{"id":389,"date":"2026-08-31T18:14:54","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T18:14:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/?p=389"},"modified":"2026-08-31T18:16:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T18:16:11","slug":"part-3-my-pregnant-husband-cheated-on-me-so-i-invited-his-mistress-to-my-baby-shower-instead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/?p=389","title":{"rendered":"PART 3 \u2013 My pregnant husband cheated on me. So I invited his mistress to my baby shower instead."},"content":{"rendered":"
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PART 3<\/h5>\n

My water broke.
\nAt first, nobody noticed.
\nEveryone was still staring at the photograph Adrian had sent me\u2014his smug face inside the car, my passport raised in his hand like a trophy.
\nThen warm liquid ran down my legs and pooled beneath my lavender dress.
\nI looked at Mariana.
\n\u201cEither Lucy is coming,\u201d I said, \u201cor humiliation has developed a physical form.\u201d
\nMariana looked down.
\nHer face changed instantly.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cCall an ambulance!\u201d
\nThe room exploded
\nMy mother screamed.
\nOne aunt began crying.
\nAnother aunt grabbed three containers of cupcakes because apparently no emergency should involve wasted dessert.
\nLauren pulled out her phone.
\nRachel stood frozen beside the gift table, still holding the documents that proved my husband had forged my signature and stolen $180,000.
\nA contraction tightened around my stomach.
\nI gripped the nearest chair.
\nIt felt as though an invisible belt had wrapped around my body and someone was pulling it from both ends.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cBreathe,\u201d my mother said.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

\u201cI am breathing.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not breathing correctly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t know there was a wrong way!\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

Mariana placed one arm around me.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re only thirty-one weeks. We\u2019re going to the hospital now.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

Thirty-one weeks.<\/p>\n

Nine weeks too early.<\/p>\n

The rage inside me disappeared.<\/p>\n

For the first time that afternoon, I was afraid.<\/p>\n

Not of Adrian.<\/p>\n

Not of Teresa.<\/p>\n

Not of losing the money.<\/p>\n

I was afraid for my daughter.<\/p>\n

\u201cLucy can\u2019t come yet,\u201d I whispered.<\/p>\n

My mother held my face in both hands.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe may not. The doctors might be able to stop the labor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another contraction hit.<\/p>\n

This one was stronger.<\/p>\n

I doubled over.<\/p>\n

Rachel stepped toward me.<\/p>\n

\u201cCamila, I\u2019m so sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mariana blocked her.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut there\u2019s something she needs to know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat she needs is a doctor.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about Teresa.\u201d<\/p>\n

I looked up.<\/p>\n

Rachel\u2019s eyes were filled with panic.<\/p>\n

Not embarrassment.<\/p>\n

Panic.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about her?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

Before Rachel could answer, two paramedics rushed through the doors.<\/p>\n

They guided me onto a stretcher, checked my blood pressure, and began asking questions.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow far along are you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThirty-one weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAny complications during the pregnancy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot until my husband stole our savings and tried to flee the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

The younger paramedic paused.<\/p>\n

The older one continued attaching a monitor.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll put that under emotional stress.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mariana climbed into the ambulance with me.<\/p>\n

My mother followed in her car.<\/p>\n

As the doors closed, I saw Rachel standing beneath the balloon arch with Lauren.<\/p>\n

Rachel raised one hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cCamila!\u201d<\/p>\n

The doors slammed shut before she could finish.<\/p>\n

The ambulance pulled away.<\/p>\n

I clutched my phone in one hand and Mariana\u2019s fingers in the other.<\/p>\n

\u201cCall the bank,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI already did.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did they say?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fraud department is tracing the transfer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan they reverse it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey didn\u2019t promise anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

My chest tightened.<\/p>\n

\u201cCall the police.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLauren is doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCall airport security.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe police are contacting them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCall Adrian.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

I turned toward her.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has my passport.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd he wants you frightened and distracted. We\u2019re not giving him anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n

My phone buzzed.<\/p>\n

A message from an unknown number appeared.<\/p>\n

YOU DESTROYED MY CAREER.<\/p>\n

I stared at it.<\/p>\n

Another message arrived.<\/p>\n

YOU TURNED MY FAMILY AGAINST ME.<\/p>\n

Then another.<\/p>\n

THIS IS YOUR FAULT.<\/p>\n

I laughed.<\/p>\n

Even with contractions squeezing my body, I laughed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d Mariana asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe thinks this is my fault.\u201d<\/p>\n

