The Wife's Gambit

I burst into Ethan's office, eager to share the big news.

I'm pregnant!

We're going to have a baby!

But then I saw him.

Arms wrapped around Evelyn Bennettmy sister in lawstroking her hair like she was his favorite toy.

I froze on the spot.

Sorry, bad timing.

I backed out slowly.

I shut the door behind me.

I leaned against the wall, my hand resting on my still-flat stomach.

Sorry, little one, it looks like Daddy might not be part of our story anymore.

Evelyn.

The sister who had resented me, since the day I stepped into her picture-perfect life.

I've been married to Ethan for five years now.

But before that?

He was Evelyn's high-school first love.

Our wedding was nothing more than a business arrangement that went off the rails.

The Grants and Bennetts are old money, running San Francisco's real estate and petrol businesses.

They're the ultimate power couples.

Their engagement was the talk of the town.

Then, just a week before the wedding, their rivals kidnapped Evelyn.

I was with her that day, shopping for her wedding dress.

I got taken by the thugs too.

They handed Evelyn over to the crime boss's son.

Then locked me in a pitch-dark room.

For three whole days. No food. No water. No light. Nothing but sheer terror and endless wailing from the next room. We eventually got out, thanks to the rescue from police.

But Evelyn was... shattered.

Her family packed her off to Switzerland to recover her mental issues. To hush up the scandal, both families paid off the media. And, the power party needs a union. So. The wedding went ahead as planned.

Except I was the one walking down the aisle.

Lost in my memories, the office door suddenly swung open. Ethan looked uncomfortable and kind of awkward.

"Hey, Olivia, please come in."

I gripped the doorframe tightly.

I shook my head.

I couldn't bring myself to face Evelyn's face.

Not again...

I was ten years old the first time I entered the Bennett's mansions.

It felt like another world, compared to my mom's cramped apartment.

Marble floors everywhere.

Glistening chandeliers.

A pool glittering under the bright San Francisco's sun.

The housekeeper escorted me out to the garden.

And there she was.

Evelyn.

Swinging in an expensive sundress, her hair shining like gold.

She looked like a storybook princess.

I just stared at her.

A dumb country girl from no where.

I think... At that moment, I was utterly self-abased.

She hopped down the swing gracefully.

Glided toward me.

Evelyn leyed me from head to toe.

The dull glasses I've been wearing since elementary school.

My thrift-store pink T-shirt, with outdated cartoon characters on it.

I shifted nervously, my fingers clutching my worn-out jeans. My scuffed-up sneakers. I wanted to vanish.

"You must be Olivia?"

I mumbled, "Yeah."

She grabbed my hand enthusiastically.

"I'm Evelyn! Your sister in law!"

Back in those days, she was actually very kind to me.

Almost like a real sister to me.

Her mother? My stepmom?

She despised me from the moment we met.

But that's understandable.

My mom was the other woman for her.

I was the living, breathing reminder, as the scars of her marriage.

Then one day.

My stepmother overdosed on pills.

I guess, I'm the cancer that triggers her depressive mood.

After that, Evelyn started looking at me, like, I was toxic.

...

Snap back the memories.

"Olivia? Are you coming in?"

Evelyn's voice, smooth as ever.

Walked inside, I perched on the edge of the sofa, my knuckles turning white from gripping my skirt.

Evelyn sat right beside Ethan. Her postures acting like she owned the room. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. Playing the delicate, wounded victim.

"Liv," she began her drama, "your marriage to Ethan had been always just a business move. There was never any real love involved."

"Now that I'm back So"

"I know."

I cut her off.

Looked up to both of them.

"I'll sign the divorce papers, Ev. Today."

Surprise flickered in Evelyn's eyes.

She clearly hadn't anticipated me caving so easily.

Ethan's intense, dark stare locked onto mine.

He said nothing.

Just as he had always been, he remained silent.

I forced a tight smile.

"You two can catch up now. I'll get going."

A sharp cramp twisted my stomach.

I desperately needed some fresh air.

Immediately. Ethan frowned, noticing my pallor.

