Chapter 3The Curse of Betrayal

I tried to press her for answers, to continue the conversation. But Natalie simply shrugged me off, a dismissive gesture, and allowed Dylan to pull her away.

I stood there for a moment, stunned, then hailed a car to the hospital, needing to see my father.

In his hospital room, I gripped my father's inert hand. “Dad, you told me before that Mom’s betrayal, her affair, led to that car crash on their holiday, plunging you into such deep despair and sickness.”

“That’s why you always warned me against marriage, against trusting anyone with your heart.”

“I know I made a mistake, Dad. But don’t worry, I won’t let someone else’s mistakes define my own future. I’ll be here, waiting for the day you wake up.”

Visiting hours ended, and a nurse politely escorted me out of the room.

As I reached the hospital’s bustling main lobby, I came face-to-face with Natalie.

“What are you doing here? Stalking me?” Natalie’s face contorted with disgust.

I ignored her, turning to leave. But she wasn't letting go, stepping forward to grab my arm.

“Ethan Sterling, I’m talking to you! Are you deaf?”

I recoiled, shaking her off with a snarl. “Natalie, go see a shrink! You’re clearly unhinged, snapping at anyone who crosses your path.”

“Why would I be here to stalk you? Have you forgotten my father is also a patient here? I visit him every single day.”

It was the first time I’d ever truly raised my voice, ever let loose with such venom. For a moment, she was stunned, her carefully constructed composure cracking.

“Why are you suddenly yelling at me like this…”

Just then, Dylan appeared, inserting himself between us. He brandished an ultrasound printout like a trophy, waving it in front of Natalie. “Natalie, darling, the doctor says our little one is perfectly healthy! Those eyes, that mouth, they’re just like yours! So beautiful.”

Natalie’s face softened into a sickly sweet smile. “Our child is, of course, beautiful.”

Dylan chuckled, ruffling her hair. “Natalie, why don't we let Ethan name our little one? It'll give him a sense of… contribution.”

The old me would have lunged at him, fist flying. But now, I simply turned and walked away, my face devoid of emotion.

Dylan, however, called out to me. “Ethan Sterling, tomorrow is mine and Natalie's wedding day. How about you be our Master of Ceremonies?”

My footsteps faltered. I turned, staring at Natalie, a sneer on my face. “You and your… plaything are getting married? And you want me, your husband, to officiate? You two really know how to put on a show, don’t you?”

“Ethan, must you always be so crude?” Natalie’s face darkened, though a flicker of guilt, quickly masked, danced in her eyes. “You’ve had me, Ethan. I’m merely granting Dylan his wish, a small ceremony. Why are you so possessive?”

I was about to refuse, but she cut me off. “You must be there tomorrow. Don’t forget, your father still needs the imported medication only my family provides.”

My fist tightened, the half-healed wounds on my palm bleeding anew.

Natalie and Dylan’s wedding, held the next day, dwarfed our five-year-old ceremony.

Guests whispered as I made my entrance. “Ethan Sterling truly is a live-in son-in-law, isn’t he? Attending his own wife’s wedding to another man.”

“Maybe Ethan really is… incapable. Why else would he willingly wear a cuckold’s crown?”

“I think that Sterling curse is just a fabrication, a trick to keep their women in line.”

I took a slow sip of my wine, every whispered word a phantom breeze. I’d loved the wrong woman. Simple as that. I’d endured the whispers, the snide remarks, living under her family's roof because she claimed it felt like home. I even underwent a procedure, sterilizing myself because she whispered of a child-free life.

The truth of the curse? Three days would tell.

A wave of cheers erupted as Natalie, radiant in white, walked down the grand crystal staircase, her arm linked with Dylan’s. Step by step, they descended to the swelling music.

Then, Natalie’s face suddenly contorted. Her body twisted, and she tumbled, losing control, spiraling down the remaining steps. She lay sprawled on the ground, clutching her stomach, a raw, piercing wail tearing from her throat.

A collective gasp tore through the crowd. “Did she… lose the baby?”