She took the phone and read the messages.<\/p>\n

Then she typed a reply.<\/p>\n

Mariana, I warned her.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did you write?\u201d<\/p>\n

She showed me the screen.<\/p>\n

YOUR MESSAGES HAVE BEEN FORWARDED TO THE POLICE.<\/p>\n

Adrian didn\u2019t respond.<\/p>\n

The ambulance siren screamed through Brooklyn traffic.<\/p>\n

I closed my eyes and pressed both hands over my stomach.<\/p>\n

\u201cStay inside,\u201d I whispered. \u201cJust a little longer, baby.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lucy moved.<\/p>\n

A small kick.<\/p>\n

Still fighting.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s my girl,\u201d I whispered.<\/p>\n

At the hospital, everything happened at once.<\/p>\n

Bright lights.<\/p>\n

Cold hallways.<\/p>\n

Questions.<\/p>\n

Monitors.<\/p>\n

Needles.<\/p>\n

A nurse cut away the bottom of my dress while another checked Lucy\u2019s heartbeat.<\/p>\n

A doctor with silver-framed glasses entered and introduced herself as Dr. Shah.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to try to slow the contractions,\u201d she explained. \u201cWe\u2019ll also give medication to help the baby in case delivery cannot be delayed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs she okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHer heartbeat is strong.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs she coming tonight?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t know yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

I hated those four words.<\/p>\n

We don\u2019t know yet.<\/p>\n

They sounded too much like every answer Adrian had given me during the past six months.<\/p>\n

Why are you home late?<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know yet.<\/p>\n

Are you traveling next week?<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know yet.<\/p>\n

When are we buying the new apartment?<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know yet.<\/p>\n

Except now the uncertainty involved my daughter\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

Mariana stood beside the bed, still making calls.<\/p>\n

My mother arrived carrying my purse, a cardigan, and the customized baby-shower favors.<\/p>\n

\u201cI panicked,\u201d she said when I looked at the favors.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou brought fifty tiny bottles of honey?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were already packed.\u201d<\/p>\n

She placed them beside the bed.<\/p>\n

The nurse stared at us.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re a close family,\u201d my mother explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re also not good under pressure,\u201d I added.<\/p>\n

Another contraction appeared on the monitor.<\/p>\n

Dr. Shah examined the screen.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re still coming regularly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you stop them?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying.\u201d<\/p>\n

My mother squeezed my hand.<\/p>\n

Mariana\u2019s phone rang.<\/p>\n

She answered and stepped toward the window.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, this is Mariana Reyes. I\u2019m her attorney.\u201d<\/p>\n

She listened for several seconds.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n

Another pause.<\/p>\n

\u201cWas he alone?\u201d<\/p>\n

My heart began pounding.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho is it?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

Mariana held up one finger.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, do not release him. The passport was stolen, and we are filing a formal report.\u201d<\/p>\n

She ended the call.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey found Adrian.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the airport.\u201d<\/p>\n

Relief rushed through me.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Teresa?\u201d<\/p>\n

Mariana hesitated.<\/p>\n

\u201cAirport security stopped Adrian at the gate because the police had flagged your passport.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWas he trying to use it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. It was inside his carry-on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen why did he take it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd his mother?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe boarded the flight.\u201d<\/p>\n

My mother stared at her.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey let Teresa leave?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fraud report wasn\u2019t processed before the gate closed. She used her own passport, and there wasn\u2019t a warrant.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere was she going?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLisbon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPortugal?\u201d<\/p>\n

Mariana nodded.<\/p>\n

I thought about the money.<\/p>\n

\u201cWas Adrian supposed to go with her?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey had seats beside each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen why did he keep my passport in his bag?\u201d<\/p>\n

Mariana\u2019s expression darkened.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to find out.\u201d<\/p>\n

My phone rang.<\/p>\n

This time, the caller identification showed my bank.<\/p>\n

Mariana answered on speaker.<\/p>\n

A man from the fraud department introduced himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe located the transfer to Hudson Star Holdings,\u201d he said. \u201cUnfortunately, the funds have already been divided.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDivided how?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cEighty thousand dollars was used to purchase a cashier\u2019s check. One hundred thousand was wired to an overseas account.\u201d<\/p>\n

