Pregnancy. One of the most beautiful moments in a woman’s life. That is, of course, if she has a loving husband who supports her every step of the way.

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As for me, I had not only constant morning sickness throughout all the months of my pregnancy but also Arnie, who never got tired of reminding me how bad I had started to look.

Before my pregnancy, we had a good relationship. Arnie practically carried me in his arms.

He made me feel like the most cherished woman in the world, always finding little ways to show his love.

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When we decided to have a baby, he was just as happy as I was, grinning ear to ear as he held the positive test in his hands.

But the moment I got pregnant and my body started changing, it was as if he had been replaced by someone else.

At first, it was just small remarks. "You could at least dress better for your husband instead of walking around in pajamas all day," he muttered once.

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Never mind that I had spent the entire day by the toilet, vomiting at the slightest smell.

Then he started complaining. "You just lie around all day," he grumbled one evening, kicking off his shoes. "This house is a mess."

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Arnie, my back is killing me, and I feel nauseous all the time. I can barely stand without feeling dizzy."

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Then Arnie started coming home late, always glued to his phone, texting someone.

It made me uneasy, but every time I asked, he brushed it off. "Just work," he’d say.

One night, I was eight months pregnant. My belly was massive, my feet were swollen, and even breathing felt like a struggle. Arnie came home late again, reeking of women’s perfume.

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"Where have you been?" I asked. My voice came out weaker than I wanted.

Arnie didn’t even look at me. He tossed his keys on the table and shrugged off his jacket.

"None of your business," he muttered and walked straight into the kitchen. "JESSICA!" His voice thundered through the apartment.

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I flinched. My heart pounded. It took everything in me to push myself up from the couch.

My back ached. My legs felt stiff. I grabbed the armrest for support and forced myself toward the kitchen.

"What is it?" I asked, breathing heavily.

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Arnie stood by the fridge, glaring at me. "Where’s dinner?"

My stomach twisted. I swallowed hard. "I feel sick again. I tried, but every time I smell food, I run straight to the bathroom."

Arnie rolled his eyes. He turned to the sink and let out an exaggerated sigh. "Could you at least have washed the dishes?"

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His voice rose. "I come home exhausted, and this place is disgusting! No food. No clean plates. What do you even do all day?"

Tears burned my eyes. "Arnie, I’m sorry. I wish I could, but I feel terrible." My voice cracked.

He scoffed. "The only thing you do is sit around in your sweatpants."

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I placed a hand on my belly. "I’m carrying our daughter. My body is working hard—"

"Don’t start!" He cut me off. "My sister was pregnant. She did everything. She cooked. She cleaned. She still looked good. And she never ignored her husband in bed!"

I gasped. My chest ached as if he had punched me. "Pregnancy isn’t the same for everyone. I never thought it would be this hard either, but I’m doing this for her. For us."

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Arnie scoffed. "Stop making excuses. You’re just lazy!"

He stormed out. A second later, the front door slammed. I stood there, gripping the counter, tears spilling down my face.

I sat down on a chair and covered my face with my hands. My body trembled, my shoulders shook, and my chest ached with every breath.

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How had it come to this? How could the man who once promised to love and cherish me now treat me like I was nothing?

That night, I couldn’t sleep. My thoughts spun in circles, tormenting me with endless questions.

Where had Arnie gone? Was he with someone else? Hours passed, the silence in the house growing heavier, until just before dawn, a message appeared on my screen.

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He's here. He needed space.

It was from his mother. A wave of relief washed over me, but it didn’t last. He hadn’t gone to another woman, at least not tonight.

When Arnie returned, things only got worse. His gaze was filled with resentment, his words sharp and cold.

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He constantly criticized me, making me feel like a failure.

"This place is always filthy." "You just lie around all day." "You don’t even try to take care of yourself."

His voice was filled with disgust, and each comment cut me deeper.

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One day, I told my best friend everything. She listened, her expression growing darker with each word. "Jessica, you need to leave him," she said.

I shook my head, my throat tightening. "I can’t. I’m pregnant. I have no money, no job, nowhere to go."

"You have people who care about you. You’re not alone," she insisted. "You don’t deserve this."

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I wanted to believe her, but fear held me back. No matter how much Arnie hurt me, I didn’t know how to walk away.

Then, one evening, everything changed. Arnie was in the shower. His phone, which he never left unattended, lit up with a notification. My hands trembled as I picked it up and unlocked it.

A dating app. Dozens of messages. Women he had been flirting with, meeting, and sleeping with while I sat at home, carrying his child.

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My stomach dropped, and I clutched my belly as if to shield my baby from the pain, but at that moment, my mind cleared. I had to leave him. But I needed a plan.

The next day, I put it into motion. And soon enough, just as I was about to give birth, Arnie walked through the door with another woman.

