My husband and I go on a road trip back to my hometown before Christmas. I want to ride shotgun, but he chases me to the backseat so his female colleague can sit in front.

He says, "Isabel gets carsick easily. You are my wife, so you should be more considerate of her."

He seems to have forgotten that I'm pregnant—my morning sickness is at its peak. Halfway through the journey, he and Isabel Slater start smoking. They make me throw up.

The smell disgusts them, and my husband wants to teach me a lesson. He and Isabel leave me at the rest stop.

Unbeknownst to them, my family is already waiting there. This time, I'm going back with them and getting an abortion and divorce.

Later, my husband is filled with regret when he learns the child is gone.

This year, my husband, Elias Alston, and I had planned to drive back to our hometown to celebrate Christmas.

He left the house early this morning, and I figured he was out picking up some local specialties. But when I opened the passenger door, I was stunned to find a woman already sitting there.

I knew her from Elias' Instagram posts. She was in his department, and I believed her name was Isabel Slater. She was young and undeniably beautiful.

As I stood there, caught off guard, Isabel turned to me with a bright smile. "Hello, Renee."

Before I could process what was happening, two men in the back seat chimed in, "Morning, Renee!"

I froze, my gaze shifting to Elias, my mind swirling with confusion.

"We're all from the same hometown, so I figured we could give them a ride," he explained.

"Why didn't you let me know earlier?" I demanded.

"Sorry, Renee," Isabel said gently. "Elias was afraid you might refuse, so he decided not to bring it up. Please don't be angry with him."

I bit back my anger, not wanting to create a scene and embarrass Elias. "Could you move to the back, Ms. Slater? I'd like to sit in the front."

"Isabel gets carsick," Elias cut in. "Renee, you're my wife, so try to understand. There's no need to be so possessive right now."

"I'm pregnant, Elias!" I shot back. "I've been so sick from morning sickness for days, didn't you realize?"

Tears pooled in Isabel's eyes, and she said quietly, "I'm sorry, Renee. I'll move to the back."

But Elias kept her seated and barked, "Stop making such a fuss just because you're pregnant, Renee! Guests come first! Now get in the back and hurry up!"

My fists tightened at my sides as several pairs of eyes turned toward me. Thinking of the baby I was carrying and Mom and Dad waiting for me at home, I bit my tongue and climbed into the back seat.

I never realized that holding back my anger then would only lead to even more humiliation later.

I squeezed into the back seat next to the two men, noticing how Elias completely ignored me while bantering with Isabel.

Noticing my discomfort in the rearview mirror, Isabel put on a concerned act. "You look a little cramped back there, Renee. Maybe we can switch seats at the next rest area."

Before I could get a word out, Elias said awkwardly, "She's gained quite a bit of weight with the pregnancy. Walter, Hubert, is she taking up too much space?"

Walter Spiel and Hubert Locke, sitting with their legs stretched out, swiftly tucked them in and laughed. "No, not at all."

"Great. Don't worry about Renee," Elias said. "She's my wife, and it's only right for her to make sure you're all taken care of."

His words pierced me like a blade, cutting deep into my heart.

Our relationship had always been strong, from the start of our dating to our marriage. But everything changed once Isabel became his colleague.

At first, she was just "the new intern" Elias talked about. Then, he started mentioning how sharp and driven she was.

Eventually, he stopped saying her name, but her face began showing up in his Instagram posts. They were always side by side in the pictures, smiling sweetly.

Whenever I asked him about her, he'd lash out in frustration. "Renee! I work my tail off every day, and you still manage to find something to blow up over? Maybe you should just lock me up at home if you're that paranoid!"

That day, we had a huge argument. He stormed out of the house and didn't return for a whole week, leaving me—pregnant—crying day after day.

Now, everything made sense. I hadn't been paranoid at all. He'd lashed out because he was guilty all along.

My stomach churned with the weight of my low spirits. I feared I might actually throw up, so I closed my eyes, hoping sleep would take over and ease the nausea.

The rest, however, were bored and began playing "Song Quiz". They cranked the volume up so high that the noise made it impossible for me to sleep.

I was drifting into a light sleep when Walter's shout for the answer jerked me awake again. "Mistaken Love! Mistaken Love! That's five points for me!"

His laughter boomed.

When he turned and saw the displeasure on my face, he stuttered, "R-Renee, do you want to join us?"

"Don't bother," Elias said. "She's such a buzzkill. Having her in the game would just ruin the vibe."

This was the same guy who had fallen for me at first sight when we met at a college club event. I was the most energetic person there, and he told me that my cheerful personality was what drew him in.

But now, he didn't think twice about making me feel small to spare his colleague's feelings.

"What was it about Renee that made you want to marry her, Elias?" Isabel asked in a sugary tone. "A man like you deserves someone exceptional."

"She's great at running a household and taking care of others," Elias explained, his smirk barely noticeable.

"Oh, you mean like a housekeeper? But I'm sure she's better than your average housekeeper, isn't she?"

"Yeah, exactly, a housekeeper. That's the word I was looking for."