My mouth went dry.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m unable to disclose that while the investigation is active.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s my money.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, ma\u2019am. We have issued a recall request, but international transfers are difficult to reverse once processed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho owns Hudson Star Holdings?\u201d<\/p>\n

There was a pause.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe business account was opened using documentation listing you as the managing member.\u201d<\/p>\n

I stopped breathing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe company is registered under your name.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never heard of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe account was opened fourteen months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fourteen months.<\/p>\n

Long before Adrian began sleeping with Rachel.<\/p>\n

Or at least long before I thought he had begun.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe documents contain copies of your identification, your Social Security information, and your signature.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy forged signature.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will include that allegation in the fraud report.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAllegation?\u201d<\/p>\n

Mariana leaned toward the phone.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy client did not open that account. Preserve every document, recording, access log, IP address, and security image connected to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, ma\u2019am.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd do not contact her husband without going through law enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n

The man agreed.<\/p>\n

After the call ended, the room became silent.<\/p>\n

My mother sat beside the bed.<\/p>\n

\u201cFourteen months,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n

I looked at her.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was planning this before I got pregnant.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Mariana said carefully. \u201cWe don\u2019t know that yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe opened a company in my name. He copied my identification. He had access to my Social Security number. He forged my signature.\u201d<\/p>\n

My voice rose with every sentence.<\/p>\n

The monitor beside me began beeping faster.<\/p>\n

A nurse hurried in.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou need to stay calm.\u201d<\/p>\n

I stared at her.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy husband created a fake company in my name, stole $180,000, took my passport, and sent his mother to Portugal. Please explain which part should make me feel calm.\u201d<\/p>\n

The nurse adjusted the monitor.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe part where your baby needs you.\u201d<\/p>\n

That silenced me.<\/p>\n

I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n

She was right.<\/p>\n

Adrian had already taken my trust, my marriage, and possibly our savings.<\/p>\n

I would not let him take this moment too.<\/p>\n

I breathed slowly until the monitor settled.<\/p>\n

A few minutes later, Lauren arrived.<\/p>\n

She carried my hospital bag, even though I had never packed one.<\/p>\n

\u201cI stopped at your apartment,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow did you get inside?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRachel had Adrian\u2019s spare key.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course she did.<\/p>\n

Lauren placed the bag near the bed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI brought clothes, toiletries, your phone charger, and several things from the nursery.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n

She looked at the monitors.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow is the baby?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStill inside.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s good.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid the police speak to you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes. Adrian is being questioned at the airport. They recovered your passport from his bag.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid they arrest him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bank records are still being verified. He claims you gave him permission to make the transfer.\u201d<\/p>\n

I almost ripped the blood-pressure cuff from my arm.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe forged my name!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe also claims Hudson Star Holdings is your business.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t even know it existed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes anyone else?\u201d<\/p>\n

Lauren placed a thick folder on the table.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey will.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEvidence from the company.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mariana opened the folder.<\/p>\n

Inside were printed emails, expense reports, travel bookings, and security records.<\/p>\n

Lauren pointed to one page.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdrian used his company computer to access Hudson Star Holdings\u2019 bank account multiple times.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first login we found was fourteen months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

The same month the account had been opened.<\/p>\n

Another page showed expense reimbursements.<\/p>\n

Hotel rooms.<\/p>\n

Rental cars.<\/p>\n

Client dinners that had never involved clients.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve been stealing from the company too,\u201d Mariana said.<\/p>\n

\u201cPossibly,\u201d Lauren replied. \u201cOur investigation is ongoing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere is Rachel?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

Lauren looked toward the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cDownstairs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy didn\u2019t she come up?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour cousin threatened to throw her out a window.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mariana didn\u2019t look ashamed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis room is only on the fourth floor.\u201d<\/p>\n

I rubbed my forehead.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou said Rachel knew something about Teresa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lauren\u2019s expression changed.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe does.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe refused to tell me. She said she would only tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n

I glanced at the monitor.<\/p>\n

My contractions had slowed slightly.<\/p>\n

The medication was working.<\/p>\n

Maybe.<\/p>\n

\u201cBring her up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mariana shook her head.<\/p>\n

