Chapter 2 The Betrayal That Destroyed Everything
For several seconds I just stood there staring at them, convinced I had misunderstood what I heard. “Pregnant?” I repeated slowly. My mom nodded while tears formed in her eyes. Daniel refused to look at me. My brain struggled to process the situation. My mother was forty six years old. The idea of her being pregnant already seemed shocking. But something in the room told me the real shock was still coming. I crossed my arms tightly. “Okay,” I said carefully. “Who’s the father?” The silence that followed answered the question before either of them could speak. My eyes moved slowly from Daniel to my mother and back again. Suddenly the truth slammed into me like a truck. “No,” I whispered. Daniel stepped toward me nervously. “Emily, listen—” “No!” I shouted, stepping away from him. “Please tell me that baby is not yours.” My mom began crying quietly but Daniel still said nothing. That silence was confirmation. A wave of rage rushed through me. I threw the stack of wedding invitations across the room. Papers exploded into the air and drifted across the floor. “You slept with my mother?” I screamed. Daniel tried to grab my arm. “It was a mistake!” I shoved him away violently. “A mistake doesn’t last long enough to make someone pregnant!” My mom reached out to me with shaking hands. “Emily please—” “Don’t!” I snapped. “Do not say my name.” My chest burned with anger. Suddenly every memory from the last four years felt disgusting. All the family dinners. All the times Daniel volunteered to help my mom with things around the house. All the times I thought they were bonding. I grabbed a picture frame from the dresser and hurled it across the room. It smashed loudly against the wall. “How long?” I demanded. Daniel rubbed his forehead nervously. “It just… happened.” I laughed bitterly. “That’s not an answer.” My mom wiped her tears. “Six months,” she whispered. Six months. Half a year of lies. Half a year of pretending to help me plan my wedding while secretly sleeping with my fiancé. My hands trembled with anger as I pulled the engagement ring off my finger and threw it straight at Daniel. It hit his chest and dropped to the floor. “The wedding is over,” I said coldly. Daniel’s face went pale. “Emily please don’t do this.” I looked at him with a hatred I had never felt before. “You already did.”
