Fiancé's Affair & Asset Theft

The emergency room at St. Mary's Hospital smelled like disinfectant and despair. I sat in the uncomfortable plastic chair, my torn stockings sticking to the antiseptic they'd used to clean my scraped knees. The nurse had been efficient but cold—another busy night in the ER, another clumsy woman who'd fallen on the sidewalk.

My phone buzzed with texts I didn't want to read. Carter hadn't even bothered to check if I was okay after leaving me bleeding on the pavement. The humiliation burned worse than the scrapes on my legs.

"Andrea Knight?" A tired-looking resident called my name, clipboard in hand.

I started to stand, then froze. Across the waiting room, in the VIP section reserved for private patients, sat a familiar blonde figure. Daisy Watson was curled up in one of the plush leather chairs, her legs tucked beneath her like she owned the place.

But it wasn't just her presence that made my blood run cold—it was everything about her. The Hermès bag draped casually over the chair arm. The Louboutin heels kicked off beside her feet. The Cartier watch glinting on her wrist as she scrolled through her phone. Even her casual outfit screamed money—a silk blouse that probably cost more than most people's rent, paired with designer jeans that fit her like they'd been tailored.

This wasn't the wardrobe of a scholarship student scraping by on financial aid.

"Miss Knight?" The resident was getting impatient.

"Sorry, yes." I followed him to a treatment room, but my mind was reeling. How does a charity case afford thousands of dollars in designer accessories? The math didn't add up, unless...

The resident cleaned my wounds with practiced efficiency, applying butterfly bandages to the deeper scrapes. "You'll want to keep these dry for a few days. Any dizziness? Nausea?"

"No, I'm fine." I wasn't fine. Nothing about this was fine.

When he finished, I didn't leave. Instead, I found a seat in the regular waiting area with a clear view of the VIP section. Daisy was still there, but now she was pacing, one hand pressed to her stomach, the other holding her phone to her ear.

"I know, I know," she was saying, her voice carrying across the quiet space. "But what if something's wrong? What if—"

The automatic doors slid open with a soft whoosh, and Carter burst through like a man possessed. His hair was disheveled, his usually perfect appearance cracked with genuine panic. He scanned the room frantically until his eyes landed on Daisy.

What happened next made my stomach drop to my feet.

Carter didn't just approach her—he rushed to her like she was the most precious thing in the world. His arms wrapped around her small frame, pulling her against his chest as she dissolved into tears. His hands stroked her hair, his lips pressed against her temple as he whispered something I couldn't hear.

This wasn't how you comforted a charity case. This wasn't how you helped a scholarship student you barely knew. This was how you held someone you loved.

"It's okay, baby," Carter's voice carried across the waiting room as other patients pretended not to stare. "I'm here now. Everything's going to be okay."

Baby. The word hit me like a physical blow.

I watched, transfixed with horror, as Carter cupped Daisy's face in his hands, wiping away her tears with his thumbs. The tenderness in his touch, the way he looked at her—it was everything I'd been missing from our relationship without even realizing it.

A nurse approached them, clipboard in hand. "Miss Watson? The doctor is ready for you now."

Carter's arm stayed firmly around Daisy's waist as they followed the nurse down a hallway toward the private consultation rooms. I waited exactly thirty seconds before following, my heart hammering against my ribs.

The hallway was dimly lit, designed for privacy and discretion. I could hear voices coming from behind a door that had been left slightly ajar—Room 247. I pressed myself against the wall, straining to listen.

"...everything looks normal," a doctor's voice was saying. "But at this stage, we'll want to monitor things closely."

"Thank you, doctor," Carter replied. "We appreciate you seeing us so quickly."

We. The word made me feel sick.

There was a pause, then the sound of the door closing as the doctor left. I crept closer, peering through the crack in the door.

What I saw destroyed everything I thought I knew about my life.

Carter had Daisy pressed against the examination table, his mouth on hers in a kiss that was desperate, passionate, completely consuming. Her hands fisted in his shirt as she kissed him back with equal fervor, their bodies molded together like they'd done this a thousand times before.

When they finally broke apart, Daisy took Carter's hand and placed it on her still-flat stomach. "It's yours," she whispered, her voice breathy with emotion. "The baby is yours, Carter."

Carter's face transformed with an expression I'd never seen before—pure, overwhelming joy. "Are you sure?"

"Positive." Daisy's smile was radiant. "We're going to be a family."

I stumbled backward, my hand clamped over my mouth to stifle the sob threatening to escape. The hallway spun around me as the full weight of their betrayal crashed down.

Carter wasn't just cheating on me. He was building a life with someone else. A family with someone else. While I'd been working eighteen-hour days to secure his company's future, he'd been creating a future that didn't include me at all.