Shattered Trust

My calm, almost careless attitude caught Jensen off guard. He reached out to stop me as I turned away. "Noelle, I know this must hurt. Blame me if you need to. But believe me, this divorce is only temporary. I'll keep my promise to you."

I glanced at the hand holding mine, then pulled free. "Register the marriage with Brooke first. We can talk about the rest later."

Jensen opened his mouth again, but Brooke was quicker. She slipped her arm through his and said sweetly, "Since Noelle's already urging us, let's just hurry and get this done."

Then, she rubbed her stomach with a pitiful expression. "The doctor said I'm not in good health. There's a chance of premature labor. If the baby comes and we haven't gotten married, does that mean my baby will become a love child?"

Jensen stopped hesitating at once. He carefully guided her into the car and even buckled her seatbelt for her. Meanwhile, I had to waddle to the backseat on my own, one hand holding my belly, the other bracing my back.

Rain began to fall outside, cold drops soaking into the cracks of my already broken heart. From the moment I watched them flirt so shamelessly, a dull ache had been gnawing at my stomach.

By the time the divorce papers were finalized, Jensen had dropped the act. His eyes never left Brooke. He even asked me for advice. "Noelle, does my hairstyle look okay? Does it make me look old—like I'm not good enough for Brooke?"

I ignored him. Brooke immediately tugged on his arm with a bright smile. "We look perfect together, like a match made in heaven. Stop overthinking—let's go through the process and get married!"

I stayed quiet, watching them flaunt their affection like nothing had happened. I didn't rush to leave. This time, I wanted to see the truth with my own eyes, to kill the last of my hope.

After everything was done, Brooke strutted over with their freshly issued marriage license in hand. "Noelle, Jensen says he’s a hundred times happier than when you two got married."

Her face radiated triumph, her words dripping with provocation. "Jensen's eyes are always filled with love for me. I'm so happy. Oh, wait, I shouldn't call him Jensen anymore—I should call him 'honey.' Don't you think so, Noelle?"

When I didn't respond, she went further and slapped my belly hard out of the blue. "You are always as dull as dishwater. Your baby must be a stupid one. Mine's obviously way smarter than yours."

Before I could even retort to her, a sharp pain tore through me. I stumbled back two steps and tripped over my own feet. With a heavy thud, I hit the ground hard, my knee scraping open and bleeding.

The sound drew the attention of several bystanders. "Whose wife is that? Look how far along she is! Why isn't her husband with her? How irresponsible!"

Brooke acted as if nothing had happened, even raising her voice on purpose. "She doesn't have a husband anymore. He just divorced her and left her behind. Who knows whose child she's carrying…"

Gasps rippled through the crowd, and I felt their judgmental stares burning into me.

At that moment, Jensen came running over. He froze when he saw me on the ground, clutching my belly in pain. Panic flashed across his face. "Noelle, how did you fall? Let me—"

But before he could reach me, Brooke let out a dramatic scream and collapsed to the ground herself. "Honey… my stomach hurts…"

Her tears spilled, her voice trembling with fear, "Is the baby coming early? What do we do, honey? I'm scared…"

And just like that, all of Jensen's attention shifted back to her.

The Child I Lost

He rushed to her side in a panic, scooping her into his arms. "You're okay. I'm here. You and the baby will be fine!"

Once upon a time, Jensen had treated me that way too. Even if I had only had a paper cut, he would carefully bandage the wound and hold me tight, whispering, "Noelle, don't worry. I'll never let you get hurt again."

But the man who had once sworn to protect me now turned his back, leaving me crumpled on the ground while he carried another woman away.

As he tried to walk off, I forced myself through the stabbing pain, using the last of my strength to grab the cuff of his pants. "Jensen, this is your child. Are you really going to walk away?"

Before he could answer, Brooke's voice cut through, shrill and weeping. "Honey, we just got our marriage license. How can you stand to see me in so much pain? It hurts so much—please, take me to the hospital!"

Conflict flickered across Jensen's face. He glanced down at me, hesitation clouding his eyes, but only for a moment. Then, he pulled his leg free and said with guilt, "Hang on. I'll call an ambulance right away. But Brooke is my wife now—I have to take her to the hospital first. You understand, don't you?"

And with that, Jensen left me behind without a second thought. Helplessness and fear swallowed me whole. A gush of warmth spread between my legs, and my vision blurred as waves of agony twisted through my stomach. Darkness closed in, and I lost consciousness.

…

When I woke again, I bolted upright with a scream that startled the doctor and nurses beside my bed. My hands flew to my belly, desperate to feel my child.

A nurse caught my wrist, her expression heavy with pity. "I'm sorry, miss. You lost too much blood. We had no choice but to perform an induction."

Just one sentence—and it shattered me like thunder from a clear sky.

"No… No, that's impossible." My voice broke into sobs. "The baby was just kicking. Only two days ago, the doctor said he was perfectly healthy…"

I couldn't accept it. I refused to accept it. Even though I had agreed to divorce Jensen, the first thing I did was fumble for my phone and call him.

It rang for a long time before someone finally picked up. "Jensen, our baby—"

"Noelle Zavala." Brooke's voice came through before I could begin. "You and Jensen are divorced. That child has nothing to do with him anymore. Don't forget—he's my husband now, your brother-in-law. We're about to hold our wedding."

The phone slipped from my hand, her words ringing in my ears.

So, this was what it felt like for a heart to truly die.

I bit back tears and asked the nurse in a dull voice, "Where's my baby? I want to see him one last time."

They wheeled me to the morgue, where I said my last goodbye before numbly scheduling the cremation.

…

Back in the ward, I sank into another restless sleep. But it wasn't long before a voice stirred me awake. "Noelle… Noelle, how are you feeling?"

My eyes fluttered open, and the first face I saw was Jensen's. Rage boiled up inside me, burning away the haze of pain.

He didn't notice my hatred. Instead, he touched my stomach with confusion. "Noelle, what happened to your belly? Where's our baby?"

Our baby…

Those words ripped open every wound. The image of my child lying alone in that cold morgue clawed at me until I could barely breathe. My hand closed around the cup on the nightstand, and with all the strength left in me, I hurled it at Jensen.

"Our child is dead—killed by you and your new wife, Jensen Cruz!"