When Michael asked to borrow $10,000 to help his "childhood friend" pay for their wedding, I didn’t hesitate. We were married, expecting our first child in just a few weeks. I believed in supporting each other, especially during times of need.

“You’re an amazing wife, Claire,” he said, kissing my forehead, and I believed him.

I was nine months pregnant and stuck mostly on bed rest. Michael had been running errands constantly for the past few weeks. Late-night calls. Secretive texts. But he always had an explanation, and I trusted him.

But then the call came—my father’s voice, shaken and low.

“Claire,” he said, “where’s Michael right now?”

I rubbed my belly, shifting in bed. “He’s at his friend’s wedding. The one we gave the money to.”

There was a pause.

“He’s not at the wedding,” my dad said, his voice filled with disbelief. “He’s the groom.”

My heart stopped.

“What?” I whispered, struggling to understand.

“The wedding is happening right now. I’m at the venue. Michael is up there in a tuxedo, standing next to a girl in a white dress.”

The room seemed to spin. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t cry. I sat frozen, my hands trembling over my swollen stomach. My husband—my husband—was marrying someone else. While I was home, carrying his child.

My father’s voice broke through the silence. “I didn’t want to believe it until I saw him myself.”

Everything clicked into place—the secrecy, his refusal to let me come to the wedding, the missing money. It had never been for a friend. It was his wedding.

I took a deep breath, steadying myself.

“Dad,” I said, “I need your help.”

He hesitated for a moment, then asked, “What do you want to do?”

I gritted my teeth, my voice colder than I had ever felt before. “I want to ruin their perfect day.”

There was a silence on the other end of the line. Then, in a voice that matched mine in strength and purpose: “Good.”

The plan was simple. Legal. Brutal.

Michael had underestimated me. He thought that being pregnant made me weak, vulnerable.

He was about to learn that carrying life didn’t mean I wouldn’t destroy his.