My nails dug deep into my palms. I stared at their backs as they joked around.

Then, I forced out my words through clenched teeth. "You're such a delight, Ms. Slater. Maybe you're the better match for Elias."

Isabel turned around, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "You've misunderstood everything, Renee! Elias is just a senior I looked up to at work. I understand you might feel jealous, especially with the mood swings that come with pregnancy.

"Elias, for Renee and the baby's sake, maybe it's best to let me off at the next rest area. I'll call for a rideshare."

Tears slipped down her cheeks.

Elias' face twisted with discomfort as he tried to soothe her. "Renee's a little unstable at times and often says things without thinking. Don't let it bother you, Isabel. Stay where you are. I'm not leaving you behind."

He turned slightly toward me, his voice rising with frustration. "Renee! Do you have to be so spiteful? Can't you just keep quiet in the back? Is putting Isabel down the only way you can feel good?

"I'll drop you off at the next rest area if you keep this up. Stop embarrassing me before everyone! Honestly, I don't know what I was thinking, marrying someone with no manners."

Walter and Hubert jumped in to defend Isabel.

"That was way out of line, Renee. Isabel and Elias haven't done a thing wrong. How can you make such ridiculous accusations?"

"Exactly. Jealousy is one thing, but you're out of control. Is this what pregnancy does to people? Makes them lose all sense of reason?"

They kept going, one after another, leaving no room for me to defend myself. My head swam, fury rising like a tidal wave inside me.

I wanted to fling the door open and get out of the car, but the highway blurred past us, and there was no way to escape.

My voice shook as I burst out. "I'm your wife, Elias!"

"So what if you are?" he retorted. "Does that mean I have to pamper you? Apologize to Isabel!"

It felt like something had ripped through my chest. I turned my face away from him, swallowing my reply.

I pulled out my phone, opened the map, and searched for the nearest rest area. Then, I sent its name to Mom and Dad. I couldn't stand to be in that car for another minute.

Elias caught sight of me fiddling with my phone through the rearview mirror.

"Seriously, Renee?" His voice rose with irritation. "You're playing with your phone right now? Apologize to Isabel!"

"It's fine, Elias. Renee didn't do it on purpose," Isabel said, her voice heavy with tears.

"I'm not apologizing, Elias," I replied icily.

"Renee! Don't make me stop this car and toss you out on the highway," Elias threatened.

I met his eyes without flinching.

Walter interjected before the tension could escalate further, "Watch the road, Elias. You don't want to lose points on your license."

Only then did Elias rein in his anger. "Fine. But we're not done. I'll deal with you when we get home."

I looked away, closing my eyes as I forced back tears. Whatever feelings I had for Elias were wearing thin. My silence left the air heavy, and no one else knew how to break it.

After a while, Elias seemed to calm himself, his voice softening. "We're all friends here, Renee, and this trip is going to be a long one. Don't let a few heated words ruin the mood, alright? Show them my wife isn't unreasonable. Just say something to smooth things over, can you?"

When I didn't respond, he tried again, his tone almost pleading. "Come on, I'll buy you those sour gummies you like as soon as we stop at a rest area."

I scoffed and ignored him. His expression darkened with discomfort, and he stopped talking to me. The car sank back into another silence.

Half-asleep, I was jolted awake by the scent of cigarette smoke.

I bolted upright and demanded, "Who's smoking? Don't you realize I'm pregnant?"

The smoke curled up from the front seat.

"Renee, I asked Elias first, and he said it was fine," Isabel said. "I'm sorry. I'm feeling upset and couldn't help it. Please just bear with it for now, okay?"

Elias' voice came next. "You upset Isabel earlier, Renee, so you'll just have to deal with it."

Walter and Hubert rubbed their hands together and chimed in, "If that's the case, maybe we'll join in. We've been dying for a smoke."

I stared at them in disbelief, my voice trembling. "Is this what you all want for my baby, secondhand smoke?"

Walter blew out a puff of smoke. "It's just one cigarette, Renee. You're being way too dramatic."

He held out a cigarette to Elias. "You've been holding back long enough, haven't you? Come on, treat yourself."

Elias took it without a second thought. "One won't hurt."

"Elias!" I yelled. "Do you even freaking remember that it's your child I'm carrying?"

Elias froze, then handed the cigarette back. "Fine, I won't smoke. Hurry up and stub out all those cigarettes."

"Just let me finish this one, Elias," Isabel said, her voice syrupy and pleading.

"Sure, go ahead," he replied. "This is all on Renee, anyway."

"Then we might as well finish ours, too. We're almost done, after all," Hubert chimed in.

Elias glanced at me through the rearview mirror. "Open the window and let them finish, Renee. A little smoke isn't going to harm the baby."

A sharp pain twisted in my stomach as I looked at him in disbelief.

"What kind of father are you, Elias?" I cried out.

Isabel blew out a puff of smoke and agreed, "Elias is right, Renee. Don't they always say that a relaxed approach helps kids thrive? You should've had that mindset from the start of your pregnancy. Who knows, you might end up with a perfectly healthy kid."