Introduction

My life felt perfect.

Pregnant and soon to marry Ethan, I was happy keeping my family's multi-million dollar organic farming empire a secret.

Simplicity was bliss.

Then came the call.

Ethan, my husband-to-be, his voice tight, confessed: his "fragile" college friend, Olivia, had caused a scandalous mess at Desert Bloom festival.

To shield her reputation, he'd told everyone... it was me.

The world tilted.

Overnight, I became the subject of vicious gossip, painted as a wild, shameless liability.

Ethan brought Olivia, the real culprit, into our home, fussing over her "trauma" while I was humiliated in my own sanctuary.

His mother, Eleanor, sealed my fate, sneering, "That child you're carrying... it's a disgrace. Get an abortion and divorce Ethan."

My husband stood silent, then validated every word for his mother, implying he' d "accept" this shameful burden.

My heart turned to ice.

He didn' t just betray me; he betrayed our unborn child, labeling our baby a disgrace before its first breath.

How could the man I loved, the father of my child, throw me to the wolves for a woman he claimed to have "saved"?

This simple life, shattered beyond recognition, revealed a chilling truth: I was nothing but collateral damage.

Desperation hardened into resolve.

"I want a divorce," I told him, "And I'm not keeping the baby."

He panicked, but I played along, feigning forgiveness, needing him to take Olivia away and create my escape.

The moment their car pulled out, I called my brother.

The simple farm girl was done.

It was time to reclaim my empire.