Chapter 2

2

Ethan didn’t come home that night. At dawn, Olivia posted a picture on social media of their hands intertwined. His hand, with its distinctive birthmark, was unmistakable. The caption read: "You said you'd never hold another's hand again." Ten minutes later, it was trending. My haters flooded Olivia’s comments: "You go, girl! You and Ethan are meant to be! Get back together!" "I'm throwing my morals out the window! I support Ethan's 'infidelity'! Anything to see that manipulative witch Sophia Hale suffer!" Everyone was waiting for my reaction, reveling in my supposed humiliation. Some of Ethan's fans left messages for him: "Dude, that's not you, right? I’ve been a fan for years, and I know how good Sophia is to you. Don’t screw this up!" We had numerous joint endorsements, with exorbitant penalties for scandals. Ethan's agent, unable to reach him, called me, begging me to concoct a story for the fans, to pretend everything was fine. I scrolled through my photos, realizing how few pictures I had with Ethan. In those few, only I was smiling. Finally, I posted an old photo of Ethan reading under a lamp, the soft light giving him an uncanny resemblance to someone who haunted my dreams, someone who made me cry. Almost immediately, fans commented: "See? Ethan’s at home with his wife! Anyone who says he's cheating, I'll rip their head off!" The tide turned against Olivia, accusations of attention-seeking filling her feed. Then, Ethan retweeted Olivia's post. Below the picture of their joined hands, he wrote: "It's me." He confirmed their reunion, exposing my feeble attempt at damage control. He'd chosen Olivia over me again. Olivia’s fans swarmed my social media, mocking me: "Busted! Serves you right, Sophia, you liar!" "Olivia gave you three years, and you still couldn't win Ethan’s heart. Pathetic." Who said I wanted his heart? I deleted every trace of Ethan from my phone. I wanted a divorce.

The next morning, I was summoned to the office to deal with Ethan’s PR nightmare. As I arrived, I ran into Olivia. Ethan, apparently unable to bear leaving her alone, had brought her along. She rushed to apologize, her voice dripping with fake sincerity. "Sophia, I'm so sorry about last night. I was drunk and posted that impulsively. Ethan just went along with it. He’s so silly sometimes, always putting me first, not thinking about how it affects you." "Those online comments were so nasty, calling you a stand-in. It's ridiculous!" "They don't know how grateful I am to you for taking care of Ethan all these years…" She flashed me a saccharine smile. I smiled back. "I'm Ethan’s wife. Wives take care of their husbands. No need for thanks from outsiders." "You're the one who should try to ignore the online trolls calling you a homewrecker." Olivia's smile faltered. Her eyes scanned me, lingering on my ring. "Sophia," she said, reaching for my hand, "you’re wearing my ring. I think it’s time to give it back." She tugged at my hand. Annoyed, I jerked my arm back, accidentally striking her face. Olivia swung her purse, the metal clasp catching my forehead, drawing blood. The force of the blow made my ears ring. I raised my hand to retaliate, but someone grabbed my wrist from behind. Ethan appeared, his voice cold. "Don’t you dare touch her, Sophia." As I turned, he saw the blood on my face and froze, his gaze shifting to Olivia. "Did you do this?" he asked. Tears welled in Olivia’s eyes. "Ethan, she called me a homewrecker and tried to hit me! My purse hit her when I dodged. I didn't mean to! I’ll apologize!" Her tears worked their magic. Ethan stroked her hair, his voice soothing. "Anyone hits you, hit them back. I’ve got your back. You don't have to apologize to anyone." I suddenly envied Olivia. I cried easily too, but the person who used to comfort me was gone. Ethan’s agent, Sarah, couldn't take it anymore. "This is your wife, Ethan! Are you blind? Clinging to this… this girl!" "What makes Olivia better than Sophia? Have you forgotten you said you wanted a child with Sophia? That you felt like you finally had a home with her?" "You're hurting her like this. Are you sure you won’t regret it?" I instinctively touched my stomach. A tiny life was growing inside me. Ethan chuckled, his gaze sweeping over me, devoid of emotion. "Maybe I did have feelings for Sophia. But Olivia’s back." "Sophia, or any other woman, has to step aside." He might have briefly, superficially, liked me. Now Olivia was back, and his love belonged to her. I pulled off the ring, the ring that wasn’t mine, and offered it to Ethan. His smile faded, replaced by a cold mask. After a moment of silence, he reached out to take it. Sarah grabbed my arm, her eyes flicking to my stomach. "Sophia, don’t be foolish. You’re…" Olivia interrupted, snatching the ring and slipping it onto her finger. The ring was too small. Her smile froze. She tossed the ring into the trash. "Forget it," she said, clinging to Ethan's arm. "Don't be mad at her for me. I don't want a ring another woman has worn. It's dirty." Ethan ignored her, his eyes fixed on me. "What were you about to say?" he asked, his voice low. I glanced at him, then turned and walked away. Ethan, I’m pregnant. You don't need to know.