My Dead Best Friend Came Back Pregnant With My Husband’s Child

The night I found out Dustin Sullivan had cheated on me, I climbed onto the river bridge.

Staring down at the bottomless black water, I looked back at him, nearly out of my mind.

I told you. If I ever caught you betraying me, I'd make you regret it for the rest of your life.

At the last possible second, it was my best friend who dragged me back from the edge, and lost her own footing, plunging into the river instead.

Before she went under, her voice rang out across the scene, a warning hurled at Dustin.

"If you ever wrong Rosie again, I'll never forgive you, not even from the grave!"

For the two years after that, countless times, I stood at the window and wanted to throw myself out of it.

It was Dustin who wrapped his arms around me when I spun out of control, crying as he spoke.

"I was wrong. I'll never do anything to hurt you again."

"If something happens to you, then Geraldine Pruitt died for nothing!"

After that, I fought to hold myself together, but he started vomiting constantly, growing thinner and thinner.

Whenever I asked, he'd just wave it off and say it was the stress.

Then, the day before Valentine's Day, while I was picking out a gift at the mall, a post scrolled past on my phone.

When a man loves a woman deeply enough, while she's carrying his child, he can experience the morning sickness in her place.

I thought it was nonsense. But when I looked up, I saw Dustin walking out of a movie theater, holding a woman's hand.

"This kid's already such a handful."

"When he comes out, I'm definitely going to give him a good smack!"

And the woman beside him, her whole face glowing with happiness, was the best friend who'd fallen into the river two years ago to save me. Geraldine.

The gift slipped from my hands and hit the floor. Ignoring the salesperson calling after me, I followed them.

Geraldine listened to Dustin and said, all shy and coy.

"Oh, come on, it's only been three months and you already want to smack him. What kind of father are you?"

"Besides, how do you even know it's a boy or a girl?"

Dustin held her hand, and in his voice was that gentleness and patience I knew so painfully well.

"If it's a daughter, of course I'll be happy. But I'm hoping for a boy."

He paused, and something restless flickered in his eyes.

"Rosamund Swanson's moods swing back and forth. I'm afraid I won't be able to keep it hidden forever, and she'll come after you."

"If it's a boy, he can help me protect you."

Geraldine's face filled with emotion, and she rose onto her toes to press a kiss to his lips.

"Dustin, thank you for loving me."

Dustin's eyes reddened, and he ruffled the top of her hair.

"Silly. I'm the one who's put you through all this."

"Come on, let's go home and I'll make you something good to eat."

I flagged down a taxi and followed. Twenty minutes later, the car stopped outside a villa community in the suburbs.

The estate's patrolling steward spotted me and asked, instantly on guard.

"Ma'am, who are you here for?"

My throat tightened. I forced out a smile.

"Mr. Sullivan hired me to come cook."

Understanding dawned on the steward's face, and an envious look came over him at once.

"Mrs. Sullivan really is a lucky woman. You're the fifth cook he's called in this month."

"It's number fourteen, just up ahead."

I thanked him and walked on.

The moment I reached the door, I saw him through the enormous floor-to-ceiling window. Dustin, in an apron, cooking.

Every motion smooth as flowing water, his knife work effortless.

Geraldine hugged him from behind, praising how amazing he was.

I watched it all, my eyes stinging, and thought back to seven years ago.

Back then, we'd just graduated.

Dustin defied his parents' objections, set on being with me.

To prove himself, he started a business from nothing.

We lived in a single rented room with terrible ventilation.

He couldn't cook, so it always fell to me.

Over time, I came down with a bad case of bronchitis, my voice so hoarse I could barely speak.

Dustin had held me close, aching for me as he made his promise.

"Rosie, just wait a little longer. Once I've made it, I'll never let you set foot in a kitchen again for the rest of your life."

I cupped his face in my hands and teased him.

"So you'll cook for me instead?"

He took my hands in his, his voice gentle.

"My cooking's hopeless. When that day comes, we'll hire the best chef there is."

And now, here he was, making pregnancy meals for my best friend.

The surge of emotion clogged my throat, until I couldn't stand it another second, and I turned and went to the home of my childhood friend, Aiden James.

When he opened the door and saw me, his face filled with worry.

"Rosie, what are you doing here?"

"Did that bastard Dustin hurt you again?"

Our mothers had been close friends for decades. We'd known each other since before either of us was even born.

He'd always protected me like a little sister. Whenever I was in danger, he'd appear right in front of me.

