hysterically.

"Sarah, I know I wronged you! But you can't just cheat on him to get revenge!"

"Kevin has been so good to you! How could you sleep with another man behind his back?!"

Kevin froze dead in his tracks.

"What did you just say?"

Brooke pulled out her phone. On the screen was a gallery of photos. Me, tangled in bed with another man, entirely naked.

My lungs seized. I screamed until my throat tore. "She's lying! Those are deepfakes! It's photoshopped!"

I scrambled up, trying to snatch the phone from her hand. As I did, Nathan's business card slipped out of my pocket and fluttered to the floor.

The man in the fake photos had Nathan's exact face.

The temperature in the room dropped below freezing. The fury in Kevin's eyes shifted into something psychotic and terrifying.

He ground his teeth together, spitting out his words like venom.

"You wouldn't let me touch you... but you'll spread your legs for some lawyer?"

I looked at him. The coldness radiating from my own body was absolute. He didn't believe me. He didn't even hesitate.

Suddenly, I was just so exhausted.

I let out a soft, broken laugh. "So you can screw whoever you want, but I can't?"

Kevin's jaw tightened. He pulled his phone from his pocket, hit a speed dial, and gave a sharp command.

Seconds later, three massive, suited bodyguards stepped into the room.

I backed up until my shoulders hit the wall, a deep, primal panic rising in my throat.

Kevin wrapped an arm around Brooke's waist, staring at me like I was a stranger.

"If you don't like me touching you, maybe you'll like it when they do."

He nodded to the guards. "Teach her a lesson. Just don't hit the stomach."

The men moved in instantly, grabbing my arms and twisting them behind my back.

"Kevin, are you insane?!" I shrieked, kicking and thrashing wildly.

On the bed, my mother saw what was happening. Using the absolute last dregs of her strength, she dragged herself over the railing, tumbling onto the floor in a desperate attempt to reach me.

Brooke casually stepped forward and shoved her back down with the toe of her shoe.

My mother lay there, her body convulsing, cloudy tears spilling from her unblinking eyes.

My vision tore at the seams. "Mom!!!"

"Stop! Stop it, please! Kevin, please, help her!"

Kevin frowned, his eyes darting between me and my mother, a flicker of hesitation finally breaking his cold facade. He opened his mouth to say something, but Brooke tightened her grip on his arm, her face flushed.

"Kevin, my stomach is cramping really badly..."

He immediately turned his attention back to her, gently resting a hand on her waist. "I'll take you down to ultrasound in a second."

My mother's convulsions slowed, and she lay perfectly still on the linoleum.

Kevin glanced at her in annoyance. "Stop faking it. You're awake."

He turned, leading Brooke toward the door.

Seeing that Kevin didn't care, the guards tightened their grips, their faces twisting into crude, menacing smirks.

Staring at those disgusting faces, I thrashed like a wild animal, desperate to crawl to my mother.

One of the men got annoyed and shoved me hard.

I stumbled backward.

Kevin had stopped in the doorway, probably waiting for me to beg for mercy.

But as I fell back, my oversized hospital gown rode up.

His eyes locked onto my stomach.

The slight, rounded bump from a few days ago was completely gone. Only a flat, empty abdomen remained.

His face drained of every ounce of blood. His eyes went wide and manic, and a raw, terrifying roar ripped from his chest.