Fated Love and Missed Chances

MARIA'S POV

I raced up the stairs, my heart dancing with every step. Three years, three long years of cold, empty marriage, and now, finally, I had a reason to hope.

I was pregnant.

I could hardly breathe as I imagined the look on Ethan's face.

Maybe, just maybe, this baby would change everything.

Maybe it could make him see me and love me so much.

Though he did, it was just a little, and ever since we got to the third year of our marriage, he started behaving so distant.

I burst through the door, my cheeks flushed with excitement.

But as soon as I stepped inside I heard muffled voices.

I paused.

My smile froze on my lips. I shook my head, pushing the doubt away.

No, this was a happy day.

But when I opened the door to our bedroom, my world shattered.

There he was. Ethan, my husband was on the couch with a woman sitting casually across his lap like she belonged there.

Her lips pressed against his, their bodies entwined as if I didn't exist.

"Ethan!" I gasped, my voice breaking. He pulled back, startled, his eyes meeting mine with a mixture of shock and annoyance.

"Maria," he said, his voice flat, almost bored. "You are back earlier than I thought."

I stood there frozen, the room spinning around me. "Who is she?" I managed to choke out, pointing at the woman who seemed comfortable in my home.

He didn't even have the decency to look guilty, at least that could be better but instead, he smirked, he did and said

"This is Susan, my college sweetheart and we are getting married soon."

His words hit me like a slap.

"Married?" I whispered, my voice trembling. "But we are married, you and I, for three years, Ethan."

Susan, still sitting on his lap, chuckled softly, a smile spreading across her perfect face. I felt my heart twist painfully at the sound.

Ethan rolled his eyes, a look of irritation crossing his face. "Oh, come on, Maria, you knew this was a business arrangement from the start. Your father practically forced me into this mess, and now that he is gone, nothing is holding me here anymore."

My chest tightened, and I felt a tear drop down my cheeks.

"You promised, Ethan, you said we had to give it a chance, that we would try!"

"Try?" he laughed, a bitter sound that echoed through the room.

"I never agreed to any of this. You threw yourself at me, and your father made sure I had no choice. But now I'm done, Susan and I are moving on together."

I staggered back and felt my world crumbling around me.

I wanted to scream to tell him about the baby, but the words were stuck in my throat, swallowed by my pain and shock.

Susan's smile only grew wider, her hand reaching to caress Ethan's cheeks. "Why are you doing this?". I cried, my voice breaking. "I thought we were finally getting somewhere..."