I gripped the folder in my hand, my thumb brushing over the ultrasound tucked inside.
I had spent all morning practicing how to tell him. Matheo, we're going to be a family.
But the voice coming from inside stopped my heart. It wasn't just Matheo. It was Elena—the woman I called my sister, the person who had held my hand at my wedding.
"Is it done yet?" Elena's voice was like honey, dripping with a sweetness that now made my stomach turn. "I'm tired of playing the supportive best friend, Matheo. Seeing you touch her makes me sick."
"Just a little longer, Elena," Matheo replied, and the coldness in his tone was a blade. "The papers are almost finalized. Her family's assets are being moved as we speak. You know she was only ever a means to an end. I could never actually love someone as pathetic and easy to fool as Sarah."
The world began to spin as I heard those words. I reacted instinctively, my hand slamming against the door. It swung open with a crash that echoed through the room.
They were standing close—too close. Elena's hand was on his chest, her eyes wide with a fake shock that quickly melted into a smirk.
"You... fucking used me?" My voice was a ghost of itself, trembling. "Everything we had? For the last two years?"
"Oh, Sarah," Elena stepped forward, her heels clicking like a countdown. "You really thought a man like Matheo would want a plain little thing like you? You were a bank account with him. That's all."
A white-hot surge of betrayal took over. My fingers tangled into Elena's hair, and I pulled with every ounce of strength I had. She shrieked, her nails clawing at my arms as we stumbled against the mahogany desk.
"You snake! I trusted you!" I screamed. We fell to the floor, a mess of silk and fury.
"Get off her!"
A pair of strong hands grabbed my shoulders and threw me back. I hit the floor hard, the air leaving my lungs. I looked up, expecting Matheo to check if I was okay. Instead, he was on his knees beside Elena, protecting her.
Elena let out a sharp laugh. She leaned near me, her fingers mockingly stroking my hair, twirling a strand with a cruel smile. "You were so easy to play, Sarah. All those 'girls' nights' we had? I was just gathering information for him. We laughed about you every single night."
As she reached to touch my hair again, I tried to push her away, A sudden, sharp slap landed on my face, making my ears ring.
"Don't you ever touch her again," Matheo hissed, his eyes dark with hatred. "I was only with you for the company, Sarah. I needed your family's name to get what I wanted. I used you to build my empire, and now I don't need you anymore."
"Matheo, please," I gasped, crawling toward him on my knees, the folder with the ultrasound bending under me. I reached for the hem of his trousers. "Tell me everything is just a lie. If you tell me it's a lie, I'll forgive you. So please... just tell me even a single 'yes', right? Tell me you're joking!"
I looked at him with wide, desperate eyes. I waited for him to say it was a mistake. But Matheo just leaned his head against his hand, rubbing his temple as if he were tired of me. He looked away, his expression one of pure boredom.
"Nooooo!" I wailed, a primal sob ripping through my throat. I collapsed, my forehead touching the cold floor. I wanted to tell him about the baby. I wanted to scream that he was destroying more than just me. But the words died in my throat.
"There is nothing to fix," he said, turning his back on me to lead Elena toward the door. "Sign the divorce papers. If you're lucky, I'll let you keep enough change for a bus ticket. Don't show your face here again."
The shock of his words hit me like a physical blow. I forced myself to stand, my legs trembling, my hand clutching my chest as if I could physically hold my heart together. The pain was so sharp, so suffocating, that I could hardly find the air to speak.
"Why?" I choked out, the word tearing from my throat. "After everything I gave you? Do you have any idea what I sacrificed to be the wife you wanted? My family... they died believing you were the one man who would never hurt me. They trusted you with my life before that accident took them away! How could you look them in the eye and plan this?"
..
Five years had passed, but the memory of that still lingered in my mind. The betrayal was like a shadow that followed me, a constant reminder of the day I lost everything. After my parents died in that car crash, they left me with their hard-earned money and assets, trusting me to be safe.
I had been so blind. I gave it all to Matheo because I thought he loved me, only to find out I was just a tool for him to get what he wanted.
Now, the rich scent of coffee and the sound of the steamer filled my daily life. I didn't have the big house or the fancy life anymore, but I had this shop. It was small, but it was mine.
"Sarah, we need more sugar at the front!" Rayah called out, moving quickly between the tables.
Rayah was the only friend I had left. She had been there through the tears and the long nights, helping me build this life from nothing. She wasn't just someone who worked with me; she was the family I chose.
"Coming!" I called back, grabbing a jar from the shelf.
But the best part of my life was sitting in the corner booth. My sons— the triplets—were busy whispering and giggling over a pile of crayons. They were five years old now, and they were my whole world. Every time I looked at them, I saw bits of the man who broke me, but I also saw the strength I found because of them.
"Mommy, look at my airplane!" one of them yelled, waving a piece of paper in the air.
I smiled, my heart feeling full for a moment. "That's amazing, baby. Show Rayah too!"
The money Matheo took from me was gone, and the betrayal still stung like an old wound, but I wasn't that girl on the floor anymore. I had survived for them.
I had turned my pain into something that could feed my children.
I was busy wiping down the counter, lost in the rhythm of the work, when the bell above the door chimed. I didn't even look up.
"Welcome!" I said, my voice clear and calm.