Chapter 2

I looked at Susan, her face a perfect picture of false concern. My mind screamed, but I kept my expression placid.

Best for everyone? I thought. No. Best for you. You want to save money, to keep the dowry for yourselves, and you' re using my baby as your excuse.

You think because I' m pregnant, I've lost all my value, all my power. You think I' ll just roll over and accept this humiliation because I' m scared.

Every word out of her mouth was a carefully crafted lie, designed to manipulate and control me. But I could see right through it. The conversation I overheard hadn' t just broken my heart, it had made everything crystal clear.

I forced a watery smile, letting a single, calculated tear roll down my cheek. I saw a flicker of triumph in Susan's eyes.

"You' re right, Susan," I whispered, my voice thick with fake emotion. "I' m sorry. I was just... surprised. Hormones, I guess."

I dabbed at my eye with a napkin.

"The baby is the most important thing. Of course. A backyard barbecue sounds... cozy."

The relief at the table was immediate and obvious. Richard leaned back in his chair, a satisfied smirk on his face. Susan squeezed my hand again, harder this time.

"That' s my girl," she said. "I knew you' d understand. You' re going to be a wonderful mother and a perfect addition to our family."

Liam finally looked at me, a weak, grateful smile on his face. He was relieved that I hadn't made a scene, that I had folded so easily. He thought this was over.

He had no idea it was just the beginning.

Later that evening, in the car, the silence between Liam and me was suffocating. I decided to give him one last chance to prove me wrong, a final test to see if there was any piece of the man I loved left inside him.

"Liam," I said quietly, turning to face him. "Are you really okay with this? With what your parents did today?"

He kept his eyes on the road, his knuckles white on the steering wheel.

"Chloe, let' s not talk about it anymore. It' s done."

"No, it' s not done," I insisted, my voice getting a little stronger. "They humiliated me, Liam. They humiliated my family. And you just sat there and said nothing."

He finally snapped, his voice rising. "What did you want me to do, Chloe? Argue with my parents in the middle of a coffee shop? My mom is right. We have to be practical now. A baby changes everything!"

"So that' s it?" I asked, my voice dangerously low. "The moment I get pregnant, I' m no longer your partner? I' m just a problem to be managed? A liability?"

"Why do you have to be so dramatic?" he shot back, his words echoing his mother' s. "You' re making this all about you! This is about the baby! Our family' s future! Why are you being so selfish and materialistic?"

Selfish. Materialistic.

The words struck me, but not in the way he intended. They didn' t hurt me. They solidified the ice in my veins. He wasn't just weak and manipulated, he was just like them. He believed their lies. He saw me as the problem, the obstacle to his family' s financial gain.

In that moment, any lingering love I had for Liam Davis died. It wasn't a loud, violent death. It was a quiet, cold finality. The man I had promised to spend my life with was gone, replaced by this selfish, weak-willed stranger.

The heartbreak was immense, a vast, empty cavern in my chest. But beneath the pain, a new feeling was growing stronger. Resolve. I was not a victim. I would not be their pawn. They wanted to play a game? Fine. I would play too.

But I would write the rules.

As soon as he dropped me off at my apartment, I closed the door behind him and leaned against it, taking a deep, steadying breath. My hand went to my still-flat stomach.

They don't care about you, I whispered silently. They only care about what you represent. And I will not let you be born into a family like that.

I walked to the living room, picked up my phone, and dialed my parents. My mom answered on the second ring, her voice warm and loving.

"Hi, sweetie! How did the meeting go?"

I closed my eyes for a second, gathering my strength.

"Mom, Dad," I said, my voice steady and clear. "Something has happened. But don't worry."

I paused, a cold smile touching my lips.

"I have a plan."