I looked at him calmly, not giving away the fact that I already knew everything. “Okay,” I said simply. “But we need to talk about the divorce and what’s going to happen with the baby.”
Arnie scoffed. “The baby? You can keep it. I don’t want anything to do with it. I’m starting a new life with Stacy.” His words stung, but I was prepared.
The day I gave birth was both the most painful and the most liberating day of my life. As I held my beautiful baby girl in my arms, I knew that she was my reason to fight. I named her Hope, because that’s what she represented to me.
After I was discharged from the hospital, I went back to our house to collect the rest of my things. Arnie was there with Stacy, and they both looked shocked when they saw me with the baby.
“Surprise,” I said, a cold smile on my face. “I have something for you.” I handed Arnie the stack of papers, which included the divorce papers, the evidence of his affair, and the custody agreement. “You’re going to sign these, or I will make sure everyone you know finds out about your cheating ways. And trust me, your boss won’t be too happy to hear that you’ve been spending company time and resources on your mistress.”
Arnie’s face turned pale as he flipped through the papers. Stacy looked at him, betrayal in her eyes. “You lied to me?” she cried. “I thought you said she was crazy and you were leaving her for me?”
Arnie stammered, trying to come up with an excuse, but it was too late. I had played my cards right. In the end, Arnie signed the papers, and I got full custody of Hope and a significant portion of our savings.
As I drove away from that house for the last time, with Hope sleeping peacefully in the backseat, I felt a sense of peace wash over me. I had faced betrayal and hardship during my pregnancy, but I had come out stronger. And now, with Hope by my side, I knew that the future was full of possibilities.
