Loved as someone else

Chapter 2 Six weeks

Jacqueline's POV

A loud ringing filled my ears.

For a moment, I couldn't hear anything else. It was as if someone had smashed my head against a wall and the world around me had gone blurry.

My fingers trembled violently.

So did my lips.

My voice must have snapped them out of whatever trance they were in because the two people in front of me suddenly turned.

My eyes locked onto Cameron's.

For a split second, I searched his face desperately, hoping... praying, to see guilt.

Regret.

Anything.

But I didn't.

First came shock.

Then, almost immediately, it faded into something far more familiar.

Annoyance.

That same cold, distant expression he always wore whenever I was around.

I hadn't seen that look in weeks.

Not since that night six weeks ago.

My heart twisted painfully, and my breathing became rapid.

I had truly believed something had changed between us.

I thought that somewhere inside his frozen heart, there was finally a small spark of warmth for me.

That maybe...

Just maybe...

He had finally started noticing me.

But now that look was back.

And it felt like a knife slicing straight through my chest.

My breathing grew heavier as I watched the blonde woman step away from him slowly. Her brows furrowed in irritation as if my presence had ruined something important.

Then she turned toward Cameron.

"Baby… who is this?"

My eyes widened.

Baby?

My ears burned from the word.

Did she just call my husband… baby?

My mouth opened, but no words came out.

The woman glanced at me again, her eyes slowly scanning me from head to toe like she was inspecting something unpleasant.

"Why is she staring at you as if you owe her something?" she asked with a scoff.

Then her gaze hardened.

"And you." She took a few sharp steps toward me, her heels clicking loudly on the floor. "How dare you barge into his office like that? Do you want to lose your job?"

I heard every word she said.

But none of it truly registered.

My mind was stuck on the first thing she had said.

Baby.

"Cameron…" My voice trembled as I looked at him helplessly.

This couldn't be real.

It had to be a nightmare.

Please… let this be a nightmare.

"Why is she calling you that?" My voice cracked slightly.

My heart was beating wildly in my chest.

I took a small step toward him, my eyes pleading.

"Please tell me this isn't real."

"Don't take another step, Jacqueline."

Cameron's voice was suddenly cold and sharp, cutting through the room like ice.

I froze instantly.

My heart dropped.

"Cameron…" His name escaped my lips in a weak whisper.

The blonde woman glanced between us curiously.

Then realization slowly dawned across her face.

"Oh… so you're Jacqueline."

She let out a mocking laugh.

Instead of stepping away, she casually walked past me, circling me as if I were some kind of strange exhibit.

Her gaze lingered on my clothes, my hair, my face.

Then she stopped beside Cameron and wrapped her arms around his torso possessively.

He didn't push her away.

Instead, his arm naturally slid around her waist.

The sight made my chest ache even more.

"So you're the woman he married," she said with a small smirk. "The one he chose instead of me."

The words hit me like a slap.

My heart stopped.

Diane.

My blood ran cold.

Diane Shaw.

Cameron's first love.

The woman who had broken his heart years ago.

The woman he had never truly gotten over.

She had been the reason he treated our marriage like a prison sentence.

Because to him, I wasn't his wife.

I was just the woman who happened to be there after Diane left.

But he didn'tchoosee me... She left.

"What… what are you doing here?" My voice came out weak.

Diane smiled faintly, her fingers lightly tracing the front of Cameron's shirt.

"Visiting my boyfriend," she said sweetly.

My world shattered.

"Cameron…" My eyes burned as tears began to form. "You can't do this to me."

I stepped closer again, my entire body trembling.

"We're married. I'm your wife."

"Only on paper."

His response was immediate.

Cold.

Merciless.

"You knew the situation when you pursued me," he continued flatly. "You knew I loved Diane."

The way he looked at her when he said her name…

That look.

I had only seen it once before.

Six weeks ago.

That night when he came home drunk.

That night when I believed, foolishly... that he had finally chosen me.

My chest tightened painfully.

But… what about our baby?

My hand unconsciously drifted toward my stomach.

