Chapter 1: The Tweet That Shattered Our Anniversary
Natalie stood in the middle of the kitchen, her heart pounding in her chest. She stared at the tweet on her phone, unable to believe what she was seeing. It was a sonogram, with the caption: 'To the man who promised me forever…thank you for our forever gift.'
The tweet was from Elise, Adrian's former flame. Natalie had known about Elise, of course. Adrian had told her about their relationship years ago, before they got married. He had assured her that it was over, that he had moved on. But now, here was the proof that he had been lying to her all along.
Natalie's hands shook as she scrolled through the comments on the tweet. People were congratulating Elise, asking when the baby was due, speculating about whether Adrian would leave Natalie for her. Some were even saying that they had always known he was a cheater.
Natalie felt sick. She had trusted Adrian completely. They had been married for ten years, and she had thought they were happy. She had given up her career to support him, to raise their children, to be the perfect wife. And now, it all seemed like a lie.
She looked up as Adrian walked into the kitchen. He was still in his pajamas, his hair tousled from sleep. He saw the look on her face and knew immediately what was wrong.
'Natalie,' he said, reaching for her. 'I can explain.'
But Natalie stepped back, out of his reach. She didn't want to hear his excuses, his lies. She just wanted him to leave.
'How could you do this to me?' she asked, her voice shaking. 'How could you betray me like this?'
Adrian looked down at the floor. 'I'm sorry,' he said. 'I never meant to hurt you.'
'But you did,' Natalie said. 'You lied to me. You cheated on me. And now, you're going to have a baby with her.'
Adrian raised his head. 'I don't want a baby with her,' he said. 'I love you, Natalie. I want to be with you.'
But Natalie didn't believe him. She could see the truth in his eyes. He was in love with Elise, and he wanted to be with her and their baby.
'Get out,' she said, pointing to the door. 'I don't want to see you ever again.'
Adrian hesitated for a moment, then turned and walked out of the kitchen. Natalie listened as the front door closed behind him, and then she sank to the floor, her body shaking with sobs.
For the next few days, Natalie stayed in bed, unable to face the world. She ignored the phone calls and text messages from Adrian, from her friends and family. She just wanted to be left alone.
But eventually, she knew she had to get up, to face what had happened. She got dressed and went downstairs, where she found her children sitting at the kitchen table, eating breakfast.
'Hi, Mommy,' they said, looking up at her with worried eyes.
Natalie forced a smile. 'Hi, babies,' she said. 'How are you?'
'We're okay,' they said. 'But we're worried about you.'
Natalie sat down next to them and put her arms around them. 'I'm okay,' she said. 'I just need some time to myself.'
But as the days passed, Natalie realized that she couldn't just hide away forever. She had to face the reality of what had happened, and she had to decide what to do next.
She started by going through Adrian's things, looking for any clues as to what had been going on. She found a stack of prenatal documents in his safe, along with a receipt for a maternity photoshoot that he had booked for Elise.
Natalie felt a wave of anger wash over her. How could he have been so careless, so thoughtless? How could he have betrayed her like this?
She decided to confront Adrian, to ask him for the truth. She called him and arranged to meet him at a coffee shop downtown.
When she saw him, she felt a pang of sadness. He looked so different, so tired and defeated. But she forced herself to stay strong, to not let him see how much he had hurt her.
'Why did you do it?' she asked, sitting down across from him. 'Why did you cheat on me?'
Adrian looked down at the table. 'I don't know,' he said. 'I guess I was just bored, or lonely. I thought I could have it all, and I didn't realize how much I was hurting you.'
Natalie shook her head. 'That's not good enough,' she said. 'You made a commitment to me, to our family. And you broke that commitment.'
Adrian looked up at her. 'I'm sorry,' he said. 'I know I made a mistake. But I love you, Natalie. I want to make it up to you.'
But Natalie wasn't sure if she could trust him again. She needed time to think, to decide if she could forgive him.
In the meantime, the news of Elise's pregnancy had spread like wildfire. The media was having a field day with the story, and Adrian's tech empire was in danger of collapsing.
Natalie watched as Adrian's reputation was shredded in the press. She felt sorry for him, but at the same time, she was angry that he had put them in this position.
She decided to take matters into her own hands. She hired a lawyer and filed for divorce, demanding full custody of their children and a fair share of Adrian's assets.
Adrian was shocked when he received the divorce papers. He had thought that Natalie would eventually forgive him, that they could work things out. But now, he realized that he had lost her for good.
The divorce proceedings were long and painful. Natalie and Adrian fought over every detail, from the custody of the children to the division of their assets.
But in the end, Natalie got what she wanted. She was awarded full custody of the children, and a large settlement that would allow her to start a new life.
As she walked out of the courtroom, she felt a sense of relief. She had finally put an end to her marriage, to the lies and betrayal. She was ready to move on, to start a new chapter in her life.