Game Over No Second Chances novel Chapter 12

Chapter 12

LAUREN’S POV

I stared at him, breathing heavily, my hand still tingling from the force of the slap I’d just landed on his face. It wasn’t premeditated – I hadn’t even realized my hand was moving until it had already struck him. It was like the rage inside me took control, like something deep within had snapped.

This was the first time I had ever raised my hand to Ethan. In all our years together – through the highs and lows – I had never done anything like this. And judging by the stunned look on his face, he hadn’t expected it either. We were both frozen in the moment, caught off guard by how far things had spiraled.

I opened my mouth to speak, my voice softer now. A part of me wanted to de-escalate – for Elena’s sake. We had a daughter upstairs who deserved better than this. Better than parents who couldn’t even hold themselves together.

“I’m so…”

“How dare you raise your hands at me,” Ethan snapped, cutting me off.

I blinked. My brows furrowed in disbelief. That was his response?

“Is that really what you have to say to me right now?” I asked, my voice rising despite my effort to stay calm. “Even after everything? Even after you got another woman pregnant?”

He scoffed, throwing up his hands in frustration. “Oh, come off it, Lauren! I’m tired on Earth who’s ever cheated on his wife!”

tired of you always acting like I’m the devil. Like I’m the only man

The words hit me like a slap to the face

—

colder than the one I gave him.

“Are you actually serious right now?” I said, feeling the blood rush to my face. “And to think I was just about to apologize for slapping you. I take it back. You deserved it – and then some. If I could turn back time, I’d slap you even harder.”

I pointed at him, my finger trembling, not with fear – but with fury.

But then something in his expression changed.

His eyes darkened as he stepped forward. “Try it again,” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “I dare you, Lauren. And I’ll make you regret you were ever born.”

I froze, my breath catching in my throat. For a moment, I saw something I’d never seen in him before. His hands clenched at his sides, twitching slightly. Was he really…? Did he want to hit me?

There was a time I thought I knew this man inside and out. I could tell when he was stressed, when he was happy, when he was tired. But the man standing in front of me right now… this wasn’t Ethan. This was a stranger. Someone I didn’t recognize.

“Is that it?” I whispered, heart pounding. “Is this what you’ve become? You want to hit me now? Because I’m angry about something you did?”

He turned his face away, avoiding my eyes.

“No, look at me!” I demanded, stepping toward him now. “If you wanted to sleep with her, you could’ve at least used a damn condom. But no, you had to get her pregnant. You had to throw our entire life away for what? A fling? Some cheap thrill with a woman who will never understand what we built together?”

Still, he said nothing.

The silence between us roared louder than any argument we’d ever had.

His jaw clenched, but he didn’t speak. He couldn’t.

1/3

Chapter 12

And that was the worst part – he didn’t even try to explain. Didn’t try to deny it. He just looked away, like the truth was easier to ignore than face.

I felt tears welling up again, but I refused to let them fall. Not this time.

“Say something.” I whispered, desperate and furious all at once.

But there was nothing.”

Just that same silence.

And there it was.

“Wait…” I said, barely recognizing my own voice. “You wanted to get her pregnant?”

The words left my lips like a whisper of disbelief, but inside, it felt like an earthquake. My world was cracking apart piece by piece, and he just stood there -facing away from me – like he didn’t have the strength or decency to look me in the eye.

“You chose to get her pregnant,” I said again, more certain this time, the realization settling like ice in my chest.

Still, he said nothing. No denial. No justification. Just silence.

And that silence said everything I needed to know.

My eyes stung as tears gathered, blurring my vision. “Why, Ethan?” I whispered. “If you wanted another child, why didn’t you come to me? We’re married. We’ve built a life, a home, a family.”

But as I stood there, waiting for an answer, it hit me – he didn’t come to me because he didn’t want me. It wasn’t just about having another child. It was about her. He wanted her to carry his child.

That thought alone shattered something inside me.

“How could you…” I took a step back, feeling my knees weaken.

Then, his voice, cold and emotionless, cut through the air like a knife. “So what if I wanted to get her pregnant? I’m a man. I can marry as many women as I want.”

I stared at him, completely stunned.

“Marry?” I echoed, barely able to breathe. The word repeated itself in my head like a distant echo.

Was he planning to marry her?

After all these years… after everything we’d gone through together… Was I just some temporary phase in his journey to another woman? The same woman who dumped him when he had nothing?

it suddenly felt like everything had been a lie. The vows we made. The years we struggled and survived. The child we raised. Was she always still in the picture, hiding somewhere in the background of his heart?

I studied his face, searching for regret, remorse, guilt-anything- but there was none. His face remained unmoved, like this was just another regular conversation.

Was this still the man I married?

“Unbelievable…” I whispered under my breath.

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