Then he turned to her.
“Tell me he’s lying.”
Sarah tilted her head.
“Why?”
His expression twisted.
“Why?”
“Yes.”
She crossed her arms.
“What exactly upsets you about this?”
And just like that, the mask fell off.
Nicholas exploded.
“You’ve ruined everything!”
Not us.
Not the relationship.
Not his heart.
Everything.
Sarah nodded slowly.
Exactly as she expected.
Then she reached beneath her dress.
Pulled out the fake baby bump.
And dropped it onto the gift table.
The entire party froze.
A woman whispered, “Oh my God.”
Nicholas stared at the foam belly.
“There is no baby,” Sarah said.
“What?”
“There never was.”
The silence became absolute.
“I wanted to know if you loved me,” she continued.
“Or if you only loved what I could give you.”
Nicholas looked desperately around the crowd.
“You’re insane.”
“No.”
Sarah shook her head.
“You did this to yourself.”
Then she laid everything out.
The pressure.
The manipulation.
The demands.
The property discussions.
The financial schemes.
Everything.