I looked at him, my nose stung, and the tears spilled over. My voice shook.

"Geraldine never died at all!"

"And she's having a baby with Dustin"

"What am I supposed to do? Why would they do this to me?"

Any other time, hearing this, Aiden would have rolled up his sleeves and gone to teach Dustin a lesson.

But now his expression was strange, almost disappointed as he said,

"I told him this plan wouldn't work. I told him you'd find out sooner or later."

I froze, then slowly raised my head to look at him.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"What do you mean, I'd find out sooner or later?"

The tears came harder. I grabbed his sleeve and screamed at him.

"Aiden! Say something!"

Something reluctant flickered through his eyes and was gone, and then he spoke like a man who'd given up holding it back.

"I'm sorry, Rosie. I never meant to keep it from you."

"The truth is, the night you got drunk at your wedding, Dustin and Geraldine had already slept together."

"And the day you found out, you were so out of control, so unhinged, that the two of them were afraid you'd do something to yourself. That's why they came up with this."

He paused, steadied my shoulders, and looked at me as he spoke.

"Rosie, take my advice. Don't hold on to some things so tightly."

"You don't have to hide and run the way Geraldine does. Being the Mrs. Sullivan everyone recognizes is already a good deal."

"It wasn't easy for Geraldine to finally find someone who loves her. You two had it so good. Stop making things hard for her."

My breath seized. I let out a scoff, flung his hand off, and my voice turned scornful.

"I'm making things hard for her?"

"Ha. Ha. Ha. You've all lost your minds!"

And with that, I turned to leave.

But Aiden seized my wrist.

"Rosie, calm down for a second."

"Today's the day the three of us meet, like we do every month. Dustin and Geraldine are already on their way here."

"Since you know now, it's better to just get some things out in the open."

"I've got nothing left to say to any of you!"

I kicked him in the shin and yanked the door open, only to come face to face with Dustin and Geraldine.

When my eyes fell on their tightly clasped hands, I stared hard at the faint swell of Geraldine's belly and let out a soft laugh.

"Geraldine. Long time no see."

Panic flashed across Dustin's face, and then, as if he'd spotted some wild animal, he pushed her behind him and watched me warily.

"Rosie, what are you doing here?"

I looked at him, my throat swollen shut, my chest heaving.

"Then what are you doing here?"

"Didn't you say you were away on business?"

"Why are you standing in front of me with this dead woman?!"

Geraldine wrenched her hand free of Dustin's in a panic, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Rosie, let me explain, I"

"I don't want to hear it!"

I clapped my hands over my ears, cutting her off.

"Do you have any idea? All these years, I dreamed about you, day and night!"

"How many times I nearly jumped after you, just to be with you!"

Geraldine's tears crashed down. She stepped closer, gripping my hands, shaking her head over and over.

"I'm sorry, Rosie, I'm the one who wronged you!"

"I never knew I'd hurt you this badly"

I lifted my hand and slapped her across the face, hard.

"Keep your filthy hands off me!"

"If you know you wronged me, then why did you seduce my husband, why did you get every last one of them to lie to me?!"

Dustin's pupils shrank. The wine glass in his hand shattered on the floor. He rushed to hold Geraldine, staring at the red mark on her cheek, his eyes full of aching tenderness.

"Geraldine!"

He glared at me, hard.

"Rosamund, Geraldine's pregnant. How could you raise a hand to her?!"

My heart felt like it was being crushed to pieces, and the pain left me trembling all over.

I wiped my tears and met his eyes.

"Dustin, what right do you have to question me?"

"She's a mistress. Even if I beat her to death, she'd have it coming!"

"Rosamund, you're the one who's actually"

"Shut your mouth!"

Geraldine cut Dustin off through her tears and dropped straight to her knees in front of me.

"Rosie, stop fighting, both of you."

"This whole thing is my fault. I was shameless, I was disgusting, I seduced Dustin, and I made Aiden hide it from you."

"I'll get rid of the baby tomorrow. From this day on, I'll never appear in front of you again."

Aiden spoke up, like he couldn't stand to watch.

"Rosamund, don't take it too far. You know better than anyone how hard Geraldine's road has been."

I clenched my fists and lowered my eyes.

The summer of junior year, Geraldine's mother fell gravely ill. To earn the medical bills, her father hauled freight on no sleep and died right there on the highway.

The medical bills and tuition all landed on her shoulders, and she had no choice but to drop out and work.

