Lies, Betrayal, And The Baby I Hid Away

I stepped into our penthouse for my baby shower, caressing my eight-month bump, expecting balloons and laughter.

But instead of joy, I found my husband, Michael, cradling a newborn that wasn't ours. Beside him sat his assistant, Serena, looking far too comfortable. Michael looked me dead in the eye, his expression cold and flat, and introduced the infant as his firstborn son.

They didn't apologize. Instead, Serena mocked my high-risk pregnancy, calling me a mere "incubator" for the spare heir. When I demanded they leave, Serena shoved me.

I hit the floor hard, screaming in agony as pain ripped through my belly. But Michael didn't help me. He stepped over my convulsing body to comfort her, accusing me of being dramatic. He walked out with his new family, leaving me bleeding alone on the nursery floor.

Lying in the hospital later, I overheard Michael on the phone. He wasn't worried. He laughed, revealing his plan to use my family's connections for his IPO before divorcing me and taking full custody of my child.

He didn't love me. He only wanted the heir.

That was the moment the old Olivia died. I knew I had to deny him the only thing he truly wanted. I wiped my tears, touched my stomach where my son was still kicking, and made a decision that would sever us forever.

I told my lawyer to deliver a simple message to Michael.

"Tell him the baby didn't make it."

Chapter 1

Olivia POV

I stepped into the living room of our penthouse, my hand resting instinctively on my eight-month baby bump, only to find my husband holding a newborn baby that wasn't ours.

The room was decorated in soft pastels for my baby shower. Blue and pink balloons bobbed gently against the ceiling. A banner reading Welcome Baby Hayes was draped across the fireplace. But the silence was heavy, suffocating-strangling the joy right out of the air.

Michael was sitting on the velvet sofa. He looked up at me, his eyes devoid of the warmth they usually held. They were flat. Dead.

Next to him sat Serena, his executive assistant. She looked too comfortable. She looked like she belonged there.

"This is my son," Michael said.

His voice was steady. Calm. Like he was ordering coffee, not detonating my entire life.

I froze. The gift bag in my hand slipped, hitting the floor with a dull thud.

"What?" I whispered, the word barely escaping my throat.

Serena shifted, adjusting the blanket around the infant in her arms. She looked up at me with a small, pitying smile that made my stomach turn.

"We didn't want you to find out this way, Olivia," Serena said. Her voice was syrupy sweet, coating the poison in sugar. "But Mikey couldn't keep it a secret anymore. He wants his son to have his name."

I looked at Michael. I waited for him to laugh. To tell me this was some sick, twisted joke. But he didn't.

He stood up and moved to stand beside Serena, his hand resting possessively on her shoulder.

"Don't be dramatic, Olivia," Michael said. He frowned at me, as if my shock was an inconvenience to him. "It happened. It's done. Serena is the mother of my firstborn. You need to accept that."

"Accept that?" My voice cracked. I felt a sharp pain in my abdomen, a tightening that stole my breath. "You're cheating on me? With her?"

"We're in love," Serena corrected. She stood up, cradling the baby. "And unlike you, I didn't have a high-risk pregnancy that made me useless for nine months. I gave him a healthy son."

The cruelty of her words hit me like a physical blow. My complications had been terrifying. I had spent months on bed rest, terrified of losing the baby.

Michael knew that. He had held my hand through the scares. Or so I thought.

"Michael," I gasped, clutching my stomach. "Please. Tell me this isn't real."

"Stop it," Michael snapped. "You're getting emotional again. It's the hormones. This is exactly why I didn't tell you sooner. You can't handle reality."

He was looking at me like I was a stranger. Like I was a hysterical woman he had to manage, not the wife he had sworn to love.

I stepped forward, my legs shaking. "Get out. Both of you. Get out of my house."

Serena laughed. It was a cold, sharp sound.

"Your house?" She stepped closer to me, invading my space. "Michael pays for everything, sweetie. You're just the incubator for his spare heir. But don't worry. Once you pop that kid out, Michael and I will raise him properly. Along with his big brother."

Rage, hot and blinding, surged through me. I raised my hand, desperate to wipe that smirk off her face.

But Serena was faster. She shoved me hard.

I stumbled back. My heel caught on the edge of the rug. I flailed, trying to find purchase, but gravity won.

I fell hard onto the hardwood floor, landing on my side.

A scream tore from my throat as a jagged pain ripped through my belly.

"Olivia!"

It wasn't Michael who yelled. It was me, screaming his name in agony.

Michael didn't move toward me. He moved toward Serena, checking if she was okay.

"She tried to hit me, Mikey!" Serena cried, burying her face in his chest. "She's crazy!"

"You're okay, shh," Michael soothed her, stroking her hair. He glanced down at me, curled up on the floor, clutching my stomach.

"Get up, Olivia," he said coldly. "Stop acting like a victim. You provoked her."

I looked up at him through a blur of tears. The pain was coming in waves now, rhythmic and terrifying. I felt a warm wetness spreading between my legs.

"Michael," I whispered. "Something is wrong."

He rolled his eyes. He actually rolled his eyes.

"I'm taking Serena and the baby to a hotel," he said, grabbing his car keys. "Call a cab if you need to go to the doctor. I'm done dealing with your tantrums."

He turned his back on me. He put his arm around Serena and walked out the door, leaving me alone on the floor of our decorated nursery.

I watched the door close. The silence of the apartment crashed down on me.

Another wave of pain hit, sharper this time. I gasped, digging my nails into the rug.

I wasn't just losing my husband. I was losing everything.

But as the pain receded, leaving a cold clarity in its wake, I realized something else.

The Olivia who had loved him, the Olivia who had believed in their fairytale, died the moment that door clicked shut.