I Died As His Wife. I Returned As His Enemy’s Wife

~CECELIA~ Four years. Victor and I have been trying for four years—IVF cycles, constant hospital visits, and four miscarriages that ripped our hearts open. The pregnancy confirmation scan resting on my thigh reminds me yet again that this isn’t a dream. The excitement in my chest literally makes it hard to breathe. I pull up in our garage and suck in a shaky breath. I picture Victor’s reaction when he finds out I’m four weeks pregnant, and a laugh bursts out of me. Call me a little ridiculous, but this isn’t the first time I've been imagining my husband’s reaction. I’ve thought about it a million times. The way his face will break out in a smile at the report. How he’ll slowly press his palm against my belly and kiss it. How he’ll twirl me around because at long last, our family’s going to be complete. I’m pushing the glass doors open when my phone vibrates against my pocket. Yanking it out, my heart warms at the thoughtful message from Victor. “Hi, baby. I’m so sorry I couldn’t tag along with you to the hospital today. I guess you’re still with the doctor? Text me when you’re done, I’ll come pick you.” He doesn’t know I’m home. Even better. I shove the phone back in my pocket, clutching the pregnancy confirmation scan a little tightly because a part of me still doesn’t believe this is real. I’m shrugging out of my coat at the threshold when soft laughter—a sound so familiar it makes my insides twist—drifts down the stairs. I don’t know when my bag slips from my hands, and I’m suddenly climbing two steps at once. “Stop, you know, that’s my ticklish spot. I can’t take it anymore.” Her laugh is louder this time, cutting through me like a sharp blade. No. I have to be hallucinating. My heart is pounding so hard against my ribcage, breathing feels like a chore. “I like hearing you laugh, Genevieve. And you know it’s because I love you.” Hearing my husband’s voice sucks the breath out of me, leaving my lungs begging for air. I stumbled, this close to falling down the stairs, but I quickly reached for the railing to steady myself. “If you loved me so much, you’d divorce her already. It feels like I’m the only one pouring effort into this.” Oh my god. “You think?” Victor laughs. “Why do you think every single effort to make her get pregnant has been futile?” I pause outside the door to our matrimonial bedroom, my heart sinking straight to my stomach. No. No, it can’t be. “I’ve been feeding her meds,” Victor continues, and everything inside me breaks. “I’m working with our family doctor to make sure she never conceives again.” Oh god, no. No, no, no! I press my palm over my mouth as my body trembles. A slurpy sound follows. Genevieve moans and giggles at the same time. “I still think I made the biggest sacrifice, though.” I can feel my life slowly slipping away. The slurpy sound continues as Victor asks. “What?” “I killed her father. Forgetting so soon?” A sudden pain hits my core as I take a few steps back. He died of a heart attack. Our family doctor told me he died of— He’s working with them. He’s working with both of them. Every signature, every transfer of power, every damn asset under Victor’s name has been long planned. Now he’s my stepmother on our matrimonial bed. Heat flushes through my body as rage nearly blinds me. Without thinking, I slammed the door open, and the sight of them tangled against each other on the same spot. Victor and I sleep every night kills me. There’s no remorse in his eyes as he stares at me. It’s like he’s been waiting for this moment all along. “I thought I told you to text me when you’re done at the hospital?” He circles his arm around Genevieve’s waist. A wave of nausea hits me at his disgusting act. He shakes his head. “You could have been obedient like you’ve always been.” “Obedient, you say?” A sad laugh crawls out of me. “I was a fool. How did I even miss this?” I gesture at both of them, feeling my heart break over and over again. “Genevieve, you killed your own husband, my father.” Her face pales. She clings onto Victor like a lifeline, then she shrugs, perhaps knowing he’ll protect her no matter what. “You have no proof.” She’s right. I have no proof. My father has been long buried, and everyone believed the cause of death in our family doctor. Another laugh slips out of me at how foolish I’ve been to not notice their scheme all along. One might think I’m going insane because I’m slowly losing it. Victor shoots out his hand to grab a brown file from the table, then he flings it towards me. His eyes that were once full of love and warmth are full of so much disgust, it sickens me. “Sign it.” He grunts. “The divorce papers. You know I'm with Genevieve already, there’s no use in prolonging this.” “About time.” She smiles. “Make this quick, sweetheart. Sign it or I’ll make you.” My back stiffens at her threat. I stare down at the brown file in front of me. If I sign those papers, he’ll own everything. Everything my father worked tirelessly for. My assets. My whole life. I can’t allow that. I won’t let that happen. So I take a step back, pressing my hand protectively against my stomach. “No.” Victor's eyes my stomach. Then the scan in my hands. Realization dawns on him. The expression on his face is so frightening, dread crawls up my spine, spreading through my system as I take another step back. Before he could react, I reached for the doorknob and bolt. I know what he’s going to do. He’s going to make me lose this one again. I won’t give him that chance. A sob breaks out of me as I rush down the stairs, praying I will make it out of here without losing my baby. A sudden force throws me off balance. I can’t even tell if I tripped or someone pushed me. One second I’m running down the stairs, and the next, I’m trying so hard to cling onto anything to save my baby. The world tilts as a sharp pain hits my core. I hit the ground with a loud thud. Tears instantly fill my eyes. My… my baby. “Let’s call 911 and stage this as a fall.” Victor takes slow strides down the stairs, a deadly smirk sliding onto his face. I can feel my eyes closing, but I fight so hard to stay awake. “No.” Genevieve shakily grabs his arm. “Her death is exactly what we need. She’ll bleed out.” My blood turns cold. Bleed out? My vision turns blurry as the blood slides down my thigh and everywhere goes black.