She Left Pregnant, Came Back Queen

I couldn’t stay there. Not with her. Not with him.

I excused myself from the party, forcing a smile for the few people who stopped to ask if I was alright. My legs felt like they were made of lead as I navigated through the crowded room, the laughter of the guests a distant, suffocating hum in my ears. The weight of Dulcie’s words hung like a shroud around me, crushing my chest with every step.

I couldn’t stay in that house, surrounded by lies and betrayal.

Once I was in the car, I let out the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. The ride home was a blur, my thoughts spinning too fast to focus. I wanted to scream. I wanted to break everything, shatter the world Reagan had built around me. But instead, I held it all in. For my babies.

When I got home, the house felt foreign. Empty. The walls seemed to close in on me, and I knew, deep in my bones, I couldn’t escape. Not from him. Not from this.

I tried to sleep, but my mind wouldn’t stop racing. The memories of Dulcie’s smirk, her taunts, kept me awake. It was hours later when I heard the front door slam open. Footsteps thundered up the stairs, and I could feel the fury in every step. Reagan.

I could almost hear the rage in his voice as he stormed into the bedroom. “Danica!” he snapped. “Get up!”

I rolled over, pretending to be asleep, but I knew it wouldn’t work. He was already standing over me, his anger crackling in the air like electricity.

“Wake up!” His hand shot out, grabbing my wrist with a brutal grip. “What the hell is wrong with you? You ruin everything. The evening—my evening—was ruined because of you!”

I yanked my arm away from him, sitting up in bed, trying to shove the emotions down. “I had to leave,” I said quietly. “You didn’t expect me to stay and watch her—”

“I don’t want to hear about her, Danica!” He leaned over me, his face inches from mine, eyes burning with fury. “You embarrassed me. You humiliated me in front of everyone. Do you have any idea what that means?”

I couldn’t help it. The words slipped out before I could stop them. “You’ve been sleeping with her.”

For a moment, he just stood there, staring at me. And then, with a cold smile, he said, “Well, aren’t you just full of surprises.”

My heart twisted painfully. “You’ve been seeing her for years, haven’t you?”

He didn’t even flinch. “What did you expect, Danica? You think I’m going to sit here and be loyal to you? You’re nothing to me. Nothing.” His eyes glinted with satisfaction, watching the shock and pain spread across my face. “And if you think this is a betrayal, wait until you see the next one.”

I felt my stomach drop. “What?”

His smile widened, cruel and calculating. “You want the truth? Fine. I’ve been with her since one week after we got married. You were too busy playing the doting wife to notice. But I’m not sorry. I’ll never be sorry.”

His words hit me like a tidal wave. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t move. He stood there, looking at me with this sick satisfaction, this twisted sense of power.

“Why are you telling me this?” I finally whispered, barely able to hold myself together. “What’s the point of all this?”

The smile on his face faded, replaced with something colder. “Because, Danica… I don’t need you anymore. I never did. I’m done pretending. I’m done being the good husband. You’ve always been a means to an end. And now that Dulcie’s here, I don’t need you to play the part anymore.”

I could feel my heart breaking, piece by piece. This man, this monster, had never loved me. He never even liked me.

“I should’ve known,” I said, voice shaking with emotion. “I should’ve known when I saw you two together. Four years ago, on the staircase.”

His eyes flashed with irritation. “You’re still stuck on that?” He scoffed, running a hand through his hair. “You’re crazy, Danica. You’ve always been crazy. Just like your mother.”

The words stung more than anything. My mother. The woman who had slowly lost herself to the darkness, to the lies. And now, Reagan was using her as an excuse for his cruelty.

He stepped closer, his breath hot on my face. “Run, and I’ll bring your father’s empire to its knees. Titanis will fall. He’ll die knowing his daughter caused it.”

I felt the air leave my lungs. My father… I couldn’t let that happen. I couldn’t destroy him. Not for me.

“You’re trapped, Danica,” he said coldly, his lips curling into a cruel smile. “You’ll stay with me. You’ll do as I say. Because if you don’t, everything you love will burn.”

My stomach turned. I wanted to scream. I wanted to throw him out, to tear everything apart. But I couldn’t. Not while I carried these babies inside me. I was bound to this man, to this hell he’d built.

I thought I was done with the pain, that I had hit rock bottom. But then, as if fate had other plans, I saw something that froze my blood.

In the study, standing near the window, was Dulcie.

She was waiting for me.

I walked in, my feet moving before my brain had fully caught up.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I demanded.

Dulcie turned to face me, her lips curling into that familiar, venomous smile. “Oh, just making myself comfortable,” she purred. “You don’t mind, do you? I’m going to be staying here from now on.”

My vision blurred. I couldn’t take it anymore. “You—you are staying here?” I hissed, stepping toward her. “In my home? With him?”

She met my gaze with the kind of smugness only she could manage. “Oh, sweetie, I don’t think you have any say in this anymore.”

I was shaking with rage. My whole body trembled as I walked closer to her. “You’re a snake. A traitor. I trusted you. You’re nothing but a lying—”

Before I could stop myself, I lunged. I slammed her into the table, the force of it rattling the wood.

“You think you can take everything from me?” I growled, my fingers tightening around her shoulders. “You think you can just walk in here and ruin everything? You’re nothing but a backstabbing—”

Suddenly, the door slammed open.

Reagan stood there, his eyes blazing.

“Enough!” he roared, his face twisted in fury.

Before I could react, he was on me, his hands wrapping around my throat.

I gasped for breath, my vision blurring as he squeezed harder.

Dulcie stood behind him, pretending to cry, her hand pressed to her cheek. “He attacked me, Reagan! She’s crazy! She’s out of control!”

And just like that, Reagan let go of my throat and turned to her, as though nothing had happened.

He didn’t even hesitate.

He grabbed Dulcie, pulling her into a tight embrace, stroking her hair like she was the victim.

“Everything will be okay, sweetheart,” he murmured, his eyes never leaving me. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.”

And in that moment, I realized. I was nothing. To him. To Dulcie. “Lock that bitch in the basement!” He ordered.

My heart dropped.