His Betrayal: Choosing Her Over Me

The next morning, Leia Shaw jolted awake. Her hand shot instinctively to the empty spot beside her, and all she felt was cold, unoccupied sheets. A crushing wave of loneliness swallowed her whole. It hit her then how deeply she’d come to depend on Julian’s presence, how used she was to having him right there. Now, her chest felt hollow, like something vital had been ripped right out of it.

From the balcony, she caught his voice, thick with honeyed affection: "I’m waiting for you at the airport. Don’t go wandering off alone — you’ll get lost and end up crying, and I won’t be there to fix it."

"Edinburgh’s changed so much these past two years. Once you’re settled in, I’ll give you the full tour."

His soft, coddling tone screamed how much he adored Piper Cooper. He treated her like she was the most precious thing he’d ever owned. That softness he gave Piper? It was nothing like what he’d ever given Leia. His affection for Leia had always been the fondness of an older brother doting on his pesky little sister. But with Piper? It was raw, real romantic love — the kind of concern that bleeds out of you without even trying.

Leia’s heart seized tight, twisted with envy and a sharp, throbbing pain. She clenched her fists until her palms were slick with cold sweat, every beat of her heart sending a sharp pang ricocheting through her chest.

"Alright, sweetheart. You want kisses? I’ll give you more than enough when I get back," Julian’s voice drifted in again. That’s when Leia couldn’t hold it anymore. She wrenched the blanket up over her head, desperate to block his voice out. She kept repeating to herself that she didn’t care, but hearing him flirt with another woman right outside her bedroom door hurt more than she could bear. The agony seeped into every cell of her body, settling heavy in her bones.

After he hung up, Julian walked back in from the balcony, cheerful as anything. He spotted Leia buried under the covers, hesitated for half a second, then stepped closer and tried to yank the blanket off.

Leia felt him tugging, and she clung tighter. She couldn’t let him see how broken she was right now. She couldn’t show him that vulnerability.

"Leia? You okay? Are you cold? Do you have a fever?" Julian asked, his voice sharp with urgency, his face draining of color with worry. He tugged harder on the blanket.

"I’m fine. Don’t worry about me," Leia’s voice came out thin and wobbly, muffled under the fabric.

"If you’re fine, why you hiding under there? C’mon out," he pressed.

Leia’s nose burned, tears threatening to spill. Why did he have to care? Why did he have to be sweet to her? Why did he spoil her until she relied on him for everything? If he didn’t love her, why did he still stick around? This man was poison — he’d rotted her heart and her soul right through, and here he was still acting like he gave a damn.

"Go meet Piper. Don’t waste your time here. I told you I’m fine," she said, her grip on the blanket never loosening.

"But I can’t leave you like this. What’s going on with you, Leia?" His soft, endless patience made it hurt even worse.

"I’m just cramping from my period," Leia blurted, desperate for any excuse to get him to leave.

"Alright, I’ll wait for you," Julian answered. He walked over to the sideboard, and a minute later he came back with a hot water bottle, painkillers, and a glass of warm water.

He stared down at her, at the way she clutched the blanket to her chest with those lost, heartbroken eyes, and said soft as silk: "Take the painkillers."

"Okay, just go. I’ll take them," Leia mumbled. Julian frowned. "Alright, then. I’m heading out. I asked Mrs. Tanner to make you oatmeal, okay?"

"Thanks," Leia breathed.

As soon as Julian’s footsteps faded down the hall, Leia flung the blanket off, gasping for air like she’d been drowning. Her face was streaked with tears, hot with all the messy emotion she’d just stuffed down. If she didn’t care, why did it hurt this bad? But she knew she cared. The truth of that hit her hard, and fresh tears spilled over before she could stop them.

Julian Shaw. You’re nothing but a cheating scumbag. A total asshole.

Worn out from sobbing, Leia dragged herself to the bathroom to wash up. The second she put her toothbrush in her mouth, a wave of nausea rolled over her so hard she could barely breathe.

Gag!

Gag!

Gag!

She spit up saliva with each dry heave, her stomach twisting into a tight, painful knot. Her chest ached worst of all, like someone was sitting on it, crushing her ribs. Sweat beaded on her forehead, dripping down her temple.

She leaned against the sink, turned on the tap, and splashed cold water on her heated face. A cold, creeping dread crawled up her spine. She’d missed her period last month… could she be pregnant?

The thought sent her reeling. If she was, she’d raise the baby alone. They’d used protection, sure, but things fail. If it happened, she wouldn’t think twice about doing it on her own.

Steeling herself, Leia finished washing up, pulled on a loose white casual outfit, and headed out.

Downstairs, Mrs. Tanner called after her: "Ma’am! You haven’t eaten your breakfast!"

Leia turned back and forced a smile: "I’ll skip it today, I have something urgent I need to do."

"Alright, honey. Be careful driving, won’t you? Mr. Shaw would be worried sick if something happened to you."

Worried? Leia paused mid-step. Would he, really?

Maybe he would have been, once. But not now. Not anymore.

In the clinic’s exam room, Leia handed her test results to the young doctor, her head spinning a little. "Doctor, could you take a look at these for me?"

The young doctor was handsome, polished, quiet and calm. He glanced up at Leia, and a flash of surprise crossed his face before it slid right back into neutral, professional mode. "Of course. Please, have a seat."

Leia sat down, her nerves buzzing. The ultrasound tech had already warned her the results might not be good, had pushed her to do more tests, and she’d been a walking zombie all morning. Now, watching the doctor furrow his brow, his face dropping into a grave line, her anxiety spiked until it was hard to breathe.

Finally, he looked up, his voice heavy with regret. "Do you have any family here with you?"

Leia frowned. "Is it bad? Just tell me. I can handle it."

Years of watching medical dramas had somehow prepared her for this exact moment.

The doctor sighed, clearly hating what he had to say next. "There’s good news and bad news. I just… I’m worried it’s going to be too much for you to take all at once."

Leia’s face tightened, panic coiling in her gut. "I can handle it. Please, just tell me."

Leaning forward, his expression serious, he said: "The good news is you’re two months pregnant, and the baby is developing perfectly."

Leia gasped. A rush of joy washed over her so fast it made her head spin, her pale cheeks lighting up with sudden, bright happiness. She was finally going to be a mom. She was carrying Julian’s baby — a little piece of them both.

But then the divorce agreement flashed through her mind, and that happiness died just as fast as it came. Her face went dead white again.

She clenched her hands in her lap, knuckles white. "What’s the bad news?"

Her sudden flip in expression caught the young doctor off guard, but he kept going: "The bad news is your mammogram showed a lump, and it’s almost certainly malignant. We’ll need to do a biopsy to confirm, but that’s the most likely outcome."

His words hit Leia like a lightning bolt straight to the chest. Her eyes blew wide, disbelieving. Her whole body started shaking uncontrollably, her nails digging so deep into her thigh they left crescent marks. Her bright, vibrant blue eyes went empty, all the life sucked right out of them as fear consumed her whole.

She never thought cancer would be part of this when she thought about being pregnant. Never.

After a long, breathless silence, she rasped out: "What do I do now?"

"You’ll need to terminate the pregnancy first, do the biopsy, and if it is breast cancer, we’ll need to do a mastectomy followed by chemotherapy."

Terminate the pregnancy? That’s a whole life. A living, breathing life.

It’s the only thing Julian ever left her.

A mastectomy… would she even still be a woman if she lost her breast? It was one of her best features. Losing it would leave her broken. Incomplete.

The exam room went dead quiet. A cold, heavy despair hung in the air, and hot tears welled up in Leia’s eyes, spilling over before she could stop them.