He Left Me In Labor, I Asked For Divorce

Chapter 1

At the hospital, I stared at my test results, a smile creeping across my face. I was pregnant.

My agent, Scarlett, looked at me with concern. "Gemma, are you feeling okay?"

I beamed. "I'm fine, Scarlett. I'm pregnant."

Scarlett was the only person who knew I was married. She looked worried as she handed me her phone. "Take a look at today's trending posts first."

Confused, I took the phone and saw the top headline. Naomi Cross had posted a photo with the caption:

#HeWasMyWholeYouth #ILoveHimMoreThanAnything

The picture showed two people from behind.

I recognized the man immediately. Lucian Grey. In the golden sunset light, their fingers were intertwined like a pair of young lovers. The comments were flooded with blessings, envy, and talk of a perfect couple.

My face fell. Naomi was Lucian's first love. The one he'd pined over for six years.

Scarlett's voice was tense.

"Gemma, I think you should just go public. That Naomi has been using your husband to steal your roles and endorsements left and right. Who does she think she is? I can't stomach it. And now with a baby on the way, if the paparazzi catch you, it's gonna be a circus. Might as well rip the bandage off now."

I thought about it for a moment, then opened my own account. I posted a photo of our marriage license, tagged Lucian, and wrote: Mr. Grey, looking forward to your love for the rest of my life."

Within seconds, it shot to number one on trending. Right behind it were posts about Naomi being the other woman.

Her comment section was flooded. The blessings turned to scorn, and the insults came pouring in.

Scarlett watched the chaos with satisfaction. "Let her have it. A homewrecker's a homewrecker. Nothing classy about that."

I went home and made a cake from scratch. Cooked a whole table of his favorite dishes. I was gonna tell him the good news in person.

I waited. And waited. Minutes turned into hours. Ten o'clock rolled around, and still no sign of him. Not even a phone call.

I was about to call him when he finally walked in, looking worn out. I put on a smile and reached for his coat, but he tossed it on the couch and glared at me.

"Gemma, who gave you permission to go public? Remember what we agreed when we got married? This stays between us."

I tried to explain. "I know what I promised. But things are different now. I'm pregnant. We're having a baby. If the paps caught me, what was I supposed to say? I'd rather just be upfront. I don't want our kid to be whispered about."

Lucian paused, his anger fading a little. But his words were still all about Naomi. "Did you even think about Naomi? She's getting torn apart online. People are saying she should kill herself."

My voice went cold. "Did she think about me? Did you think about me? I'm your legal wife. But you two were out there doing God knows what. You're the ones in the wrong, and somehow I'm the bad guy?"

Lucian tried to calm me down. "Nothing happened between us. Can you stop overthinking everything?"

I let out a bitter laugh. "Cheating isn't just about physical stuff. Emotional cheating is way worse. Don't you get that?"

His face hardened with impatience. "Enough. How long are you gonna keep this up? Fine, you're pregnant. I'm pulling you from work. You stay home, behave yourself, and don't cause any more trouble. And stay out of Naomi's way. Got it?"

He pulled me into a pity hug and softened his voice. "Be good. No more drama. I've got things to do. Eat without me."

Then he walked out without looking back.

I watched him disappear, tears streaming down my face. I looked at the table full of food I'd made just for him. He didn't even spare it a glance. My heart ached.

I ate alone. Everything tasted like cardboard. Scarlett had been blowing up my phone. I opened the app and saw the new trending topic: Lucian defending Naomi.

#ContractMarriageNeverLoved

Within minutes, my mentions were flooded with trolls.

A:[The one who isn't loved is the third wheel.]

B:[Gemma, give our guy back to his true love.]

C:[B-list actress Gemma Frost goes after international star Naomi Cross's man. Gets owned. Embarrassing.]

One casual post from Lucian, and I was the laughingstock of the internet.

He'd erased me with a few words.

Naomi piled on with another post:

I'll wait for you, till the end of time.

Another photo, this time of them having a candlelit dinner. The comments were all adoration.

D:[We don't blame you, girl. Go get your man."]

E:[Sorry for coming at you earlier.]

I smiled bitterly. My phone rang. Scarlett's voice was frantic.

"Gemma, we've got a problem. Lucian told the company to stop booking you for anything. Is this your call? I spent weeks fighting for that international brand deal, and an hour ago, Naomi snatched it. That snake. And that post from Lucian. Is it true? But you're pregnant. How could it be fake?"

I laughed through the pain.

"It's not a contract marriage. He married me willingly three years ago. I was over the moon. Then I found out about his first love. The one who got away. I didn't care at first. Stupidly thought I could win him over. Now I see it was all a setup. He never loved me. He married me to get back at Naomi for leaving."

Scarlett's voice was tight with worry, "Gemma, what are you gonna do? You're carrying his baby. He's a monster. How could he do this to you?"

My voice was flat. "Divorce. Now that I see things clearly, I'm letting go."