I was the one who started an anonymous fundraiser, and I paid her tuition with the money from my own summer job.

After that, my breakfasts and my meals always came in double portions.

Every problem I worked through, I patiently explained to her, again and again.

That was how we ended up at the same college, each other's most solid backing.

I knew how hard things were for her.

But she also knew how hard it had been for me and Dustin, from that tiny rented room barely a few hundred square feet to now.

And yet now, she'd become the knife that cut me the deepest.

I looked at Geraldine, that picture of tearful, utterly wronged innocence, and let out a scornful laugh.

"Even if you and your baby died a thousand times, ten thousand times, I would never forgive you!"

Then I shoved Dustin aside and turned to leave.

In the cab, I contacted a lawyer right away to ask about the divorce.

A few minutes later, all the lawyer sent back was a question mark.

I was still puzzling over it when his next message popped up.

Ms. Swanson, there is no marriage between you and Mr. Sullivan at all. There's no divorce to speak of.

From what I've found, his only legal spouse is a woman named Geraldine.

I stared at those two lines, my ears ringing.

The moment I got home, I dug out the marriage certificate like a madwoman, snapped a photo, and sent it.

Are you sure you didn't make a mistake? This is our marriage certificate!

The typing indicator kept flickering in the chat.

Ms. Swanson, the number and the embossed seal on this certificate are both fake Have you been deceived?

Do you need any other legal assistance?

I typed out a line with trembling fingers.

Would you mind telling me the date they registered their marriage?

March 23, 2019.

The strength drained from my fingertips, and my phone slipped and clattered to the floor.

I sank to the ground, the whole world spinning, everything around me swelling and shrinking without pause as the tears fell beyond my control.

That day was the fourth anniversary of Dustin and me getting together.

It was also the day I was five months pregnant, when the baby's heartbeat stopped and I was forced to have the pregnancy induced.

I was lost, calling Dustin over and over, and getting no answer.

I called Geraldine, but her coworker said she was unconscious after a rear-end crash on the highway.

When I opened my eyes again, he was sitting at my bedside, holding my hand, his eyes red and swollen.

Rosie, I'm sorry. I got back too late.

There was unrest where I was on my trip, and our partners moved us somewhere safe. I caught the fastest flight I could, but I still couldn't

His voice broke as he spoke, and his tears struck the back of my hand.

We'll have another baby.

I threw myself into his arms and wept, murmuring curses at him.

You bastard, why did it take you so long to come back!

But deep down, all I thought was that at least he was safe.

The bitter joke was that when I needed them most, the two people I loved most were doing everything they could to betray me.

And I, like a fool, stayed lost in a false love and a false friendship, never knowing a thing.

I took a wrench from the tool cabinet, broke open the locked drawer, twisted off the cap, and tipped the pills into my mouth.

Right as I was about to swallow, my phone rang.

Without thinking, I assumed it was Dustin, and I got ready to confront him before I died.

But the instant the call connected, I snapped back to my senses.

Hello, is this Rosamund?

How long ago did I buy that run-down house of yours? Why haven't you moved out yet?!

You think I won't smash the whole place to pieces?

When I heard the word house, I spat out the pills and rushed to the old family house.

That was what Dad had given me before he died. He said it was the best thing he could leave me in this life.

The moment I reached the door of the old house, I saw a fat man kicking at it.

I charged forward like a madwoman, and one kick from him knocked me flat to the ground.

A sharp, bone-deep pain shot through my waist. I slowly pushed myself up, my voice hoarse.

What are you doing? This is my house. Who gave you permission to touch it?!

If you lay another hand on it, I'm calling the police!

The fat man sneered.

Call the police? On what grounds?

On the grounds that I'm the registered owner of this house, Rosamund!

I planted myself in the doorway and refused to budge an inch.

The other, thinner man smacked the fat man across the head.

You idiot, why are you wasting words on her!

Then he pulled out a document and handed it to me.

Calling the police really won't help you.

Half a year ago you transferred this house to Ms. Geraldine. It's her personal property now.

If you keep squatting here and won't move out, we'll be the ones calling the police.

I snatched the document, and when I saw the signature in the transferor's line, my whole body shuddered.

My own name, written in my own hand, sat plainly at the top.

Forcing down the fear rising in my chest, I took out my phone and dialed Dustin, but no one picked up.

A car stopped at the door, and Dustin helped Geraldine out, her steps careful.

I rushed over and flung the document in his face, my chest heaving hard.

Dustin, didn't you say no one lived in this house, that it was only being rented out?