\u201cCamila\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBring her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ten minutes later, Rachel entered the room.<\/p>\n

She had changed out of her pink dress and into a pair of jeans and a gray sweater Lauren had apparently brought from my apartment.<\/p>\n

My apartment.<\/p>\n

My husband\u2019s mistress had clothes inside my home.<\/p>\n

I stared at the sweater.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s mine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rachel looked down.<\/p>\n

Her face flushed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI spilled coffee on my dress.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you wore my sweater?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLauren gave it to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lauren closed her eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was inside Adrian\u2019s car.\u201d<\/p>\n

I recognized the small tear near the sleeve.<\/p>\n

I had left that sweater in Adrian\u2019s car three months earlier.<\/p>\n

He told me he had donated it.<\/p>\n

Another lie.<\/p>\n

\u201cTake it off,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

Rachel blinked.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTake off my sweater.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCamila,\u201d my mother said gently.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t care if she has to sit here wearing a hospital curtain. Take it off.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rachel removed the sweater.<\/p>\n

She wore a black camisole underneath.<\/p>\n

My mother handed her a blanket.<\/p>\n

Rachel wrapped it around her shoulders and sat near the door.<\/p>\n

For several seconds, nobody spoke.<\/p>\n

Then I said, \u201cTell me about Teresa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rachel looked at my mother, Mariana, and Lauren.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey should stay,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

She nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t meet Teresa at a Christmas party.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI met her eight years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

My stomach tightened, but this time it wasn\u2019t a contraction.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n

Rachel stared at the floor.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was dating Adrian.\u201d<\/p>\n

My mother inhaled sharply.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore he met you,\u201d Rachel continued. \u201cWe were together for almost two years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adrian had told me he\u2019d been single for three years before our first date.<\/p>\n

Another lie.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were serious,\u201d Rachel said. \u201cAt least I thought we were. Teresa liked me. She invited me to holidays, family dinners, everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy did you break up?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI got pregnant.\u201d<\/p>\n

The room disappeared.<\/p>\n

The monitors.<\/p>\n

The flowers.<\/p>\n

The bags.<\/p>\n

The people.<\/p>\n

Everything faded except Rachel\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did you say?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was twenty-four. Adrian was twenty-six. When I told him, he panicked.\u201d<\/p>\n

I placed one hand over my stomach.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened to the baby?\u201d<\/p>\n

Rachel\u2019s eyes filled with tears.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a son.\u201d<\/p>\n

My mother covered her mouth.<\/p>\n

Mariana stood completely still.<\/p>\n

Lauren looked away.<\/p>\n

I stared at Rachel.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdrian has a son?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow old?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSeven.\u201d<\/p>\n

The numbers crashed together inside my head.<\/p>\n

Eight years ago.<\/p>\n

A pregnancy.<\/p>\n

A seven-year-old boy.<\/p>\n

A child Adrian had never mentioned.<\/p>\n

A child Teresa had never mentioned.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere is he?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWith my sister.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes Adrian see him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has seen him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat wasn\u2019t my question.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rachel swallowed.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe visited a few times when Mateo was a baby. Then he stopped.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMateo,\u201d I repeated.<\/p>\n

My daughter had a brother named Mateo.<\/p>\n

A brother I had never known existed.<\/p>\n

\u201cTeresa continued visiting him,\u201d Rachel said. \u201cShe sent money every month. She made me promise never to contact Adrian again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe said he wasn\u2019t ready to be a father. She said I would ruin his future.\u201d<\/p>\n

My mother shook her head.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat woman called herself a grandmother while hiding one grandchild and celebrating another?\u201d<\/p>\n

Rachel wiped her face.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I started working at the insurance agency, I didn\u2019t know Adrian was there. We hadn\u2019t spoken in years.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd six months ago, you accidentally fell into his bed?\u201d<\/p>\n

She flinched.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. That part wasn\u2019t an accident.\u201d<\/p>\n

At least she didn\u2019t insult me with another lie.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe told me he regretted abandoning Mateo,\u201d she continued. \u201cHe said marrying you had made him understand what he lost.\u201d<\/p>\n

I laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe needed to marry one woman to remember the child he abandoned with another?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI believed him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou believed what benefited you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her honesty hurt more than an excuse would have.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said he wanted to bring Mateo into his life,\u201d Rachel said. \u201cHe promised we would finally become a family.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what happened to me and Lucy in this fantasy?\u201d<\/p>\n

She looked down.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said you would receive enough money to start over.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe money he stole from me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t know it was yours.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou saw the documents.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYesterday. That was when I realized he had lied to me too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mariana held up the bank authorization.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy did he give you these?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe wanted me to take the cashier\u2019s check to my sister.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor Mateo?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said it was child support he owed us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the one hundred thousand dollars sent overseas?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t know about that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere is the cashier\u2019s check now?\u201d Mariana asked.<\/p>\n

Rachel reached into her purse.<\/p>\n

She removed a white envelope.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mariana took it.<\/p>\n

The cashier\u2019s check was made payable to Rachel Salcedo.<\/p>\n

Eighty thousand dollars.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou brought this to the baby shower?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI planned to confront him after the party.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou attended my baby shower carrying eighty thousand dollars stolen from me, intending to have a private disagreement with my husband?\u201d<\/p>\n

She winced.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you invited me, I thought you knew.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKnew about the affair?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Mateo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy would you think that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause of the invitation.\u201d<\/p>\n

She looked at me.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou wrote that Adrian spoke highly of me. He had told me he confessed everything to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand that now.\u201d<\/p>\n

I looked at the check.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt least this portion hasn\u2019t been deposited.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mariana examined it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe may be able to cancel it.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the first time since the bank notifications arrived, I felt a small spark of hope.<\/p>\n

Eighty thousand dollars might be recovered.<\/p>\n

The rest was somewhere overseas.<\/p>\n

Probably with Teresa.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy Portugal?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

Rachel\u2019s head snapped up.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTeresa boarded a flight to Lisbon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rachel stood suddenly.<\/p>\n

\u201cLisbon?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know something.\u201d<\/p>\n

She began searching inside her purse.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast month, I heard Adrian arguing with Teresa. He said something about a house outside Lisbon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA house?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe told him it would be ready by August.\u201d<\/p>\n

My mother stared at me.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey bought property with your money.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe not just mine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lauren opened the company folder again.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s more than one suspicious transfer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow much?\u201d Mariana asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t know yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rachel found her phone and opened a photograph.<\/p>\n

It showed Adrian standing beside a white villa with blue shutters. Teresa was next to him, holding a set of keys.<\/p>\n

The date on the photograph was six weeks earlier.<\/p>\n

Adrian had told me he was attending an insurance conference in Boston that week.<\/p>\n

He had been in Portugal.<\/p>\n

Buying a house.<\/p>\n

Planning his escape.<\/p>\n

\u201cSend that to me,\u201d Mariana said.<\/p>\n

Rachel did.<\/p>\n

I looked at the image until Adrian\u2019s smiling face blurred.<\/p>\n

He had built an entire second life while I was assembling a crib.<\/p>\n

The door opened.<\/p>\n

Dr. Shah entered with two nurses.<\/p>\n

She examined the monitor.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe contractions are becoming stronger again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought the medication was working.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt slowed them temporarily.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another contraction hit.<\/p>\n

I grabbed the bed rail.<\/p>\n

Pain tore through my abdomen and back.<\/p>\n

Dr. Shah checked me quickly.<\/p>\n

Her voice became firm.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re moving you to delivery.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCamila\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s too early.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour baby\u2019s heart rate is dropping during contractions. We need to prepare.\u201d<\/p>\n

My mother stood beside me.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo whatever you need to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u201d I shouted. \u201cShe needs more time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Shah took my hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know you\u2019re frightened, but we have a neonatal team ready. Right now, the safest choice may be to deliver.\u201d<\/p>\n

May be.<\/p>\n

Another uncertain answer.<\/p>\n

But this time, there was no villain hiding behind it.<\/p>\n

Only a doctor trying to save my child.<\/p>\n

I nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n

The nurses moved quickly.<\/p>\n

Rachel backed toward the wall.<\/p>\n

\u201cI should go.\u201d<\/p>\n

I looked at her.<\/p>\n

\u201cGive Mariana your phone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery message. Every photograph. Every recording. Everything Adrian sent you.\u201d<\/p>\n