"Zach will drive you."

Zach Miller.

His notoriously efficient, low-key and sarcastic assistant.

Back when I used to visit the office, he'd always find an excuse to interrupt with "urgent reports."

I'd once teased him, "Zach, no woman is ever going to gonna put up with that permanent scowl on your face."

Without missing a beat, he'd deadpanned, "I don't care about women, my top priority was always my job, Mrs. Grant."

I'd been speechless.

Ethan had actually laughed backed then.

Zach's expression hadn't changed one bit.

...

But earlier today?

He'd stalled me in the hallway, his face looked embarrassed.

"Mr. Grant is occupied."

Very occupied.

He always knew Ethan's heart.

Always had.

In the car, I closed my eyes.

Zach caught my gaze in the rearview mirror. "Are you feeling alright, Mrs. Grant?"

"I'm fine."

"And don't call me that."

The title wouldn't be mine for much longer.

The moment I got home, I raced to the bathroom, threw up violently holding onto the toilet.

I 've been secretly two months pregnant.

Today was supposed to be our happy surprise.

But life is cruel.

His perfect first love had returned.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror.

Red-rimmed eyes.

Pale skin.

Evelyn was right about one thing, at least.

The marriage began as a transaction, a union for the families, a trade.

But after five years?

I'd deeply fallen for him.

It was difficult to get close to him.

The first two years were all polite distance between us. Separate bedrooms. He was still in love with a shadow.

Then, on our third New Year's Eve... there was wine.

The glittering city lights. Fireworks exploding over the sparkling bay, a snow on our head.

And Ethan kissed me.

Maybe it was the champagne. Maybe the magic of the moment. I kissed him back.

After that, everything changed.

He became incredibly attentive to me.

The whole company knew we are in love.

Employees would whisper rumours, their envy obvious.

I once had it all.

His brief, wholehearted love, and that was enough for me.

Now, Evelyn was back.

The dream was over.

A fantacy of happy faces on the surface of a bubble.

I placed a hand on my belly.

If Evelyn found out, she'd pressure him to...

terminate my babe.

I could survive losing Ethan.

But I would not survive losing his child. I packed a bag together and left before he returned home.

I still had a tiny studio in the city from before we were married.

It was dusty, but it was totally mine.

I hired a cleaner online and booked a hotel room for the night.

Completely drained, I collapsed into bed and was asleep by 9 pm.

The phone's insistent ringing jarred me awake.

Disoriented, I answered.

It was Ethan's voice, tight with ice-cold anger.

"Olivia. Where the hell are you?"

Silence.

"Talk to me." His impatience cut through the phone line.

I swallowed hard.

"I've moved out."

"Who gave you the permission to leave?"

I flinched at his tone.

"With Evelyn back... it felt every thing was inappropriate in the house, including me."

He let out a long sigh.

His voice softened.

"Liv. Come home now."

His voice.

Low and persuasive.

I know.

It was the one tone, when he was determined to get his way.

My resolve wavered.

"Ethan we're getting divorced."

He snapped.

"We're not divorced yet! You are not leaving the house, until I told you so!"

I was scared by his voice, my voice cracked.

"Don't yell at me! I'm the one being replaced here! Why are you mad?"

Tears spilled over.

I heard rustling sounds on his end.

"Where are you? I'm coming over."

Twenty minutes later.

He stood at my hotel door.

Saw my puffy eyes. Pulled me into his arms.

I didn't go back to our house.

He stayed with me at the hotel.

He didn't mention Evelyn.

He just seemed to want this one last night.

Just him and me.

I watched him falls sleep, my fingers gently tracing his hair.

I whispered, "Baby, this might be the closest you get to Daddy. Remember him."

The next day, at the Grant family estate.

His parents agreed to the divorce.

But his grandfather refused.

"Over my dead body!" He whacked Ethan's leg sharply with his cane.

I trembled seeing that.

Ethan didn't even flinch by the hit.

Later that day, he's gonna drive me back to the hotel.

Outside, Ethan didn't start the car immediately.

