I was heavily pregnant with twins when my life fell apart.

I was folding tiny onesies, daydreaming about baby names, when my phone buzzed.

My heart pounded when I saw it was a message from my husband's boss, Veronica. I immediately assumed something bad had happened to Eric at work, but the truth was far worse.

I opened the message, expecting news of an accident, but found a picture of Eric, lying in a strange bed, shirtless. Smirking at the camera.

If there'd been any doubt in my mind about what it meant, the caption made it perfectly clear: "It's time you knew. He's mine."

My hands went cold. The babies kicked inside me, almost sensing my distress. Eric was cheating on me with his boss.

I immediately called Eric, but it went straight to voicemail. I kept trying, but none of my calls went through.

By that point, it felt like the twins were taking turns treating my bladder like a trampoline. I slowly lowered myself onto the sofa and placed a hand on my belly.

"Easy, babies," I muttered. "Mama will take care of you, always. And no matter what happens now, I know Daddy… Eric won't abandon you, even if he's betrayed me."

I could never have imagined how wrong I was.

When Eric arrived home from work that evening, he wasn't alone.

Veronica waltzed in like she owned the place. Tall, confident, dressed in clothes that probably cost more than our rent. The type of woman who commanded attention just by breathing.

"Eric... what is this?" I stood in the living room, staring them both down, trying to be strong even if I didn't feel like I was.

Eric sighed. "It's simple, Lauren. I'm in love with Veronica, so I'm leaving you. Let's be adults about this and not make a scene, okay?"

The words hit me like physical blows. Each one landed precisely where it hurt the most.

"You can't be serious," I whispered. "We're having babies in two months."

"Life happens," he said with a shrug. A shrug! Like he was discussing a change in dinner plans, not abandoning his pregnant wife.

Then Veronica crossed her arms, her perfectly manicured nails tapping against her designer blazer.

"And since this is Eric's apartment, you'll need to move out by the end of the week."

I saw red. "Are you both insane? I have nowhere to go! I'm carrying HIS children!"

"Twins, right?" She tilted her head, studying my belly with cold calculation. "Or is it triplets? You are rather… swollen. I think I can offer you a solution."

Her lips curved into what I suppose she thought was a smile. "I'll rent you a house and cover all your expenses, but I want one of your babies."

My blood ran cold. "What?!"

"I'd like to have a baby, but there's no way I'm going to do that to my body." She twirled a finger at my belly. "You'll never manage raising twins alone, so this is a win-win situation."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. This woman spoke like she was talking about adopting a puppy!

"I'll raise the child as mine. They'll have the best nannies, and attend the best schools…" she stroked Eric's chest, and he leaned into her touch. "And you get a roof over your head. It's a fair deal."

Eric nodded along as she spoke, like bartering one of our babies was reasonable.

I couldn't breathe. How dare they try to turn my babies into bargaining chips? I wanted to kick them both out, but they had me cornered. I had no family or close friends I could turn to.

But then a plan formed in my mind.

"I have nowhere else to go," I whispered, forcing tears to my eyes. "I'll agree to your deal, but I have one condition."

Veronica smirked. "Smart girl. What's the condition?"

"I want to pick which baby you get." I sniffled, looking down as if ashamed. "Just give me some time with them to decide which one will have a better life with you."

She exchanged a look with Eric. They thought I was defeated — I could see it in their eyes.

"Fine," she agreed. "But don't take too long. Once they're born, we'll take the one you don't want."

I nodded, wiping away a fake tear. "And... one more thing."