She hesitated.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want the truth?\u201d I asked. \u201cThen stop protecting yourself from it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rachel unlocked her phone and handed it to Mariana.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

I turned away.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t have enough strength to forgive her.<\/p>\n

Not while I was about to deliver my daughter nine weeks early.<\/p>\n

They rushed me down the hallway.<\/p>\n

The ceiling lights passed above me one after another.<\/p>\n

My mother walked beside the bed.<\/p>\n

Mariana followed, still holding the cashier\u2019s check and Rachel\u2019s phone.<\/p>\n

At the delivery-room doors, a nurse stopped them.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne person can come inside.\u201d<\/p>\n

My mother looked at Mariana.<\/p>\n

Mariana looked at me.<\/p>\n

\u201cMom,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

She took my hand and entered with me.<\/p>\n

The pain became a world of its own.<\/p>\n

There was no Adrian.<\/p>\n

No Rachel.<\/p>\n

No stolen money.<\/p>\n

No forged documents.<\/p>\n

Only pressure, fear, voices, and the sound of Lucy\u2019s heartbeat coming through a monitor.<\/p>\n

Push.<\/p>\n

Breathe.<\/p>\n

Again.<\/p>\n

Push.<\/p>\n

I screamed until my throat burned.<\/p>\n

At some point, I begged for Adrian.<\/p>\n

Not because I wanted him.<\/p>\n

Because some instinctive part of me remembered the man I thought he was.<\/p>\n

The man who had knelt beside me in the bathroom during fertility treatments.<\/p>\n

The man who kissed my stomach after the pregnancy test turned positive.<\/p>\n

The man who promised he would be beside me when our daughter arrived.<\/p>\n

But that man had never existed.<\/p>\n

So I pushed without him.<\/p>\n

At 10:43 that night, Lucy entered the world.<\/p>\n

For one terrible second, she made no sound.<\/p>\n

The doctors lifted a tiny, motionless body beneath the bright lights.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy isn\u2019t she crying?\u201d I shouted.<\/p>\n

Nobody answered.<\/p>\n

The neonatal team surrounded her.<\/p>\n

I tried to sit up.<\/p>\n

My mother held my shoulders.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet them help her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy isn\u2019t she crying?\u201d<\/p>\n

Then I heard it.<\/p>\n

A thin sound.<\/p>\n

Soft.<\/p>\n

Angry.<\/p>\n

Alive.<\/p>\n

Lucy cried.<\/p>\n

I collapsed against the bed.<\/p>\n

My mother sobbed into my hair.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s here,\u201d she whispered. \u201cYour baby is here.\u201d<\/p>\n

They allowed me to see her for only a few seconds.<\/p>\n

She was impossibly small.<\/p>\n

Her skin was pink and delicate, her fists no larger than walnuts.<\/p>\n

A nurse lowered her close to my face.<\/p>\n

I kissed her forehead.<\/p>\n

\u201cHi, Lucy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her eyes remained closed.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have terrible timing,\u201d I whispered. \u201cYou\u2019re definitely mine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then they carried her to the neonatal intensive care unit.<\/p>\n

I wanted to follow.<\/p>\n

My body refused.<\/p>\n

The room tilted.<\/p>\n

Everything went dark.<\/p>\n

When I woke, it was after midnight.<\/p>\n

My mother was sleeping in a chair beside the bed.<\/p>\n

Mariana stood near the window, speaking quietly on the phone.<\/p>\n

Lucy was not in the room.<\/p>\n

I touched my stomach.<\/p>\n

Empty.<\/p>\n

Panic shot through me.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere is she?\u201d<\/p>\n

My mother woke immediately.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s in the NICU.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs she alive?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs she breathing?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWith some help. The doctors said she\u2019s stable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stable.<\/p>\n

It was the most beautiful word I had ever heard.<\/p>\n

I began to cry.<\/p>\n

My mother pressed the call button, and a nurse helped place me in a wheelchair.<\/p>\n

They took me to the NICU.<\/p>\n

Lucy lay inside a clear incubator surrounded by tubes and monitors.<\/p>\n

She wore a tiny knitted hat.<\/p>\n

Her chest rose and fell rapidly.<\/p>\n

I slid my hand through an opening and touched one finger to her palm.<\/p>\n

She gripped it.<\/p>\n

Weakly.<\/p>\n

But she gripped it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m here,\u201d I whispered. \u201cI\u2019m not going anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

