My Husband’s Mistress Took Everything While I Was Pregnant
Chapter 1
The smell of ginger and mint filled our kitchen as I hunched over the sink, my stomach heaving for what felt like the hundredth time today. Morning sickness had become my unwelcome companion these past few weeks, turning what should have been a joyful pregnancy into a daily battle.
"Just breathe, Eden," I whispered to myself, gripping the counter as another wave of nausea passed. "It'll get better."
I needed something stronger than the crackers I'd been nibbling. Leo's iPad sat on the kitchen island, and I remembered seeing a ginger tea recipe online. With trembling hands, I picked up the tablet, my fingers still damp from splashing water on my face.
The screen lit up with a notification—a text from Wynter Hughes. My thumb hovered over the icon. I shouldn't look. But something in me—perhaps the same instinct that had been whispering warnings for months—made me tap it open.
"Can't wait to see you tonight. Wear that blue shirt I like."
My heart stuttered. I scrolled up, reading their exchange with growing dread.
"I'll let you see everything someday!" Leo had replied just hours ago.
Everything? What did that mean? My fingers trembled as I scrolled further, each message more intimate than the last.
"Eden?" Leo's voice startled me from behind. "What are you doing with my iPad?"
I couldn't hide it. "Who's 'everything someday,' Leo?"
His face changed instantly—the warm smile vanishing, replaced by something cold and hard. "Give me that." He snatched the tablet from my hands. "You're being ridiculous."
"Ridiculous?" My voice cracked. "You told her you'd show her everything someday!"
"You're overreacting." He ran a hand through his hair, his wedding ring catching the light. "It was just a joke. You know how Wynter is—she's always flirting with everyone."
"I didn't see it as a joke." I wrapped my arms around my belly, protecting the tiny life inside me. "Why would you say that to her?"
"Crazy pregnancy hormones." He rolled his eyes. "Making you paranoid. Wynter's an unmarriageable old woman, really neurotic. You know that."
His words hit like a slap. Not because he'd called Wynter neurotic—I could believe that—but because he'd dismissed my concerns so easily while I stood there, still tasting bile from morning sickness, still carrying his child.
---
"Wear the black dress," Leo insisted, adjusting his tie in our bedroom mirror. "The one that shows off your... assets."
"My assets?" I touched my barely-showing bump. "I'm pregnant, Leo."
"Pregnant women can still look good." He wouldn't meet my eyes. "This gala is important for my career. Wynter will be watching."
Of course she would. The thought of facing her after what I'd seen made my stomach clench.
Despite my exhaustion and nausea, I let him zip me into the dress—a tight black number that made me feel like I was suffocating. We arrived at the glittering hotel ballroom where Leo's company was holding its annual corporate gala.
The room buzzed with conversation and clinking glasses. I clutched Leo's arm as we entered, feeling suddenly conspicuous in my pregnancy.
"Leo!" Wynter's voice cut through the noise. She approached us in a sleek red dress that hugged every curve. Her eyes flicked to my belly before meeting mine with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"Eden." She looked me up and down slowly. "How... brave of you to come."
Before I could respond, she turned to a group of executives nearby. "Isn't it amazing how traditional wives let themselves go during pregnancy? I could never do it."
Laughter rippled through the group. My cheeks burned as I looked at Leo, waiting for him to defend me.
He chuckled instead. "Wynter's got a point. Pregnancy changes women."
---
Later that night, the humiliation still burned. I stood near the bar, nursing a glass of sparkling water while Leo chatted with colleagues across the room.
"Oh no!" Wynter's voice rose dramatically as she stumbled slightly, tipping a glass of red wine onto her chest. The dark liquid spread across her white blouse.
She gasped, pressing a hand to her chest in mock horror. Then she grabbed Leo's wrist, pulling him toward her. "Help me," she pleaded, her voice husky. She took his hand and placed it directly on her damp blouse. "Just wipe it off for me."
Something snapped inside me. Before I could think, I grabbed my water glass and splashed it directly into Wynter's face.
She sputtered, mascara running down her cheeks as water dripped from her chin.
"What the hell, Eden?" Leo shoved me back. "Are you insane?"
"She was all over you!" I hissed.
"You're hysterical." His voice rose, drawing stares. "I'm taking you home tomorrow if you can't control yourself."
He turned to Wynter, who was dabbing at her face with a cocktail napkin, a smirk playing at her lips despite her ruined makeup.
"Let me help you clean up," Leo said gently, guiding her toward the restroom.
As they walked away, his hand resting on the small of her back, I stood alone in the middle of the gala, my heart breaking into a thousand pieces.
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