Chapter 2

Ethan's eyes, usually so composed, snapped wide. His arm, still around Jenna's waist, visibly tensed. Jenna, mid-giggle, stiffened, her smile freezing on her face like a poorly preserved photograph. The murmurs in the room died completely, replaced by a deafening silence. All eyes, wide with disbelief and scandal, were fixed on me.

"Married?" someone finally squeaked, the sound almost lost in the sudden void.

Everyone knew Ethan and I had been close in college, but that was it. A silent, unspoken connection. The "good friend" narrative was what they'd all constructed, a convenient box to put me in. The idea of marriage was so far outside their perception, it bordered on blasphemy. Their faces morphed from curiosity to outright shock, then to a dawning, horrified realization.

Jenna, ever the actress, was the first to recover. She forced a bright, brittle laugh. "Married? Oh, Alize, you always did have such a vivid imagination!" She pulled away from Ethan, stepping towards me with a patronizing pity in her eyes. "Let's not make things awkward, darling. It's Ethan's night, our night. Here, let's toast to... your well-being." She thrust a champagne flute into my hand, her smile fixed but her eyes cold.

I looked at the glass, then at her. The liquid shimmered, reflecting the harsh overhead lights. It felt heavy, poisoned. I gently pushed her hand away, shaking my head. "No, thank you. I don't drink with liars."

Her facade cracked. A flash of genuine anger crossed her face, quickly masked by practiced indignation. "Alize, really! You're making a scene. What is this, jealousy? Just because Ethan became a success and moved on from his... humble beginnings?" She put a hand on her hip, adopting a posture of injured innocence. "I know you were his executive assistant back then, Alize. I remember how hard you worked. Loyal, always. But you also know how much he needed you, how much you depended on him."

Her words, intended to shame me, instead yanked me back to a past I thought I had meticulously buried.

Flashback

It was a stark contrast to this opulent ballroom. A dusty, cramped garage apartment, the air thick with the smell of stale coffee and ambition. Ethan, then a wide-eyed, relentless visionary, scribbling algorithms on a whiteboard, his eyes burning with feverish excitement.

"Alize," he'd said, running a hand through his already messy hair, "this is it. This is the idea that changes everything. But I need you. I need your mind, your drive. We'll build this together."

And I believed him. Fresh out of college, armed with a marketing degree and an idealistic heart, I plunged headfirst into his world. I managed his schedule, wrote his pitches, cold-called investors relentlessly. I worked eighteen-hour days, fueled by cheap ramen and the intoxicating belief in us. He was the front man, I was the engine. When the early investors finally came calling, it was my meticulously crafted business plan that sealed the deal, though his charisma took all the credit.

He would sometimes look at me, late at night, when the code was finally compiling, and say, "I couldn't do any of this without you, my love. You're my anchor. My everything."

Those words were my oxygen. They sustained me through months of near-poverty, through the crushing weight of endless tasks. He'd occasionally buy me a cheap necklace, a simple dress, saying, "Soon, Alize. Soon we'll have everything." And I believed in his "soon."

Then came the day he knelt, not with a diamond, but with a simple silver band. "Marry me, Alize. Be my wife. My secret weapon. My partner for life." He swore secrecy was for our protection, to avoid corporate espionage, to keep our competitive edge. "When we're big enough, when we're untouchable, then we'll tell the world. It will be our triumph."

We got married in a quiet courthouse, just us and two bewildered clerks. It felt like a sacred pact. For a while, he was tender, attentive, even when he was busy. He'd bring me coffee in the morning, remember my favorite obscure indie bands, tell me I was the most beautiful woman he' d ever seen. He was present in those small, private moments. That was enough for me. I believed he loved me, truly. I always did.

Innovate Tech exploded. From a cramped garage to a sprawling campus, Ethan was hailed as a genius. The company grew, and so did his demands. He wanted me to step back, to manage operations from the shadows. "Your talent is too valuable to waste on public relations, Alize. Let's hire someone fresh, someone young, to be the face."