He rolled down the window.

Pulled out a cigarette, and lit it. The red ember glowed in the dim light. Smoke curled around him, blurring his sharp features. Ethan rarely smoked.

Only when he was under extreme pressure.

I clutched my purse tightly.

"Ethan, we don't have to tell your grandfather right away."

He paused and looked directly at me.

"If we don't tell him, he'll never have to know."

He stubbed out the half-smoked cigarette. "Liv, you're that eager to divorce?"

I froze, guilt washing over me. "Not that eager."

I was just terrified he'd discover the truth about the baby.

He sighed heavily. "We'll discuss that later."

We entered the house, again, I need to grab some of my cloth left in the apartment.

As we stepped out of the elevator, Evelyn was already there.

She immediately slid her arm through his, completely ignoring me.

"Ethan! I've been waiting for you!"

I took a step back.

Ethan pulled his arm away slightly. "Sorry, Ev, I come back late."

They walked into our house, the space used to belong to me and ethan.

Leaving me standing outside, feeling like a stranger.

Evelyn was lounging on the sofa like she owned it.

She noticed me hesitating in the doorway.

"Liv? Don't just stand there. Come in."

I shuffled inside, feeling like a guest in what was once my own home.

We sat in an awkward triangle formation.

Ethan broke the silence first.

"Ev, about the divorce... we're putting it on hold"

"What?!"

She exploded off the couch like a hissed cat.

I was startledagain.

This pregnancy had my nerves on edge.

Before Ethan could explain further, Evelyn turned on me. "You bit*h! You changed your mind!"

I shook my head frantically in denial.

"It's not her," Ethan said, his voice calm but firm.

"It's for Grandpa's health. The stress of a divorce right now could be too much for him."

Evelyn's face softened into pleading.

"Ethan, we can marry right after! Seeing you happy would be good for his health too!"

He frowned. "Ev, let's not rush this."

"Why?!" Her eyes welled with fake tears.

"Don't you love me anymore? We already lost five years! Do you have any idea what I went through?"

Ethan hesitated, his resolve clearly wavering.

Finally, he softened.

"Okay. We'll finalize the divorce next week."

My nails dug into my palms.

Evelyn beamed, immediately clinging to his arm.

He hugged Ev in his arms. He glanced at me over her shoulder.

His eyes didn't convey anything,there is neither sadness nor happiness.

I looked away, my heart aching like it had been physically wounded.

Monday morning arrived, and the divorce finalized.

Outside the sterile courthouse steps, Ethan stopped me.

"Liv. Listen,I'm sorry."

"She suffered so much. It's neither of our faults, It's. I have to take care of her now."

I managed a fragile smile. "So, These five years were always borrowed time from her."

"Thank you for your time, Ethan."

His eyes held something complex and unreadable.

Mine burned with unshed tears.

"Can you just hug me? For the one last time?"

He searched my face for a long moment, before pulling me into his arms.

I buried my face in the familiar warmth of his neck and finally let myself cry.

He trembled slightly. It was done.

Our relationship.

My youth. And many things, hard to explain or describe.

People, expressions, feelings I guess. They are not what used to be.

I left San Francisco that afternoon. Ethan had left millions in my account.

I didn't touch a single cent.

I moved to Seattle and bought a tiny one-bedroom condo with my own savings.

I made it cozy, slowly preparing for the baby's arrival.

The early pregnancy was brutal.

I could barely drink any water down.

Multiple hospital visits followed as my weight dropped alarmingly.

My doctor frowned during one appointment.

"May I ask you somthing?? Where's your husband? He should be here with you!"

I forced another smiled. "He's... very busy."

"Busy?" She huffed in disapproval.

"You need support! Especially with pregnant vomiting this severe!"

I dodged further questions.

In the hospital. other couples in the maternity ward,husband and wifes.

I felt that familiar pang of loneliness.

I touched my growing bump. "You're the best baby. We don't need Daddy."

Thought that was it.

Peace.

I waited peacefully for the birth of this child.

Then, four months pregnant, my phone rang again. It was Ethan.