CHAPTER 2: MY SECOND BETRAYAL

Nora's POV

For weeks now, I hadn’t been feeling like myself. I was tired, nauseous, emotional and for a while, I thought it was just stress. But today, sitting with our family doctor, I heard the words that made my heart stop and soar at the same time.

“Congratulations, Nora. You’re pregnant.”

Pregnant.

Tears welled up in my eyes, blurring everything. I was going to be a mother. Despite everything I had life growing inside me.

A piece of Carson. A part of me.

I pressed a hand to my stomach, whispering, “You’re mine… and I’ll protect you.”

I couldn’t wait to tell him. Maybe this would change everything. Maybe love wasn’t completely dead between us.

My bodyguard opened the car door as I stepped in, clutching the small envelope of test results like it was sacred. We drove toward the mansion our mansion where I planned to surprise Carson. Maybe even tell Tina too. She was still my friend, wasn’t she?

At least, I wanted to believe she was.

As I walked up the marble steps of our mansion, Feeling excited. I clutched the envelope tightly in my hand the test results confirming what I already knew.

I was pregnant.

“Carson!” I called out, pushing through the front door. “Carson, where are you?”

No answer.

Maybe he was in his study, or upstairs in our room. Smiling to myself, I climbed the stairs, imagining his reaction. He would pull me into his arms. He would smile like he used to. We’d cry. We’d plan.

But then... I heard it.

Moaning. Muffled, breathy, unmistakable sounds echoing from behind our bedroom door.

My heart dropped.

No.

My hands trembled as I pushed the door open.

And there it was the unthinkable.

Carson. On top of Tina. My best friend. Our bodies froze in sync, their eyes wide, mine wider. The small white envelope slipped from my fingers and fell to the floor like a ghost.

“Carson?” My voice cracked. “Tina?! What… what is this?”

Carson jolted out from the bed, sheets tangled around him. “Nora, wait. It’s not what you think—”

“Not what I think?!” I screamed, tears alread streaming down my cheeks. “I just saw my husband having sex with my best friend on our Matrimonial bed! What else is there to think, Carson?!”

Tina didn’t even flinch. She stood, wrapping the brown duvet around herself like a queen unbothered by the ruins she caused.

And then she said the words that broke me even more.

“So what?” she said coldly. “It’s done. There’s no point hiding it anymore.”

I took a step back, my knees threatening to give out. “Tina…” I whispered. “Why? I thought we were friends. I trusted you.”

She shrugged. “I’m not your friend, Nora. I never was. And I didn’t betray you. Your husband made the first move. I just followed.”

Then her voice dropped, thick with venom.

“Who wouldn’t fall for him? He’s sexy, powerful, rich. He deserves someone like me.”

I turned to Carson, my voice shaking. “So I’ve been living with a liar? A cheater? Everything you said to me… was fake?”

He didn’t answer. Just stood there like a coward, staring at the floor.

“I gave up everything for you,” I whispered. “My dreams, my body, my youth. I stayed when no one else did.”

“I don’t care,” Carson snapped. “You’re not the woman I married. You disgust me. Every time I see you, I think of everything I’ve lost.”

My hand moved faster than my thoughts. The slap echoed through the room, sharp and satisfying but it didn’t fix the heartbreak.

I turned to Tina, trembling. “Get out of my house. Now. I don’t want to see you here again, you snake!”

But Carson stepped between us. “She’s not going anywhere.”

I froze.

“I love her,” he said firmly. “I’m choosing her over you.”

The words cut through me like a knife.

“No… no, you can’t do this,” I sobbed. “I’m your wife!”

“Not for long,” he hissed. “She’s moving in today. You’ll pack your things and stay in the guest room. You’ve overstayed your welcome.”

I felt the world spin around me. My knees gave out, and I slid down the wall, gasping for air.

This had to be a nightmare.

But it wasn’t.

This was my reality now.

Then Carson turned to Tina and said, “Go change and wait for me in the car. I’ll help you with your things.”

My heart dropped.