That "someone young" was Jenna Hodge. I found her, mentored her, taught her everything I knew. She was bright, ambitious, eager to please. I saw a spark in her, a hunger I recognized. I helped polish her, refine her public speaking, showed her the ropes of the tech world. She was good. Too good.

Ethan started praising her openly, showering her with bonuses, taking her to industry events, leaving me behind. I saw the way he looked at her, the way he laughed at her jokes, the way his hand would linger on her arm. I saw the whispers, the knowing glances from other employees. I tried to talk to him, to remind him of our secret, our vows.

"Alize, don't be ridiculous," he'd snap, his eyes cold. "It's business. She's good for the company image. You're being paranoid. Are you jealous? Don't forget what I can do if you push me." The veiled threat was always there, a chilling undertone beneath his polished veneer.

The affair became an open secret. Photos of them at galas, in tabloids, rumors of their "power couple" status. I was still his wife, locked away in our opulent mansion, watching my life unravel on glossy pages. I was still Alize, the ghost.

End Flashback

Jenna's voice dragged me back to the present, her saccharine tone grating. "You know, Ethan has achieved so much since then. He's a completely different man." She beamed at him, then returned her gaze to me, her eyes narrowed in a silent challenge. "He's even learned to be a father."

A cold, hard slab of ice dropped into my gut. A father. That was the final, devastating truth. He never wanted children with me. Not once.

My hand still held the untouched champagne flute. Without a word, I lifted it, not to my lips, but towards Ethan. His eyes widened, a flicker of apprehension. I poured the entire contents, slowly and deliberately, into his own half-full glass. The champagne frothed, mixing with the dark amber liquid already inside. It overflowed, spilling onto his immaculate white shirt, leaving a dark, spreading stain.

"You speak of fathers, Jenna?" I asked, my voice dangerously soft, my eyes still locked on Ethan's. "Perhaps you should teach your fiancée how to be a man first. Or at least, how to control his... employees."

Ethan's face went from pale to crimson in an instant. His jaw clenched, his eyes blazing with fury. He grabbed Jenna's arm, pulling her back. "Alize, that's enough! You're being irrational!"

Jenna looked up at him, her eyes wide and innocent, as if she were a helpless lamb caught in the crossfire. "Ethan, darling, what's wrong? She's just being difficult."

"Difficult?" I echoed, my voice rising, the years of suppressed rage finally boiling to the surface. "Difficult was enduring your lies for seven years. Difficult was burying my career, my dreams, my very identity for you. Difficult was being your secret wife while you paraded this... trophy around." My gaze swept over Jenna, who visibly recoiled. "And difficult," I hissed, leaning in closer to Ethan, "was being forced to abort your children, again and again, because you 'weren't ready for a family'! Yet here you are, parading her and her bump around like it' s some miracle!"

The last words hung in the air, raw and exposed. Ethan' s eyes, fixed on me, were now filled with a terrifying mix of shock and pure, unadulterated panic. Jenna' s hand flew to her stomach, her fake smile completely gone, replaced by a look of confusion, then horror. The entire room seemed to hold its breath.

Ethan sputtered, trying to deny it, but no words came out. He looked between Jenna's now pale face and my blazing eyes.

"Alize, what are you talking about?" Jenna whispered, her voice trembling.

"She's talking about nothing!" Ethan interjected, his voice too loud, too desperate. He pulled Jenna protectively closer. "She's just trying to cause trouble, Jenna. Don't listen to her. We have our baby. Our beautiful baby." He emphasized "our" with a possessive glint in his eye.

The word "baby" snapped something inside me. All the years of pain, the invasive procedures, the hollow ache in my womb. It all crashed down.

A wave of nausea hit me, stronger than anything I'd felt all night. The room began to spin, the faces blurring into an indistinct mass of judgment and pity. My legs felt like jelly. I needed air. I needed to escape. Now.

"I... I need to use the restroom," I mumbled, pushing past Ethan and Jenna, not caring about the looks, the whispers, the absolute wreckage I was leaving behind. I just needed to get out. My stomach lurched violently, threatening to betray me in front of everyone.