Bound By Betrayal

The soft hum of conversation and clinking glasses had long faded, leaving an almost deafening silence in their wake. I stood in the center of the living room, surrounded by wilting flowers and half-eaten plates of hors d’oeuvres. My heart ached as I stared at the grand table set for two, the candles long since burned out. Tonight was supposed to be perfect. My birthday. Our fifth wedding anniversary. I had spent weeks planning this, envisioning the moment James would walk through the door with his boyish grin, sweep me into his arms, and everything would feel right again. I thought today would be the day to lighten back our spark since he had been acting off these past few months. But he didn’t show. Not even a text. I glanced at the clock with tears in my eyes. Midnight. Five hours had passed since the party started—since I’d pretended to laugh with our friends, to act like I didn’t notice their pitying glances. They knew, just as I did, that James’s absence spoke louder than any excuse he could offer. I guess they could also see the crack in our relationship that I was trying so hard to cover up even though it was so embarrassing and depressing. The sound of my heels echoed as I paced the empty room, my phone clutched tightly in my hand. I dialed his number again, pressing the phone to my ear. “Come on, James… pick up,” I muttered under my breath, my hands and jaw shaking. The line rang and rang before going to voicemail. My chest tightened as I hung up, staring at his name on the screen. *Where are you?* The ache in my stomach wasn’t just from the baby anymore—it was the slow, suffocating realization that James didn’t care. Not about tonight. Not about me. I sat on the couch, running a hand over my abdomen. The baby. The thought gave me a small flicker of hope, a reminder of why I was fighting so hard to hold on. I had been so excited to tell him tonight. After years of trying, countless doctor visits, and nights spent crying in frustration, I finally had news worth celebrating. But he wasn’t here. A message pinged on my phone, breaking my thoughts. My heart leapt as I quickly checked my phone, but the hope was short-lived. James: Busy tonight. Don’t wait up. I stared at the words, each one cutting deeper than the last. No apology. No explanation. Just another reminder that I wasn’t his priority anymore. I felt the tears slipping down my cheeks before I could stop them. Enough. I needed answers. James had be acting up this past few months and I didn’t know why. Was it because of a new woman? No I didn’t allow my thoughts to go there because I knew James so well and he was the last person that would cheat on me. So what was going on? That was the question on my lips for the months past. Grabbing my coat, I stormed out the door, ignoring the chill of the night air as I got into my car. My hands gripped the steering wheel as I drove, the streetlights blurring through my tears. By the time I reached James’s office, anger had replaced the sadness. The elevator ride to the top floor felt agonizingly slow. When the doors slid open, I stepped into the hallway, my heels clicking against the polished marble floor. I stopped short outside his office door. It was slightly ajar, the low murmur of voices filtering through. I pushed it open without thinking, and the sight before me froze me in place. James. And her. Samantha, my step mother. She was on top of his mahogany table stack naked. In fact they were both naked and her legs were wide open in front of him as he gave her head, her moans filled the room. Something he never did to me because he found it disgusting. “James?” My voice came out shakier than I intended. I didn’t even know when I mentioned his name. Tears could not even roll down my eyes. I was in utter shock. They both turned, but it was James’s expression—or lack of one—that gutted me. He didn’t look surprised or guilty. He looked… annoyed. Like I just disrupted something important. “Olivia, what are you doing here?” he asked, his tone cold, like I was an inconvenience. “What am I doing here?” I repeated, my voice rising. “It’s midnight, James! I’ve been waiting for you all night, wondering if you were okay, only to find you here… with her? Another woman? And you ask me what I’m doing here?” Samantha smirked, slipping off the desk. “I’ll leave you two to talk,” she said, sauntering out of the office after wearing her clothes like she owned the place. She smirked and winked at me with pride. She never liked me when she married my father and I knew she only married him because of his money. I turned back to James, my hands trembling. “I came to tell you… I’m pregnant. How could you do this to me? On our anniversary and that too with my stepmother?” tears. Flooded out of my eyes. I was so weak to my legs. I didn’t even know what to say. For a moment, something flickered in his eyes. But just as quickly, it was gone. “And?” “And?” My voice cracked. “I thought you’d care. That this would mean something to you.” James sighed, rubbing his temples. “Olivia, you’re always so dramatic. You think a baby is going to fix this? Fix us?” His words hit me like a slap. I took a step back, shaking my head. “I gave up everything for you. My career, my dreams—everything. And this is what I get in return?” “You chose to give those things up,” he said, his voice dripping with disdain. “Maybe if you’d focused more on yourself instead of clinging to me, you wouldn’t feel so empty now. I don’t love you anymore. You do everything I say like a dog listening to his master. You literally do not even have a say of your own. I don’t want such a pathetic woman like that as a wife ” I couldn’t breathe. The man I had loved for years, the one I had fought so hard for, was standing before me, ripping me apart with every word. I gave him my all, even ownership to all my wealth and inheritance from my parents. I was busy giving my all in this relationship forgetting that I was human as well. “James…” My voice broke. But he had already turned his back, dismissing me without another glance. I stumbled out of the office, tears blurring my vision. The cold night air hit me like a slap as I stepped outside, my heart shattering with every step I took. I couldn’t take off the image of what I just saw, I couldn’t unhear what James. I wished I could just close my eyes and wake up for my he nightmare but then I couldn’t. I was stupid all along. All I wanted to do was make James happy to the extent I forgot to live and that still wasn’t enough. “Excuse me.” I turned at the voice, startled. A man in a sharp suit stood a few feet away, his expression unreadable. “I couldn’t help but overhear,” he said, his tone calm but deliberate. He handed me a business card. “If you want to take back your power, call me.” I stared at the card, then at him, confusion swirling with the storm of emotions inside me. “What do you mean?” I asked, my voice trembling. “You’ll see,” he said, offering a small smile before disappearing into the night. I looked down at the card in my hand, the words blurring through my tears. *Take back my power.* I tossed the card away as it was the least of my worries. But one thing was on my mind, I couldn’t allow James to do this to me. I need to show him that I am a person of my own and I could make my own decisions. I rubbed my hand on my belly as I gritted my teeth.