Husband Chooses Ex Over Me

I woke to the sound of laughter floating up from the kitchen. Connor and Lyla. Again.

"She remembered the exact table where we studied for midterms," Connor was saying, his voice animated in a way I hadn't heard in months. "The corner booth near the window."

"That's wonderful progress," Lyla replied, her voice deliberately childlike. "I wish I could remember more."

I pressed my palm against my mouth, trying to suppress the wave of nausea that had nothing to do with morning sickness. The pregnancy test was still hidden in my bathroom drawer, untouched since that day I'd found them in our bedroom. I hadn't found the courage to tell Connor yet.

"Today we're going to visit the library," Connor announced as I entered the kitchen. He was helping Lyla into her coat—a delicate blue cashmere that I recognized from their college photos. "The exact spot where we had our first kiss."

Lyla's eyes met mine over Connor's shoulder, that same calculating look flashing before it disappeared behind a mask of innocence.

"Will you be home for dinner?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Probably not," Connor replied, not even looking at me. "We'll grab something at Salvatore's. Their pasta hasn't changed in twenty years."

Salvatore's. Our anniversary restaurant. The place where Connor had proposed.

"I could join you," I suggested, hating the desperation in my voice.

"It's better if it's just us," Connor said firmly. "Too many new faces might overwhelm her."

Lyla nodded, her hand possessively on Connor's arm. "We wouldn't want to slow down my recovery, would we?"

They left me standing in the kitchen, one hand protectively covering my still-flat stomach.

* * *

The doorbell rang at three o'clock that afternoon. I opened it to find Eleanor Baker, Connor's grandmother, standing on the porch with a small velvet box in her hands.

"Eleanor," I said, surprised. "I didn't know you were coming."

"Connor didn't mention it?" She raised an eyebrow. "How unlike him to forget his manners."

I led her to the living room, noticing how she took in the changes to our home—Lyla's belongings scattered on surfaces that once held my things.

"He's out with Lyla," I explained, my voice hollow. "Memory therapy."

Eleanor's lips thinned. "Is that what he's calling it?"

She settled into an armchair, her regal posture at odds with the casual setting. "Sylvia, I need to speak frankly with you."

Something in her tone made me sit up straighter.

"That girl is not what she seems," Eleanor said, her voice low and intense. "I've been watching her. The way she looks at Connor when he isn't paying attention. The way she manipulates situations to her advantage."

"You think she's faking?" I whispered.

"I know she is." Eleanor reached into her pocket and withdrew the small velvet box. "This belonged to my grandmother. It's been in the Baker family for generations."

She opened it, revealing a stunning sapphire pendant on a silver chain.

"It's beautiful," I breathed.

"For a woman of substance," Eleanor said, placing it in my palm and closing my fingers around it. "Which you are, Sylvia. Don't let Connor forget that."

I tried to give it back, but she insisted. "Take it. You'll need strength in the days ahead."

When Connor returned home that evening, I showed him the pendant and told him about Eleanor's visit.

"She's just being old-fashioned," he dismissed, barely glancing at the jewel. "You know how she gets about family traditions."

"And what about her concerns about Lyla?"

Connor's expression hardened. "She's jealous. Always has been. Lyla was never good enough for the great Baker family, remember?"

I bit back a retort. How could I argue when he wouldn't even listen?

* * *

The rain came down in sheets as I hurried home from the hospital. The medical board investigation was still ongoing, but at least I'd been allowed to continue working. It was the only place where I still felt like myself.

A figure stepped from the shadows of an alleyway, blocking my path.

"Give me your purse," he demanded, his voice rough.

I clutched my bag tighter. "Please, I don't have much—"

He lunged forward, shoving me hard against the wall. Pain exploded through my abdomen as his fist connected with my stomach.

"My baby," I gasped, doubling over.

He grabbed my purse and ran, leaving me crumpled on the wet pavement.

With trembling fingers, I pulled out my phone and called Connor.

The call went straight to voicemail.

I tried again. And again.

Finally, I managed to drag myself to a nearby café and called an ambulance.

As I lay on the stretcher, the paramedic's words blurred through my pain: "Severe abdominal trauma... possible miscarriage..."

My phone buzzed with a text from Connor: "At reunion with L. Don't wait up."

In the distance, I could hear the faint sound of music and laughter from the college reunion hall across the street.