"Congratulations. You're pregnant."
The doctor's gentle voice fell by Natalie Sterling's ear. She lowered her head and stared at the test report in her hand, and a wave of joy rushed up in her chest all at once.
Natalie and her boyfriend, Theodore Langdon, had been together for nearly three years, but the two of them had always kept things proper.
It wasn't until last month, on the night before Theodore left for a business trip, that they finally crossed that line.
She never expected this baby to arrive so quietly, just like that.
"Thank you, doctor," Natalie said softly, then walked out of the consultation room with light, almost floating steps.
Even though she was still in school, she had already made up her mind in secret. She was keeping this little life no matter what.
She had heard Theodore was coming back from his trip tonight, so Natalie decided to give him a surprise.
With nerves and hope all tangled together in her heart, she came to the marital home they shared.
She had decorated this little love nest with her own hands, and every corner used to feel warm and sweet.
Natalie thought she'd start by making a big dinner for him, and her pace quickened without her even noticing.
But the second she pushed the door open, the scene in front of her made her feel like she had dropped straight into an ice pit.
A man's dress shirt was tossed in the living room, and beside it lay a piece of black lace lingerie.
Natalie's eyes widened. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. It felt so unreal it almost made her scalp go numb.
Just then, from the bedroom came sounds so intimate they made her blood run cold:
"Mmm... brother-in-law, you're amazing. Tell me, between me and my sister, who do you like more?"
"Do I even need to answer? Yvonne, of course it's you. Your sister is seriously such a stiff old-school type."
"Ah... brother-in-law, slower... no, too fast..."
"Still calling me brother-in-law? Hm?"
Those shameless, teasing voices crashed down like a sledgehammer and shattered every bit of Natalie's fantasy on the spot.
Theodore Langdon... with her half-sister, Yvonne Sterling...
No. No way. This had to be some sick hallucination.
Natalie Sterling forced herself to breathe, to stay upright, then reached out with a shaking hand and pushed the bedroom door open.
What she saw hit like a knife straight through the chest.
Two naked bodies were tangled together on the bed, skin against skin, the whole room reeking of sweat and betrayal. It was so filthy it made her stomach twist.
Theodore was the first to notice someone at the door. The second he saw Natalie, his face changed. He panicked, grabbed the blanket in a rush, and yanked it over himself. "Natalie? Why are you here?"
Yvonne put on a startled look, but the smug little gleam in her eyes gave her away completely. She shrank into Theodore's arms like she belonged there.
"You two... what are you doing?"
Natalie's voice was trembling so hard it barely sounded like her own. Her heart felt like it was being ripped open alive.
"Nat, don't be mad. Theodore and I are really in love." Yvonne squeezed out a few fake tears, looking pitiful on purpose. "If you want to blame someone, blame me. I just... love him too much..."
Theodore's expression softened at once when he saw Yvonne crying. Then he turned to Natalie, and the warmth in his eyes was gone, just like that. "Natalie, since you've already found out, I'll be straight with you. The one I love is Yvonne. Let us be together."
Yvonne.
Wow. He said her name so naturally, so intimately.
Let them be together?
If she made room for this trash couple, then who was supposed to make room for her?
Natalie's vision blurred with tears. She bit back the rage clawing up her throat and thought of the baby in her stomach, forcing herself to stay calm, to not completely lose it.
But the shake in her voice still sold her out.
"Theodore... I'm pregnant with your child."
That should have been the best news in the world for her.
Theodore froze for half a second, then his face darkened instantly. "Natalie... what did you just say?"
"I'm pregnant. It was from that time before..."
"I've been away on business for over forty days." His face turned stormy, jaw clenched so hard it looked like he might crack a tooth. "And now you're saying you got pregnant last month with my child?"
He stared at her with cold, vicious disbelief.
"Natalie, you actually cheated on me behind my back?"
This Natalie, back when she was with him, had always acted all shy and proper, like some delicate good girl. And now she was pregnant with another man's child?