Then what is this?!

Dustin glanced at the paperwork, his voice level.

"Ever since Geraldine got pregnant, she hasn't been sleeping well. This is the only place she can get a good night's rest."

"You frightened her today. Consider this house an apology gift."

"It's sitting empty anyway. What difference does it make who lives here?"

Geraldine bit her pale lip and tugged at Dustin's sleeve.

"Never mind, Dustin. I've already done so much to wrong Rosie. I can't take this house."

He squeezed her hand. When his gaze shifted to me, there was no warmth in it at all.

"Rosamund, it's just one house. Don't be so quick to fight over things."

A throbbing ache pulsed through my head. I clenched my fists and forced the words out.

"Just one house? I'm fighting over it?"

"This is my home. My parents built it, brick by brick!"

"If you want to bring her in there today, you'll have to do it over my dead body!"

Dustin's brow furrowed, his eyes cold to the bottom.

"Rosamund, don't forget, your mother's still in the nursing home."

"With the scraps you make from part-time work, do you really think you can cover that?"

My heart lurched. My hands, hanging at my sides, wouldn't stop shaking.

A few minutes later, I stepped aside.

I watched their figures disappear through the doorway, and the door shut tight.

I couldn't hold it back any longer. I broke down sobbing.

Over the next few days, I started clearing out my things, piece by piece.

I didn't want to live here anymore, in a place that had once held so much happiness and now made me sick to my stomach.

I had just packed the last piece of clothing into my suitcase when a notification popped up. Geraldine had posted something new.

I opened it. It was a montage of videos.

Dustin had personally sawed down the pear tree in our yard, the one my father planted before he died, to build Geraldine a swing.

The solid-wood interior of the house had all been swapped out for shades of pink.

The flowers and plants my mother once grew had been pruned beyond recognition.

The wine I'd been saving for my baby had been poured out too.

Geraldine smiled brazenly at the camera.

Someone who loves you never thinks your requests are unreasonable. They only feel they haven't spoiled you enough yet.

A few seconds later, a new comment appeared under the post.

Rosamund, this post is visible to you only. Do you like it?

My fingertips went white around the phone. I dialed her number.

"Geraldine, you really are an ungrateful snake."

"My parents were so good to you all those years. Aren't you afraid this will come back on you and the child in your belly?"

The next second, a shriek came from the other end.

"Ah"

Then Dustin's voice, cold and heavy.

"Rosamund, you actually sent a terrifying photo and called to threaten Geraldine!"

"If anything happens to her, I will never let you off!"

I was about to say I hadn't done any of it when a message came in from the boss of my online part-time job.

Rosamund, you're fired!

Because of you, the mistress who broke up someone's marriage, our shop got hit with malicious returns and order cancellations. The losses are massive!

We've had to shut down for good, and I will absolutely come after you for the damages!

I opened my laptop and found the shop buried under vicious one-star reviews. Some of them even had my photo attached.

Tears welled up and blurred everything in front of me.

I pulled up my chat with Dustin and hammered out the words, demanding an answer.

So you're going to destroy my whole life for Geraldine, is that it?

But the message went out, and there was no reply at all.

Just as I was about to go find him and get a straight answer, the nursing home called.

"Is this Ms. Swanson? Your mother just had a severe shock. She's in very bad shape. We've already rushed her to the hospital. Come quickly!"

My heart dropped like a stone. I set my grief aside and tore toward the hospital like a woman gone mad.

But the moment I walked in, the people online who knew nothing of the truth recognized me.

They swarmed and cornered me in the lobby, snapping photos and hurling curses.

Some of them even put their hands on me.

My mind began to slip, and I cried out, begging them to let me through.

But they only pressed in harder.

Only when the nurses' station threatened to call the police did they grudgingly release me.

I rushed to the doors of the emergency room, only to see my mother wheeled out beneath a white sheet.

I collapsed to the floor, wept until my voice gave out, and finally passed out.

When I woke again, it was already evening.

In a daze, I finished the paperwork and carried my mother's ashes back to the old family house.

From the heaps of clutter, I dug out my father's portrait and turned the gas up as high as it would go.

Just like when I was little, I lay down between them and pressed the lighter.

At that same moment, Dustin was peeling grapes for Geraldine, who had just finished her checkup, murmuring gently for the baby inside her to give its mother less trouble.

The next second, Aiden's call came through.

"Dustin, something's wrong! The old family house is on fire, and Rosie's still inside!"