"Mrs. Grant, you are pregnant," the doctor stated.
"Pregnant?" Zara froze, her hand instinctively resting on her stomach. 'Why now?'
Just days ago, her husband had asked for a divorce. The baby came at the wrong time.
"Are you certain?" she asked, anxiety tightening her voice.
"Yes, you are already twelve weeks along." The doctor handed her the sonography report. "The baby is healthy, but you are anaemic. You'll need to be careful."
She scribbled a few notes and tore off a prescription. "Take these, and come back next week for a follow-up."
Zara exited the clinic in a daze. She glanced again at the report. 'I'm pregnant,' she thought, a spark of hope flickering. 'Maybe it's not that bar. Maybe Nathaniel will change his mind if he finds out about the baby...'
Her fingers trembled as she dialed his number.
After a long ring, he picked up. "I'm heading out on a business trip," he said curtly. "Sign the divorce papers before I get back."
Zara tried to steady her voice. "We can talk when you return. I have something important to tell you."
"Sir, boarding has begun," a voice said in the background.
"Alright, let's go."
Beep
The call was ended abruptly before she could even answer.
Staring at her phone, her eyes welled up. "Why, Nathaniel?" She whispered brokenly,
She had invested five years of her life in this marriage, pouring her heart into caring for Nathaniel and his son. She believed that her unwavering devotion would eventually make him notice her and return her love. But all she received in the end was heartbreak and disappointment.
Tears ran freely down her cheeks.
"I know this marriage started as a promise to my sister. I know you are struggling. But can't you give me a chance?"
She inhaled deeply, wiping her face. Her eyes hardened with resolve.
"No… I won't give up. I won't let you give up on me. I made a promise to take care of your son, and I'll keep it. I'll wait for you."
Slipping the report into her bag, she stepped into the rainy evening. The sun had disappeared behind thick clouds, and streetlights were flickering to life.
Zara ran toward her car, shielding her head with her hands. She started the engine and drove off through the drizzle. Just as she rounded a bend, bright headlights blinded her.
She jerked the steering wheel to avoid the oncoming vehicle. Her tires screeched. The car spun, and then—crash.
Her head slammed into the wheel. Pain exploded through her body. Dazed and bleeding, she sat motionless as the world spun.
As the minutes ticked by, she grew acutely aware of the pain blooming in her abdomen.
The baby.
Fumbling through her bag, she pulled out her phone and dialed the only number that came to mind.
"Hello?" Nathaniel's voice came through, as cold as ever.
"I… I've been in an accident. Please help…" she managed, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Sir, please switch off your phone," a flight attendant said in the background.
"Zara, don't make a scene to get attention. We'll talk when I return."
Beep
"Hello? Nathaniel?" Zara cried, her heart breaking. "Why are you so cruel? Don't you care about me or our baby?"
Pain wracked her abdomen. Blood was soaking her clothes.
Unbuckling her seatbelt, she forced herself out of the wreck. Rain pelted her skin as she collapsed to the ground. She looked around desperately, praying someone would see her.
A figure appeared in the misty rain.
"Help," she gasped. "Please… my baby…"
The figure stepped closer. Zara's heart lifted when she recognized the face.
It was Riya, the adopted daughter of the Grant family.
"Help me," she pleaded, clutching the edge of her skirt. "Save my baby."
"You are pregnant?" Riya's voice was sharp, cold.
"Yes… Please take me to the hospital," Zara said hopefully. "It's the Grant family's heir…"
Riya crouched and grabbed Zara's jaw. "You think you deserve to carry Nathaniel's child?" she sneered. "He doesn't love you. Never did." She squeezed her jaw harder.
Zara whimpered, trying to push her away.
"He has been planning to divorce you for so long," Riya continued. "He stayed married to you for his son's sake. But he is done now. He wants you gone. You think he'll let this child be born?" Riya hissed.
"No… he wouldn't—" Zara shook her head. "Whether he loves me or not, this child is his."
"Oh, really? Let's see what he says." Riya sneered as she dialed a number and feigned a look of panic. "Nathaniel… Zara has had an accident. She is pregnant—we need your help. Come and save her and her baby."
She held the phone closer to Zara's ear.
Nathaniel's cold voice replied, "She is not dead yet? Don't call me until she is."
Riya pulled the phone back.
Zara stared, stunned, as the words sank in. Her body trembled. Tears blended with the falling rain. She had loved Nathaniel deeply, spent five years as his wife, and cared for both him and his son. But now… he wanted her and their unborn child gone.
A bitter smile touched her lips. 'I really thought he might care… but I was wrong.'
How foolish she had been to believe that her pregnancy might change his heart or make him reconsider their marriage.
He didn't care. To him, she was nothing more than a promise he had to fulfill—a duty he was desperate to be free from.
"I told you," Riya said, victorious. "He wants you gone. So die."
Her smile vanished as she lunged at Zara, hands closing around her throat.
Zara fought back, scratching and hitting at Riya's hands, but her resistance only made Riya squeeze her throat even harder.
"Once you are gone, Nathaniel will finally be mine," Riya hissed. "You are the only thing standing in the way, and I'll erase you from his life for good."
Zara's vision blurred, her strength fading with each passing second. 'Nathaniel… will you even grieve when you hear I'm dead?' she wondered silently. 'I regret giving you five years of my youth. I wish I had never met you. If there is a next life, let's not cross paths again.
Her hand fell lifelessly, and her body slumped as her soul slipped away.
Riya stood over her lifeless form, eyes gleaming with triumph.
"Nathaniel is mine. Not yours. Not your sister's. Mine."
She checked her phone. The call was never made to Nathaniel. She had faked it.
"Good thing I used AI to fake that voice."