I had to tell him.

"Cameron, I'm..."

"Ouch!"

Diane suddenly cried out.

Her face twisted in pain as she clutched her stomach.

Cameron's entire expression changed instantly.

"Diane!" He rushed toward her, grabbing her shoulders.

"It hurts…" she whimpered softly, leaning heavily against him. "My stomach hurts."

Panic flashed across his face.

"Are you okay? Should I call a doctor?"

"I… I don't know," she murmured weakly. "Maybe it's because of the baby…"

My breath caught in my throat.

The baby?

My heart skipped a beat.

"What…?" My voice came out barely audible.

Diane slowly lifted her head and looked at me.

Then she smiled.

A bright, victorious smile.

"Didn't Cameron tell you?" she said gently, placing her hand over her stomach.

"I'm pregnant."

My vision blurred.

Pregnant?

"No…" I whispered.

That wasn't possible.

It couldn't be.

"I'm six weeks along," Diane added sweetly.

Six weeks.

The words slammed into me like a truck.

Six weeks.

My legs nearly gave out.

I was six weeks pregnant too.

My mind spun wildly.

How could this be happening?

How could she possibly be...

Another tear slid down my cheek.

But Cameron wasn't even looking at me.

His entire attention was focused on Diane.

His hand gently rubbed her back as if comforting her.

"Don't worry," he murmured softly to her. "I'll take care of everything."

I stood there.

Completely invisible.

Like I didn't exist at all.

My heart shattered piece by piece.

Slowly, silently, I turned toward the door.

My hands were shaking so badlthat y it took me two tries to grab the handle.

I opened the door and walked out.

Neither of them tried to stop me.

...

I didn't remember how I got to my car.

The moment the door closed behind me, the tears came.

They poured down my face endlessly as my entire body shook.

I gripped the steering wheel tightly, trying to breathe through the overwhelming pain crushing my chest.

Six weeks.

Diane was six weeks pregnant.

Just like me.

The memory of that night suddenly felt like a cruel joke.

All this time, I thought that night meant something to Cameron.

I thought it had been the beginning of a new chapter for us.

But now I realized the truth.

It had meant nothing.

He had simply been drunk.

And I had been foolish enough to believe it was love.

I wiped my tears angrily.

But they kept coming.

After what felt like hours, the crying slowly stopped.

My eyes felt swollen and heavy.

But strangely enough, my mind was clearer.

Cameron might not love me.

But I still had something Diane didn't.

My hand slowly rested on my stomach.

Our baby.

A quiet strength spread through my chest.

I started the engine.

And drove home.

...

The moment I stepped inside the mansion, my heart sank.

Cameron was already there.

And he wasn't alone.

Diane sat comfortably on the living room couch as if she belonged there.

My entire body tensed.

"You brought her here?" My voice shook with anger.

Cameron stood up from the armchair he had been sitting in.

"Where have you been?" he asked impatiently.

His tone made it sound like I was the one who had done something wrong.

My fists clenched.

But I forced myself to stay calm.

Now wasn't the time to argue.

I had something important to tell him.

Something that could change everything.

"Cameron… I need to talk to you."

"So do I," he replied curtly.

His gaze briefly flickered toward Diane.

She smiled sweetly at him.

The silent exchange made my chest ache.

But I ignored the pain.

"My news is important," I said quickly. "Cameron, I'm..."

"Cameron," Diane interrupted softly.

Her hand moved to her stomach again.

"I don't want her yelling like that… It's bad for the baby."

The baby.

The word echoed loudly in the room.

My heart stopped.

"B… baby?" I whispered.

Diane nodded with a proud smile.

"Yes."

My throat tightened.

"You're really… pregnant?"

"Six weeks," she replied brightly.

Six weeks.

Again.

The same number... Six same weeks..that night that Cameron came home late... Don't tell me he came from...

My head began spinning.

"But I'm..."

"Jacqueline."

Cameron's cold voice cut me off.

I froze.

Slowly, he looked up at me.

His expression was completely emotionless.

"Let's get a divorce."