"Who is this?!" I shouted, my voice shaking with rage and disbelief.

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Arnie stood in the doorway, completely unfazed. He wrapped an arm around the young woman beside him and smirked. "This is Stacy, my girlfriend," he said, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

My stomach twisted. "WHAT?!" I screamed. My hands clenched into fists, my breath coming in short gasps.

"You heard me," he said, his voice cold and detached. He pulled a folder from under his arm and tossed it onto the table. "I’m leaving you. Here are the divorce papers."

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My whole body went numb. I stared at him, then at the folder, unable to process what was happening. My hand instinctively rested on my belly. "What about our child?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Arnie shrugged. "I don’t want you or your baby."

Tears welled up in my eyes. "How can you do this to us? How can you be so cruel?"

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Arnie scoffed. "Jessica, look at yourself! You've really let yourself go. There’s nothing attractive about you. You sit around all day, whining. Stacy, on the other hand, is beautiful, young, and—most importantly—she never says no to me."

He pulled Stacy closer and kissed her in front of me. My stomach churned. My heart pounded with fury.

"YOU’RE A MONSTER!" I screamed. Without thinking, I grabbed the pen from the table and signed the papers.

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Arnie smirked. "At least I don’t look like you!"

I glared at him. "I’ll get my things when you’re not home!"

"Do it fast," he sneered. "Soon, you won’t have access to this house—it’s my property!"

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I turned on my heel and stormed out, slamming the door behind me. He thought he had won. He had no idea what was coming.

I gave birth to my daughter on the same day I finalized my divorce from Arnie.

It felt like one life had ended and another had just begun. I had spent month drowning in stress, terrified that it would harm my baby, but when I finally held her in my arms, all my fears melted away.

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Riley was perfect. Her tiny fingers wrapped around mine, her soft cries filling the hospital room. In that moment, I knew she had saved me.

For a while, we lived with my mother. She helped with the baby, letting me rest when exhaustion took over.

My body recovered quickly, and as I looked in the mirror, I barely recognized myself. I had lost the weight, but I had gained something more—strength.

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One afternoon, a knock at the door startled me. I opened it and froze. Stacy stood there.

I opened the door and frowned when I saw her standing there. "What are you doing here?" I asked, folding my arms.

Stacy shifted her weight and let out a small sigh. "It’s over. Your plan worked."

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Relief washed over me. A slow smile spread across my face as I stepped aside. "Finally," I said, motioning for her to come in.

She walked past me, glancing around the house. "Arnie signed everything over without a second thought. The house. The accounts. He didn’t even read the papers. He was too busy thinking about what he was getting with me," she said with a smirk.

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I shook my head. "He was never the sharpest tool in the shed. I handled all the paperwork when we were married. He never questioned anything I put in front of him."

Stacy chuckled. "Well, congratulations. It’s all yours now."

"Thank you," I said, wrapping my arms around her in a brief hug.

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With Arnie out of the picture, Riley and I moved back into what was rightfully ours.

The house that we had built together—except now, it was truly mine. Life felt peaceful for the first time in a long while.

Then, one evening, I heard shouting outside. Curious, I stepped onto the porch.

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"Stacy! Come back to me! I’m begging you! I have nothing left!" Arnie’s voice was desperate, his hands reaching for her as she stood stiffly in the driveway.

I crossed my arms and tilted my head. "Poor thing," I said, my voice dripping with amusement.

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Arnie’s head snapped toward me. His face twisted with anger. "What are YOU doing here?!" he yelled.

I raised an eyebrow. "Didn’t expect this, did you?" I took a step forward. "I tricked you, Arnie. You fell right into my trap with Stacy."

His brow furrowed. "What the hell are you talking about?!"

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I let out a small laugh. "At some point, I got fed up with your disgusting behavior. Your lies. Your affairs. So, I hired Stacy—a young, beautiful woman—to seduce you. And you, being exactly who I knew you were, didn’t even hesitate. You were so blinded by your own ego that you didn’t realize you were signing everything over to me."

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His face turned red with fury. "You witch! You set me up!"

I shrugged. "No, Arnie. Your own lust set you up. I just gave you the perfect opportunity to destroy yourself."

His anger faded into something pathetic. He looked me up and down, eyes filled with regret. "Come back to me. I’ll be better," he pleaded.

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I didn’t even pause. "No."

"You’ll never find anyone else besides me! No man will ever want you!" he snapped.

I smirked. "Look at me—I look amazing, and now I don’t have a worthless man dragging me down. Meanwhile, you’re practically homeless. I think I’ll be just fine."

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"Jessica, please," he begged, his voice cracking.

I turned without another word and walked back inside. The lock clicked behind me.

I picked Riley up in my arms, holding her close. I had her, and I needed nothing else.

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