Pregnant & Betrayed, I Built A New Life

Audrey's POV: The day I found out my husband, Tristan, was cheating on me, my entire family went ballistic. My dad smashed his car on the spot, his eyes red with rage. "How dare you hurt my daughter? I'll make sure you lose everything!" My mom grabbed a kitchen knife and stormed into Tristan's apartment, threatening to castrate him. My younger sister, Elena, went even further. She showed up outside Tristan's company with a sign in her hands, cursing him as a heartless cheater to anyone who passed by. She made such a scene that even the dogs passing by seemed ready to spit at him. They dragged me straight to the civil affairs office to get a divorce, cursing the whole way and saying I should have cut ties with a man like him long ago. Until a month later, when I unexpectedly ran into my sister outside the obstetrics and gynecology department. She was lying in a hospital bed, surrounded by my entire family. My dad sat by the window, wiping away his tears. He took Tristan's hand and said, "You've been through enough. I just transferred five million dollars to your company account." My mom was carefully feeding my sister some soup. "Elena, I've been making you chicken soup for a whole month. You're pregnant, so you need to take extra good care of yourself." "Those extras Tristan hired really played their parts, cursing him so convincingly. Once this is all over, you two need to hurry up and get married." Tristan kissed my sister on the forehead. "Our child deserves to be born into a proper family." I stood there frozen, tears blurring my vision. Only then did I finally understand. The woman my husband had been cheating on me with was my own sister. Through the half-open door, I saw Tristan's large hand slowly slide around Elena's waist, supporting her from behind. He adjusted the pillow until she was sitting at the most comfortable angle. Then he reached out, tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and gently traced the curve of her ear before letting his fingertips linger softly against the back of her neck. I clenched the pregnancy test report in my hand. So tightly that the paper was already crumpled into a ball, yet I didn't even notice. Whenever we went out, I used to reach for his hand. He would always shove his wrist into his pocket and tell me that we needed to maintain appearances in public. So this was the "dignity" he cared so much about. It was only ever meant for me. Tristan took the chicken soup from the thermos my mother had brought. He brought the spoon to his lips and gently blew on it. After taking a cautious sip to test the temperature, he carefully held it to Elena's lips. "Drink it while it's hot. It's just right." His voice was so gentle. I'd never heard him speak to me like that. He waited until Elena had finished the entire bowl before sitting down beside her and picking up an apple. With practiced ease, he began peeling it. I was just about to push the door open when Tristan's voice came from inside. I froze. "Dad, five million is way too much." "Take it. You've spent the past two weeks taking care of Elena and playing along with Audrey. You've been through enough." My father's tone was firm, leaving no room for refusal. My mother chimed in. "Take it. Think of it as compensation from your parents-in-law to you and Elena. Audrey has always been such a handful. If she were getting a divorce and didn't make a huge scene, she wouldn't be Audrey. Our Elena, on the other hand, has been patient enough to play along with her and even comfort me afterward." "Mom, don't say that about my sister." My sister's soft voice drifted out. "Did I say anything wrong?" My mother's brows immediately furrowed, her voice turning reproachful. "I stood outside Tristan's building for an entire hour that day. My feet went numb, and there were people everywhere watching the spectacle. I nearly lost what little dignity I had left!" "All right, all right." My father laughed and cut her off. "They were just extras, weren't they? The guy who shouted the loudest was a pretty damn good actor. I even gave him an extra two hundred bucks." As if remembering something amusing, they all broke into smiles. My hand remained frozen on the doorknob. A chill crawled from the top of my head straight into my heart. Every inch of me went cold. I pressed my back against the freezing wall, barely able to keep myself standing. Then my memories came rushing back, as if someone had hit rewind. I remembered the day my entire family stormed Tristan's apartment two weeks ago. My mother's hand had trembled uncontrollably as she carried that kitchen knife. She'd waved it wildly through the air, shouting at Tristan. After screaming "cheating bastard" at him, she'd turned and glanced at me. Back then, I thought she was trembling with anger. Only now did I understand that look. It had been guilt. And a test. My sister had stood outside Tristan's company holding a sign that read: Tristan Cheated! Karma Will Get You! People passing by had stopped to take pictures and record videos. Tears and snot had streamed down her face. I'd rushed over, wrapped my arms around her, and tried to take her home. She'd trembled in my embrace before shoving me away. "Stay out of this!" I thought she'd simply been too furious to listen to reason. I never realized she was afraid I'd ruin the show. The day we went to file for divorce, my father had glared at Tristan with red-rimmed eyes and shouted that he should cut ties with me as soon as possible. My mother had chimed in, saying we didn't want a penny of his dirty money and that my parents could afford to support me. My sister had stood nearby, sobbing so hard she could barely catch her breath. Now, thinking about how hard they'd all worked to put on that performance... All just to make sure I walked away from the marriage with nothing. I tilted my head toward the ceiling and let the tears silently run down my face. "Tristan, did you manage to keep Audrey under control? She hasn't noticed anything, has she?" My mother's voice came again. "Don't worry, Mom." Tristan sounded completely confident. "She made a huge fuss at first, but after everything you guys pulled, she should've calmed down by now. Give it another two weeks. Once the divorce waiting period is over, it'll all be behind us." "Good." My father let out a long sigh of relief. "These past two weeks have exhausted me. I had to curse you out in front of Audrey during the day, then come home and comfort Elena afterward. You have no idea how exhausting it is living a double life." "You've worked so hard, Dad." My sister's voice was sweet and coaxing. "How could I be tired when it's for you, Elena?" My father laughed warmly. "If your sister were even half as sensible as you, I wouldn't have to go through all this trouble." He was looking at Elena with a doting smile. I stared at my family. Suddenly, my stomach churned. And memories of my childhood came flooding back. When my sister and I were little, we once went swimming together. That night, I came down with a high fever and burned so badly that I could barely stay conscious. Mom told me to take my own medicine. She had to take care of my sister, who had caught a cold from being out in the water. In middle school, I won a prize in a math competition. The certificate stayed on our family's display wall for only three days. Then it was replaced by a crooked little paper rabbit my sister had made in art class. When I received my Harvard acceptance letter, I called my parents in excitement to tell them the news. Mom answered impatiently. She said she was still on vacation in Singapore with my sister and told me not to bother her. I let out a bitter little laugh. So that's how it had always been. Their favoritism had never come out of nowhere. There had always been signs. I just hadn't wanted to see them. Before I could react, the doorknob suddenly turned. The door swung open. Tristan stepped out with a water pitcher in his hand. And I looked straight into his stunned eyes.