THE OTHER PART OF ME

CHAPTER ONE

The room felt too quiet. Princess sat on the edge of the bed, her fingers nervously flipping through the contents of Bernard’s drawers. The soft, rhythmic sound of Jason's distant laughter echoed through the house, but it did little to calm the storm brewing inside her.

She had been meaning to go through the papers for weeks, ever since her gut had begun to tell her something was wrong. Her mind had wrestled with the thoughts of Bernard’s recent coldness, his late nights, the subtle tension between them that she could no longer ignore. But it wasn’t until today that her suspicions, those nagging thoughts, had driven her to act.

Her breath caught when her fingers brushed against something hard—a worn envelope wedged at the back of the drawer. Her heartbeat quickened. She pulled it out, and the weight of the documents inside seemed to drag her down. She knew she shouldn’t open it. But she couldn’t stop herself.

As she skimmed through the papers, her heart sank, and her hands began to tremble. There it was—proof. Bernard’s name, Jane’s name, and Jason’s name all on the same passport—marked as Mr. and Mrs. Davison. The truth was written in black and white. They had been planning something—something far more sinister than she had ever imagined.

Her thoughts were a whirlwind of disbelief, confusion, and dread. She looked down at the passport again, her hands shaking as her world spun out of control.

Just as the weight of the truth sank in, the sound of footsteps echoed in the hall. Her heart leapt in her chest, and she quickly stuffed the documents back into the envelope, her face pale. She didn’t need to look to know it was Bernard and Jane.

The door creaked open. Bernard walked in, his eyes immediately flicking to the envelope in her hands. His face hardened, and a deep, unsettling silence filled the room. Jane entered behind him, carrying Jason in her arms as if nothing was wrong, the child oblivious to the storm that was about to break.

“What are those?” Bernard’s voice was low and dangerous, but there was a sharpness to it, a protective edge that made Princess’s stomach turn. “And why are you looking at me like that?”

Princess felt her throat tighten. She wanted to shout, to scream at him, but the words wouldn’t come. Instead, she stared at them, her eyes filled with pain and betrayal.

Bernard stepped closer, and with one swift movement, snatched the papers from her trembling hands. He glanced over them, his face darkening as he processed the situation.

“What are you doing with this?” His voice was colder now, like ice.

Princess barely found her voice, her words coming out in a broken whisper. “Were you both planning to run away with my child?” The question hung in the air, thick with accusation.

The silence that followed was suffocating. Bernard’s face betrayed nothing, but his eyes flickered briefly to Jane, then back to Princess, his jaw clenched.

“What do you mean?” he asked, his tone defensive, yet tinged with guilt.

Princess's voice shook as she continued, “There’s a passport here with all your names—yours, Jane’s, and Jason’s—marked as Mr. and Mrs. Davison, not Austin. Why would that be?” Her breath hitched. “Wait... are you two... married?”

The words hit her like a slap, and she could see the flicker of something darker cross Bernard’s face. He took a step forward, his hands balling into fists at his sides. "What are you even talking about?" His tone had changed—it was no longer the calm that she was used to, but something more dangerous, something controlled.

She felt the anger rise in her chest, hot and overwhelming. “Don’t lie to me!” she screamed, her voice cracking. “Is that why you hit me last week? Because of her?”

Tears burned her eyes as she remembered the sting of his harsh words, the roughness of his hands. The weight of everything she had trusted, everything she had believed about their marriage, came crashing down.

Jane’s voice, sharp and dismissive, broke through her pain. “Oh, please,” she sneered, her gaze never leaving Princess. “What are you going to do about it? Do you think Bernard will choose you over me? If you weren’t carrying our child, I’d throw you out myself.” She turned toward Bernard, her fingers wrapping possessively around his arm, her lips pressing against his cheek in an exaggerated display of affection. “Yes, he’s my husband. My beloved husband.”

Princess recoiled, as if struck. Her heart felt as if it had been ripped from her chest. “What?” she gasped, her body swaying as the shock took hold of her.

Jane’s lips curled into a mocking smile. “Now that you know, you’ve actually made this easy for us. Just give birth to that child, and we’ll be on our way.” She tilted her head, her eyes glinting with malice. “Goodbye, Princess. You were never really part of this family.”

Bernard turned as if she were nothing, as if the woman he had promised his life to no longer mattered. He walked toward the door, guiding Jason by the hand, as if they were leaving on a simple errand. But Princess knew better now. It wasn’t just an errand—it was the end of her world as she knew it.

“Jason!” she gasped, her voice hoarse, her hand reaching out for him. She couldn’t let him go—not like this. “Please... Bernard, don’t take him. He’s my son!”

But Bernard didn’t even look back. “He’s coming with us,” he said coldly, his words final, leaving no room for argument.

Princess collapsed onto the couch, her body shaking with sobs. The world around her felt surreal, as if she were floating in a nightmare she couldn’t escape. She had trusted Bernard. She had believed in their life together, in their family. And now, it was all gone.