BETRAYAL

SELENA POV “Congratulations, Mrs. Hale. You’re two weeks pregnant.” The doctor’s voice stretched forward with a smile, hands reaching out as if expecting joy. But my body refused to follow. My temple throbbed, sweat prickling against my skin. My hands trembled, my legs vibrating under me. No. No, this can’t be true. I snatched the results from his hand, my eyes darting over the paper. Positive. My gaze shot to Kelvin, my husband. His eyes… they were fire now. Pure, burning hatred, and it struck me harder than the words could ever do. “No. No… no! Don’t tell me you believe them. This is not right!” I yelled, my voice cracking. “I can’t be pregnant!” Kelvin’s jaw tightened, his hand twitching at his side. “So… you’re cheating on me?” His words were sharp, venomous. He stood, his frame towering over me. “Is that it?” My palms went sweaty; my hands shook violently. “It’s not true! They made a mistake!” I faced the doctor. “Re-do the test! I— I can’t be pregnant. It’s impossible!” Kelvin’s eyes, dark and stormy, fixed on me. His confusion twisted into disgust. “You disgust me, Selena,” he said, voice low but venomous. “Don’t touch me. From now on… don’t say my name with that… that bitchy mouth of yours. And be prepared for divorce.” Before I could even respond, he was gone, the slam of the front door echoing in my chest. I crumpled to the floor, staring at the empty space he had left behind. My mind raced. Kelvin… the man I had loved all my life. My friend since childhood, the one who never saw me as a girl until five years ago, when he finally proposed. I had been on top of the world then, my heart finally claiming what it had always wanted. But everything had changed. About a year ago, he started drifting away. Months without touch, months without intimacy. So how could I possibly be pregnant? There had to be a mistake. “Ma… calm down—” “Don’t calm me down!” I snapped at the doctor. “How can I be two weeks pregnant? I haven’t been with anyone in the past three months!” My voice dropped, more a whisper than a yell. The doctor’s eyes widened in confusion. “But—” “But what? You’re all incompetent!” I barked, spinning on my heels and storming out. My legs shook as I got into a cab. I needed to prove it, prove to Kelvin that I hadn’t cheated, that I wasn’t a liar. At home, the silence hit me. The house, empty. Kelvin… nowhere. Our marriage had been a facade for a year: lovely on the outside, hollow on the inside. I went inside and grabbed a pregnancy test strip from the bathroom cabinet. My hands shook as I peed on it, the old prayers I’d whispered years ago now mocking me silently. If it were years ago I would have been praying for otherwise but now the thought of it scares me. Ten minutes later, I picked up the strip. My heart sank at the sight of the two stark, cruel lines. Positive. My head shook violently. No, this must be a dream. A horrible, sick dream. I sat on the floor, dead inside, ransacking my mind for answers, but nothing came. Staggering to my feet, I grabbed one of our car keys. I hated driving, but I couldn’t stay here. I needed someone… anyone. Calista. My best friend, she flashed in my head. I sped to her apartment, barely packing anything, my mind a hurricane. I entered her sitting room, expecting her usual chaotic comfort. But it was empty, clothes scattered across the sofa, the faint smell of perfume lingering. Then a sound. A low moan. My blood ran cold. My body froze. “Bad timing.” I muttered under my breath. I turned to leave, instinct screaming at me, but my eyes caught it. The wristwatch on the nightstand, the one I had given Kelvin on our third anniversary. No… it can’t be. My legs betrayed me, carrying me upstairs before I could even process. The bedroom door was slightly open. I inched closer, and then I saw him. Kelvin. My husband. My life. And there he was, in the bed, tangled with Calista. My best friend. He held her like his life depend on it, her ass slammed against him, skin slapping each other, moans growing louder each seconds, both in a different world. My body went cold. My mind refused to function. My chest tightened, and for a moment, I could only stand there, staring at the scene unraveling everything I had ever believed in. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. My world had shattered in the most intimate, humiliating way imaginable. “hmmm Kel—Go on daddy” her voice pierced my ears…