Chapter 2

Allie POV:

I tried to push the nurse away, a desperate attempt to cover the blood seeping through my gown. I didn't want August to see me like this, broken and bleeding, a stark contrast to the perfect, untouched Harper. My eyes met his, and for a fleeting moment, I saw it-a flicker of genuine panic, a shadow of the man who once would have moved mountains for me.

He took a step closer, his hand reaching out, his touch hesitant. "Allie, what is it?" he asked, his voice softer now, almost tender. My heart gave a painful thump, a ridiculous surge of hope. Would he finally apologize? Would he finally see me?

"August," he said, turning to the nurse, "Harper needs a quiet space. I want her moved to the guest house on the estate tonight. She's been through a lot, and the hospital environment isn't ideal for her recovery."

My breath hitched. My own life was in danger, and he was arranging his mistress's comfort. "Her stress levels are critical for the baby," he added, as if that justified everything, as if it erased my pain, my loss, my very existence.

My gaze drifted to his neck. A faint, red scratch, barely visible, but unmistakable. Harper. A fresh wound, a fresh betrayal. The last, fragile thread of hope snapped. It wasn't just a misstep, a moment of weakness. It was a choice. A deliberate, ongoing choice.

A strange, numb calm washed over me. The anger, the grief, the desperate yearning-they all coalesced into a profound sense of weary resignation. It was over. Truly over. There was no going back.

"I want a divorce, August," I said, my voice surprisingly steady, devoid of emotion. The words felt liberating, like shedding a heavy cloak.

His eyes widened, his face crumpling. He grabbed my hand, his grip surprisingly strong. "No, Allie, please. Don't say that. Not now. We can fix this. For the baby. For us." His voice cracked, a raw, desperate plea. Had I ever heard him sound so broken? But it was a performance, I knew. For the baby. Always for the baby.

"Just until the baby is safe," he pleaded, his thumb stroking my knuckles. "Then I promise, I'll send Harper away. You won't ever see her again. I swear it." The words were empty, hollow, a desperate attempt to cling to a life he no longer deserved.

I knew the truth now. The baby I had lost, the baby he didn't even know existed, was our baby. And I had kept it a secret, planning the perfect surprise, a joyful revelation that now felt like a cruel joke. I had walked into that burning house, oblivious to the hell that awaited me, thinking of our future.

"There is no 'us,' August," I corrected him, pulling my hand away. My voice was a flat line, cold and final. "We are done."

I left the hospital alone. No one stopped me. No one even noticed. The world outside was a blur, a cacophony of sounds and colors I couldn't process. My only goal was the house, our house, to retrieve what little was left of my old life.

The front door creaked open, revealing the familiar grandeur that now felt utterly alien. I made my way to my study, my sanctuary, to collect my few personal mementos. Then I heard it. A soft moan, followed by a low, throaty laugh from upstairs. Harper. And August.

A perverse curiosity, a morbid need to confirm the depths of his betrayal, pulled me towards the sounds. I stopped outside the master bedroom, the door slightly ajar. Each muffled sound, each whispered word, was a hammer blow to my soul, shattering the last fragments of my dignity. I stood there, rooted to the spot, letting the agony wash over me. I deserved this. For being so foolish. For loving him so blindly.

"My precious baby," Harper cooed, her voice sickeningly sweet. "August, make sure our child is safe, always."

"Always, my love," August replied, his voice thick with a tenderness he hadn't shown me in months, perhaps years. "I'll protect you both. Nothing will hurt you."

Then I saw it. Harper's eyes, meeting mine through the crack in the door. A smirk, slow and triumphant, spread across her face. A silent, venomous declaration of victory. My stomach lurched, a wave of nausea washing over me. My legs, still weak from the fire, threatened to give out. A sharp, searing pain shot through my abdomen, a phantom ache for the child I' d lost, a physical manifestation of my heartbreak.

A choked gasp escaped my lips, a sound I couldn't suppress. It was enough. The sounds upstairs ceased instantly.

"August," Harper said, her voice now a feigned whisper of concern. "Someone's here."

August' s head snapped up, his eyes wide with a mixture of panic and irritation. He pulled away from Harper, scrambling to cover himself. "Allie? What are you doing here?" he growled, his voice laced with annoyance.

He moved towards me, his hand reaching out. I recoiled, stepping back as if burned. "Don't touch me," I spat, my voice raw. My legs buckled, and I leaned against the doorframe, fighting to stay upright. The pain in my abdomen intensified, a searing fire.

"It's not what you think," he began, his face a contorted mask of feigned innocence. "She just wasn't feeling well, and I was... comforting her."

I reached into my bag, my hand trembling as I pulled out the neatly folded divorce papers. "It's exactly what I think," I said, shoving them into his chest. "Sign them."

Harper, seeing the papers, let out a dramatic gasp, clutching her stomach. "Oh, August, my head... the baby!" she cried, her voice laced with theatrical pain.

August's attention immediately snapped to her. He rushed to her side, cradling her. "Harper, what's wrong? Are you alright?" He didn't even glance back at me.

He signed the papers without a moment's hesitation, his pen scratching furiously across the page. "There," he said, tossing the signed documents onto the floor. "You want your freedom? Take it. I'll have my lawyer arrange a generous settlement. Now get out. You' re only upsetting Harper."

He turned his back, gathering Harper into his arms, completely dismissing me. The door closed with a soft click, sealing me out. I stood there, utterly alone, the signed papers a crumpled testament to my insignificance. He had thrown me away, without a second thought. My heart, a jagged mess, finally stopped bleeding. It simply went numb.

A searing fever consumed me, my body shaking with chills. Sleep offered no escape, only a cruel replay of our past. I dreamed of our wedding day, his eyes full of adoration, his vows echoing in the grand hall. "I will cherish you, protect you, love you until my last breath." LIES.

The dream shifted, turning into a nightmare. He stood in the lake house, surrounded by flames, my desperate cries for help echoing in the inferno. But his back was to me, his arms wrapped around Harper, her face smug, victorious. The flames licked higher, consuming everything, leaving only a charred emptiness where our life once was.