Chapter 1 The Beginning of the End

Chapter One: The Beginning of the End

Reina Halls sat at the long, gleaming dinner table, surrounded by the polished members of the Brooks family, but feeling more alone than ever. The weight of the evening pressed down on her like a suffocating cloak. Her husband, Ethan Brooks, sat at the head of the table, his attention fixed elsewhere. Beside him, Anna Wells giggled, twirling a lock of hair around her finger, her gaze locked on Ethan.

Reina's heart twisted painfully. The humiliation was a familiar sting by now, but tonight it was worse-far worse. Every sideways glance from the Brooks family felt like a dagger to her chest, a reminder that she didn't belong. She was the outsider, the unwanted wife.

"Reina, darling, why don't you serve us some drinks?" Anna's voice cut through the room like a whip, dripping with false sweetness.

Reina blinked, her stomach knotting. Serve them? She hesitated, glancing at Ethan, hoping for a word of defense. But he didn't even look her way. His cold indifference had become her reality. His betrayal, constant.

Without a word, Reina rose from her seat, her bruised body protesting every movement. She'd been in a minor accident earlier that day-knocked down by a car as she ran from the same house, overwhelmed by the hurt and rejection that had become routine. Yet here she was, back in the thick of it. How foolish she had been to think he would care. Even after the doctor had told her the news...

Her hand trembled slightly as she poured the wine, and her mind drifted to the secret she carried now. She hadn't told Ethan yet. She had hoped, against her better judgment, that the news might change something. That telling him about the baby might make him see her differently, might soften that hard look in his eyes that seemed permanently fixed.

But no-he was as distant as ever, if not worse. Reina placed the glasses in front of Ethan and Anna, who continued to flirt shamelessly. Anna's hand brushed his arm, and he didn't move away. Reina felt the familiar burn of jealousy mixed with deep-seated pain.

She clenched her fists by her side. This couldn't continue. Not anymore.

"You're looking a bit pale, Reina," Anna said, her lips curving in a smirk. "Are you feeling alright?"

Reina's jaw tightened, but she refused to give Anna the satisfaction of a reaction. She sat back down, her hands in her lap, and stared at her plate. She felt sick, the pain inside her chest twisting tighter. This wasn't the life she imagined when she married Ethan. She had loved him-truly loved him-and all she ever wanted was for him to love her back. But now, after everything he had done, after the countless nights of loneliness and tears, she knew it was never going to happen.

The sound of laughter brought her back to the room. Anna was laughing again, a mocking sound that grated on Reina's nerves. She couldn't sit through this any longer.

"I think I'll head to bed," Reina muttered, standing abruptly.

"Leaving so soon?" Anna quirked a brow. "But the night is just getting interesting."

Reina ignored her, moving toward the hallway, but just as she reached the doorway, Ethan's voice cut through the room.

"Reina."

She paused, her heart skipping a beat. For a moment, hope flickered. Maybe, just maybe, he would ask her to stay, to talk to her, to care.

But when she turned around, she saw nothing in his eyes but contempt. "Don't come back down," he said, his voice flat. "You're not needed here."

Her heart shattered. Without another word, she left the room, her mind racing. How had she become so invisible, so worthless in his eyes?

As she ascended the stairs to their bedroom, the weight of the day finally caught up with her. She was done being treated like this. Done hoping for a man who only ever wanted to break her.

Inside the bedroom, she sank onto the bed and reached into her purse, pulling out the pregnancy test she had taken earlier that day. She stared at the two pink lines, feeling a mixture of fear, sadness, and... a small spark of hope. This baby was hers, no matter what Ethan wanted.

Reina clutched the test to her chest, her tears falling freely now. She had tried so hard for so long. But it was time to stop trying. She had to think of herself-and now, the life growing inside her.

Tomorrow, she would pack her things and leave. She couldn't stay in this house, this marriage, any longer. Ethan Brooks had made it clear that she wasn't part of his world. But that didn't mean she had to stay a part of his cruelty.

And as the tears streamed down her face, she made a silent promise to herself: No more waiting. No more hoping. I'm leaving, and this time, I'm not coming back.