Chapter 4

The moment I opened the door, I heard noises coming from the baby room, and my anger flared instantly. Timothy had started decorating that room the moment he found out I was pregnant. He poured so much love and care into that room just to give the best of everything to our baby. And now, he was going to give even that to Eva? I stormed toward the child's room to see Eva casually placing things, like she belonged there. I grabbed her and pulled her up furiously. Before I could say a word, Timothy yanked me back. "What is wrong with you? Why do you start acting crazy the second you walk in?" he shouted in an angry voice. But when he saw the tears in my eyes, his grip softened slightly. "Are you letting her use this room?" I asked, my voice hoarse. Timothy frowned. "Eva said she likes it. It's just temporary. What's the big deal?" "Do you still remember that—" I barely got the words out before he cut me off, clearly out of patience, and dragged me out of the room. "That's enough, Tessa. The way you've been acting lately is seriously disappointing. If you keep this up, I'll have to reconsider whether our marriage should even continue. You don't want your baby to be born without a father, do you?" He was actually threatening me with divorce. I looked at the side of his impatient face, and all the memories we once shared felt like they were fading into nothing. He had promised this room would always belong to our child. He said he'd treat us like treasures for the rest of his life. But it had only been a few months, and he'd gone back on everything he said. I gave him one last look and turned to leave. My hand instinctively went to my belly, feeling the baby move. "Don't worry. We don't need that room. Mommy will give you something even better." Timothy watched me walk away. That strange feeling he'd had in the hospital came flooding back again. This time, the emptiness inside him felt even bigger. But as soon as he heard Eva calling from the child's room, he chose to ignore it. Back in the master bedroom, I received several voice messages from Eva. I opened them one by one, and as I listened to Timothy's soft, affectionate tone in each recording, I finally understood. All that loving gesture he once showed me was nothing but practice. He was using me and our baby to rehearse for the real deal—Eva and her child. I thought all those bowls of soup I drank, baby gifts I received, and parenting advice he ever gave me were meant for me and our child, but none of it was truly for us. It was all just rehearsal for the woman he actually cared about. Even the child's room had been prepared for Eva's baby, not mine. I was nothing more than the stand-in. He couldn't bear for Eva to suffer through his "learning curve", so I was the one who had to. I listened over and over as I laughed through tears. Everything I'd been proud of since getting pregnant was all a lie. The love he showed my child didn't even compare to a fraction of what he gave Eva. I clutched my phone so tightly that my hands hurt. The pain in my chest was so sharp I could barely breathe. All I could do was keep telling myself that it was fine. I'd divorce him soon, and my baby and I would have a better future. As if sensing my pain, the baby gave a few small kicks. I held my belly close. After a long silence, I finally found my breath again.