“You can’t be doing this to me!” I cried, clutched his leg desperately. “Carson, please. Forgive me, whatever I’ve done. You can’t bring another woman into our home into our marriage!”

My tears soaking into his trousers. “Please... I’m still your wife. You once loved me, didn’t you?”

He didn’t flinch. He didn’t move.

What if I told him I was pregnant?

Would it change anything? Would he soften? Would he choose me?

No… Not now. Not like this. I couldn’t tell him. Not when everything was crumbling around me. I had to protect my child even from its own father.

Tina’s POV

I watched Nora grovel and cry with a smug smile tugging at my lips.

Pathetic.

Sharing a man with my so-called best friend? That wasn’t the plan owning him was. Becoming Mrs. Williams was all I wanted. And I would destroy anything that stood in my way.

Still wrapped in the brown duvet, I picked up my clothes from the floor and walked toward the guest room. That’s when I saw something an envelope on the floor.

Curious, I picked it up and opened it. A medical report.

My heart stopped.

“What?! She’s… pregnant?”

I blinked, frozen. Then a fire lit inside me. No. No. This can’t happen. If Carson finds out she’s carrying his child, I’ll lose everything.

Quickly, I squeezed the report into my purse and rushed into the room. I paced back and forth, my mind racing. Panic twisted in my gut, but then... a wicked idea came.

Of course.

I would use Carson’s feelings for me against her. I’d make him hate her more turn her into the villain. I’d hurt myself, accuse her, and he’d believe me.

Even if he found out about the pregnancy, it wouldn’t matter. By then, it would be too late. He’d be mine fully, legally, and emotionally.

I smiled at my reflection in the mirror.

“Let the games begin.”

Putting on my fitted wine-red dress, I stepped outside to where Carson was waiting. He looked breathtaking tall, 6’2, with that athletic build and chiseled jaw that made women swoon.

I walked over to him, my eyes soften. “I didn’t know you loved me this much,” I whispered.

He looked down at me, brushing a strand of my hair from my cheek. “Why wouldn’t I?”

I blushed, eyes fluttering. Just then, A few bodyguards joined us, and we drove together to my apartment to collect my things. I smiled, knowing each bag I packed was a step closer to becoming Mrs. Williams.”

Nora’s POV

I sat on the floor, my legs numb, my throat sore from crying. My chest ached so deeply, it felt like something had cracked open inside me.

Then the door burst open.

Two maids entered, eyes downcast but firm. Behind them stood one of Carson’s bodyguards huge, stone-faced, emotionless.

“Madam,” one of the maids said softly, “Mr. Williams asked us to assist you to the guest room.”

Assist?

I shook my head slowly. “You’re throwing me out of my own room…?”

No one answered. The bodyguard stepped forward and gripped my arm—not roughly, but firm enough to remind me I no longer had a choice.

“Let go of me!” I cried, struggling against him. “This is my home! My room!”

But they didn’t listen.

As they dragged me toward the door, I looked back hoping Carson would appear, would stop this madness. But he didn't.

The guest room smelled like polished wood and expensive linen, but no warmth lived here. It was beautiful, yes—but cold, sterile. Like a hotel suite built to impress, not to comfort. I stood in the doorway for a long time before stepping in.

Everything about this space felt unfamiliar. I wasn’t meant to live here. Not after all I had given.

I sat on the edge of the bed, placing a hand protectively over my stomach.

I hadn’t told Carson. Not now. Not when he looked at me like I was just some burden he couldn’t wait to discard.

Suddenly, I heard the gates open. I peeped through the window. Carson's car had returned. The guards were carrying bags her bags.

I stepped out into the hallway just as Tina walked in confidently, wrapped around Carson’s arm like she owned the place. My heart sank my best friend was moving in, taking over my home.

Then, her voice echoed, cutting through the silence.

“Nora, go prepare dinner. I’m hungry.”

I blinked, stunned. “You just moved into my home, and you're telling me to cook? We have a house full of maids why don’t you ask one of them?”

I turned to walk away, but her next words stopped me cold.

“Where do you think you’re going? I’m the new lady of this house.”