Chapter 2
PART 2:
For nine months, Dominic had believed Audrey was easy to erase.
That was the reason he married her.
He would never admit it out loud, but Audrey had learned the truth slowly, one insult at a time.
When they met, Dominic was charming in a polished, rehearsed way.
He opened doors.
He remembered her coffee order.
He told her she had “a quiet strength” he admired.
At the time, Audrey was working double shifts at a small bakery and taking night classes in bookkeeping.
She had no parents.
No siblings.
No big last name.
No one to call when rent went up or her car broke down.
She grew up in foster homes where love came with expiration dates.
So when Dominic looked at her like she was chosen, she believed him.
That was the first trap.
The second was his family.
They owned medical supply companies, real estate, and half the important handshakes in the city.
Dominic’s mother smiled at Audrey during the engagement party and said, “You must feel very lucky.”
Audrey said yes because she was polite.
But later, in the bathroom, she stared at herself in the mirror and wondered why the word lucky had sounded so much like charity.
Dominic told her not to worry.
“My family is protective,” he said. “They’ll love you eventually.”
They did not.
But Audrey tried.
She sent thank-you cards.
She learned their traditions.
She smiled through dinners where people asked what her “real background” was.
She answered questions about foster care like it was not a wound being picked open with silver forks.
Then she got pregnant.
Twins.
Dominic was happy for one week.
Maybe two.
Then the doctor said the pregnancy was high-risk.
Audrey needed rest.
More appointments.
Less stress.
Dominic began coming home late.
Then smelling like expensive perfume.
Then not coming home at all.
When Audrey asked, he kissed her forehead and said, “You’re hormonal.”
That word became his shield.
Any question was hormonal.
Any fear was hormonal.
Any tear was proof she was unstable.
At six months pregnant, Audrey found the first message.
Miss you already.
The contact name was saved as N.
She stared at the screen until Dominic walked in and snatched the phone from her hand.
“You’re snooping now?” he asked.
“You’re cheating?”
He looked at her stomach, then back at her face.
“You’re exhausting.”
That was all.
No apology.
No shame.
May you like
Just annoyance that she had noticed.
👉 One week later, Natalie appeared in Audrey’s life not as a secret — but as a warning.
