He Chose Her Over Our Baby

Abigail King's POV:

"If you hadn't married me, who would you have married?" I asked my husband, Dane. We were sitting on the couch, laughing while filming a trendy couple's challenge video. Our friends sat around us with drinks in hand, and the golden sunset light spilled into the room - warm and cozy. I felt lighthearted, thinking this was nothing more than a game.

Dane paused, tapping his chin lightly with a finger. He glanced at the camera, then back at me, a faint smile playing on his lips. "That's easy," he said.

My smile grew brighter. I was expecting him to say I was irreplaceable, or crack some tender joke to make me laugh.

"Chloe Chavez." He said it clearly, with absolute certainty.

My laugh died in my throat. This wasn't a funny answer.

Chloe - my former best friend, the woman who destroyed my entire world eight years ago.

Memories from elementary school flashed through my mind unbidden. Back then, Chloe and I were inseparable. We told each other everything.

Then came high school. Caleb Snyder - the first person I'd ever seriously liked. I'd kept that secret for five years, and only Chloe knew.

I finally worked up the courage to write him a confession letter and asked Chloe to deliver it. She promised she would. But that night, she sent me a photo. It was her and Caleb kissing, and she had that smug, victorious grin on her face.

She had delivered the letter - but she'd used my vulnerability against me. She stole him. She stole my first love. Then she blocked me and just... vanished from my life.

Dane knew all of this. I'd told him everything years ago. He'd seen me cry. He'd comforted me. He'd sworn he would never let anyone hurt me again.

My hand curled into a fist. A sharp pain stabbed through my chest. This was betrayal from the person I trusted most.

My husband - the man who'd sworn to protect me - had just spoken my deepest wound out loud. And he'd done it on purpose, like it was completely normal.

"Are you insane?" I snapped. "Out of everyone in the entire world, you pick her?" My words cut like a knife, and I felt my heart tearing apart.

Dane laughed - a scornful, grating sound. He shook his head. "Come on, Abigail, don't be so dramatic. It was just a hypothetical question." He waved a hand dismissively, as if my feelings didn't matter at all.

"A hypothetical question with a very real answer," I shot back, my voice trembling.

He raised an eyebrow, a flicker of mockery in his eyes. "Oh? And what's your answer, Mrs. King? If it weren't me, who would you have married?" He set down his phone, leaned back, and looked at me challengingly.

My throat tightened. Before he'd said Chloe's name, my answer would have been him.

The once-warm room suddenly turned ice-cold, sending a shiver down my spine. My vision blurred.

I took a deep breath, and my resolve hardened. "Honestly? I don't know," I said calmly. "But after hearing your answer, I'm not sure I'd marry anyone - especially not you."

The room went dead silent. Our friends, who'd been laughing just moments ago, froze. The joyful atmosphere was instantly replaced by an unbearable tension.

Dane's face changed. His casual smile vanished, replaced by disbelief, then anger. He hadn't expected this. He hadn't expected me to say something like that.

He leaned forward. "What is that supposed to mean, Abigail? Don't look at me like that. Are you trying to start a fight over a joke?" His voice was low, dangerous.

"A joke?" I repeated, raising my voice slightly. "My best friend betrayed me with my first love, and you pick her as your backup wife? You think that's a joke?"

He stood up, his shadow looming over me. "So now we're even, aren't we? You're mad because I said a name, and now you're implying you wouldn't have married me at all."

My heart ripped in two. He'd just reduced everything between us to childish scorekeeping. He'd measured my love against his casual cruelty, and it meant nothing to him.

I'd given him my whole heart, and he'd tossed it aside for a cheap jab - then turned around and accused me of doing the same.

Dane had always carried a small, irrational jealousy toward Caleb. He'd known about my high school crush on him for years.

Even though nothing had ever happened between Caleb and me, Dane just couldn't seem to let it go. He'd bring it up now and then, using it to needle me. I'd always thought it was just his insecurity - something we could work through together.

My decision solidified. This relationship was over. I couldn't be with a man who so easily dismissed my pain.

I looked at him coldly. "You know, Chloe Chavez is actually still married to Caleb Snyder."

Dane sneered, cutting me off sharply. "What about Chloe? Why are you dragging her into this? This is between us, Abigail. Are you looking for excuses to get a divorce? Don't try to ruin her reputation." He looked furious.

This wasn't the first time we'd fought about Chloe.

He'd pursued me relentlessly after I broke up with my college boyfriend. I'd been hesitant, still wounded from Chloe's betrayal. I wanted to protect my heart. But Dane was charming and persistent. He seemed so genuine.

Then I found a photo in one of his old albums. A young Dane with his arm around Chloe, both of them smiling brightly.

It was clearly from high school. The warmth in his eyes was something I'd never seen directed at me. I confronted him. He admitted it. He'd been obsessed with Chloe, written her love letters, tried to win her over. But Chloe had never reciprocated. He said it was all in the past. He swore his feelings for her were long gone. He said he only loved me.

I was furious. I blocked his number and removed him from social media. I wanted nothing to do with him. But he didn't give up. He wrote me letters, showed up at my workplace with flowers. He knelt at my doorstep, begging for forgiveness. He swore nothing would ever come between us, that he'd always put me first.

He was so gentle, so patient. He waited three years for me. Piece by piece, he rebuilt my trust. He seemed to truly understand my pain and fears. He made me believe he was different. He made me believe he'd never hurt me like that.

And now, his words and actions had destroyed all of it. The trust I'd worked so hard to rebuild turned to ash in an instant. I looked at him and saw nothing but a liar.