Time moved, but Emma didn't. She existed in days that passed like fog—there, but unseen. She had managed to cover the scars of the first betrayal, though they still itched in the silence of her nights. When she looked into the mirror now, she saw eyes that were older than her age, yet still searching for something tender… something kind.
Then came Brian.
Unlike the older man who had deceived her with manipulative charm, Brian was a boy of her age—playful, disarming, and filled with boyish dreams. He spoke like love was poetry, and he carried himself like he was ready to write that poetry with her. He saw her when others didn't. And Emma, who longed so deeply to be seen and not just touched, opened herself again—more carefully, but still sincerely.
He made her laugh in ways she thought she'd forgotten. He called her "his queen" in front of friends. He brought her cheap gifts that felt more precious than gold. He introduced her to his mother. For the first time in years, she felt the girl inside her breathe. She thought: maybe this time, it's different.
But love has layers—and betrayal often wears a better mask when it comes from someone who seems innocent.
Brian wasn't serious. He wasn't ready. And deep inside, Emma was only a chapter in a book he didn't intend to finish. The moment he got what he wanted, his calls faded. His visits vanished. The laughter dried.
And just like that, the second heartbreak struck. It didn't come with violence or raised voices—it came with silence. With unspoken goodbyes and blocked messages. With the painful realization that even someone who walked in your shoes can still trample your heart.
This heartbreak was worse. Not just because it came too soon after the last, but because she had let herself hope again. She had reopened a door that should've stayed shut.
Weeks later, her body whispered what her heart feared. Emma was pregnant.
To be continued.....