Behind me, Mariana cleared her throat.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have news.\u201d<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t turn away from Lucy.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood or bad?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBoth.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood first.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bank canceled the cashier\u2019s check. The eighty thousand dollars will be returned once the fraud review is completed.\u201d<\/p>\n

I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n

Eighty thousand recovered.<\/p>\n

Not everything.<\/p>\n

But something.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the bad news?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe international transfer reached an account connected to a Portuguese property company.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe house.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMost likely.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan we get it back?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re working on it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Adrian?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was released from airport questioning.\u201d<\/p>\n

I spun the wheelchair toward her.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey didn\u2019t have enough verified evidence to arrest him. The bank hadn\u2019t completed its report, and he claimed he took your passport by mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBy mistake?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said he believed it was his.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy passport has my photograph.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t say it was a good lie.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere is he now?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNobody knows.\u201d<\/p>\n

My phone was on the small table beside the incubator.<\/p>\n

As if summoned by the question, it buzzed.<\/p>\n

A new voicemail.<\/p>\n

From Adrian.<\/p>\n

Mariana reached for the phone.<\/p>\n

I stopped her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll listen.\u201d<\/p>\n

I pressed play.<\/p>\n

His voice came through quietly.<\/p>\n

\u201cCamila, I know you hate me right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

I almost laughed.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut there are things you don\u2019t understand. My mother made decisions without telling me. Rachel lied to both of us. I never wanted Lucy to be born like this.\u201d<\/p>\n

My fingers tightened around the phone.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to fix everything. Just don\u2019t speak to the police again until you hear my side.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was a pause.<\/p>\n

Then his voice changed.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd don\u2019t trust Rachel. Ask her what happened the night Mateo was born.\u201d<\/p>\n

The message ended.<\/p>\n

I looked at Mariana.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

A commotion sounded near the NICU entrance.<\/p>\n

A security guard was speaking to someone outside.<\/p>\n

Then Rachel appeared behind the glass doors.<\/p>\n

She was no longer alone.<\/p>\n

A little boy stood beside her.<\/p>\n

He had dark hair, brown eyes, and a small dimple in his left cheek.<\/p>\n

Adrian\u2019s dimple.<\/p>\n

The same dimple I had seen in our ultrasound when the technician showed me the shape of Lucy\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

The boy held Rachel\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n

He looked through the glass at the rows of premature babies.<\/p>\n

Then he saw me.<\/p>\n

Rachel approached slowly.<\/p>\n

Her face was swollen from crying.<\/p>\n

\u201cCamila,\u201d she said, \u201cthis is Mateo.\u201d<\/p>\n

I stared at Adrian\u2019s seven-year-old son.<\/p>\n

Mateo looked at the incubator.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs that baby Lucy?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d I whispered.<\/p>\n

His eyes filled with tears.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy grandma said she wasn\u2019t supposed to be born.\u201d<\/p>\n

The room went silent.<\/p>\n

I leaned forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did you say?\u201d<\/p>\n

Mateo looked frightened.<\/p>\n

Rachel knelt beside him.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s okay. Tell her what Grandma Teresa told you.\u201d<\/p>\n

The little boy reached into his coat pocket.<\/p>\n

He pulled out a small glass bottle.<\/p>\n

Inside it was a clear liquid.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy grandma gave this to Daddy,\u201d he said. \u201cShe told him to put it in the special tea he made for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

My blood turned cold.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat special tea?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe tea he gave you this morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

I remembered Adrian standing beside the bed.<\/p>\n

Smiling.<\/p>\n

Holding a tray.<\/p>\n

Breakfast.<\/p>\n

Toast.<\/p>\n

And a cup of herbal tea.<\/p>\n

The same tea I drank hours before my water broke.<\/p>\n

Mateo placed the bottle in my hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cGrandma said once the baby came early,\u201d he whispered, \u201cDaddy could take everything.\u201d\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026.<\/p>\n

TO BE CONTINUED IN PART 4\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

CLICK HERE CONTINUE TO READ PART 4 \u2013 My pregnant husband cheated on me. So I invited his mistress to my baby shower instead.<\/a><\/h5>\n<\/div>\n