No Second Chances Ex-husband novel Chapter 5

5 /50

LAUREN’S POV

Pregnant.

That word rang in my ears over and over again like a siren. My brain heard it, but my heart… my heart refused to believe it.

I turned slowly, like my whole body had forgotten how to move. My eyes landed on Ethan. He wasn’t looking at me. He was staring at the floor like a boy caught stealing. My lips parted, and my voice came out so weak, I barely recognized it.

“Ethan… is it true?”

I prayed – God, I actually prayed in that second that he would look up and say no. That Sofia was just playing a sick joke. That it was a lie. That he didn’t do this to me. To us. To our daughter.

But he didn’t even lift his head. He didn’t say a single word. His jaw clenched, his eyes flicked to the side like a coward, and in that second… I knew. He didn’t have to say anything. His silence hit harder than a slap.

It was true.

She wasn’t lying. Sofia was actually pregnant with his child. And I...his wife was standing there like a fool. Like a leftover.

Something inside me cracked. I could feel it. It started small, like a pinch in my chest, then it spread like fire across my whole body. My stomach twisted. My throat tightened. My legs felt weak. I didn’t cry. I didn’t scream. I just… broke quietly.

In a daze, I turned around and walked out of his office. I didn’t say goodbye. I didn’t wait for an explanation. I didn’t even look back.

Each step felt like dragging cement. My heels tapped against the marble floor, too loud in the silence. The hallway spun a little, but I didn’t slow down. I needed to get out. I needed to breathe.

“Ma’am?” Ethan’s secretary stood up as I passed by. Her face looked worried. She probably saw everything. I could see it in her eyes. Pity.

“Are you alright?”

I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. My voice had gone missing. I kept walking, fast, like maybe if I moved fast enough, none of this would be real.

I reached the elevator and pressed the button with a shaking hand. But after a second, I stepped away. I couldn’t just stand there. I couldn’t be still. I felt like I was going to explode.

Without thinking, I turned and pushed open the stairwell door. One step. Then another. I gripped the railing like it was the only thing holding me up.

Down. Down. Just keep going down.

I burst through the exit door and into the sunlight. The bright light hit me like a slap. I blinked hard, trying to adjust, but the world kept spinning. I reached into my bag for my car keys. My hands were shaking so much I dropped them.

“No, no, no…” I whispered to myself as I knelt down and picked them up.

I stood there for a second. My car was just a few steps away, but I couldn’t move. My chest was too tight. My breathing too shallow. My body frozen.

I couldn’t drive. I couldn’t even stand up straight. So I walked.

I didn’t know where I was going. I just turned and walked away from the building. Away from Ethan. Away from the woman carrying his child. Away from the life I thought I had.