My sister stole my wedding husband and got pregnan…

“Your plan. I mean, they’re already suffering. Maybe that’s enough.”

I thought about my mother’s voice messages. All about how Sophie needed support. How blessed they were. How I needed to move on. About Jaime’s hand on my sister’s stomach at the restaurant, the same hand that used to hold mine.

“No,” I said. “It’s not enough.”

That night, I drove past their current apartment. The lights were on, shadows moving behind curtains. They looked happy, normal, like they had not shattered someone else’s life to build their own.

My phone rang. Elelliana.

“Before you say no,” she said when I answered, “hear me out. Family brunch Sunday. Just you and me. And okay, yes, Sophie and your mom will be there. But so will I. Running interference. Please. I hate being stuck between everyone.”

I sighed. “Fine. One hour.”

Sunday arrived too quickly. I walked into the café to find Sophie already crying.

“These hormones,” she sniffled as I sat down. “I’m just so happy you came.”

My mother beamed. “See? This is what family does. We come together.”

Elelliana caught my eye and mouthed, Sorry.

“So…” Sophie wiped her eyes. “The new house is perfect. The owners accepted our offer right away. Jaime says it’s meant to be.”

“When do you move in?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

“Three weeks. Just in time to set up the nursery before I get too big.” She pulled out her phone. “Want to see the photos? The previous owners are doing some renovations before we move in.”

I looked at the pictures. My house. My renovations.

“Lovely.”

“We’re thinking of calling her Ivy,” Sophie said suddenly. “After you. To show there are no hard feelings.”

The café went silent. Even my mother looked uncomfortable.

“No,” I said quietly. “You don’t get to do that.”

“But—”

“You don’t get to take my life and then name your baby after me like it makes everything okay.”

Sophie’s lower lip trembled. “I thought you’d be honored.”

“Honored?” I stood up, my chair scraping loudly. “You want to honor me? Try not sleeping with my fiancé next time.”

“Ivy,” my mother hissed. “People are staring.”

“Let them stare.” I grabbed my purse. “I’m done pretending everything’s fine.”

Elelliana followed me outside. “That was intense.”

I showed her the contractor’s schedule on my phone. “It’s about to get more intense. They start tomorrow.”

She studied me for a long moment. “You know this won’t make you feel better, right?”

“Maybe not.” I looked back through the window as Sophie cried on our mother’s shoulder. “But it’ll make them feel worse. And right now, that’s all that matters.”

Elelliana’s birthday party felt like walking into a minefield. The backyard was filled with familiar faces, all pretending not to watch me as I moved through the crowd.

Eric squeezed my hand reassuringly. “We can leave anytime.”

“Not yet.”

I spotted Jaime by the drinks table, checking his phone with a worried expression.

“This is getting interesting,” I murmured.

Sophie waved from her seat of honor, surrounded by gift bags full of baby items. Trust her to hijack someone else’s birthday party.

“Ivy, come feel the baby kick.”

“I’m good.”

I grabbed a glass of wine, watching Jaime slip away to make another phone call. Elelliana appeared beside me.

“He’s been doing that all afternoon. Sophie thinks he’s handling work stuff.”

“More likely money problems,” I muttered.

“What?”

“Nothing.” I forced a smile as my mother approached.

“Ivy, darling, Sophie’s about to open the presents. Come sit with us.”

“Actually,” I said, raising my voice slightly, “I’d love to hear more about the house, Sophie. The renovations must be almost done.”

Sophie brightened. “Oh my God, yes. The contractors have been amazing. They’re painting the nursery this gorgeous shade of lavender.”

“Contractors?” Jaime interrupted, returning from his call. His face had gone pale. “What contractors?”

Sophie frowned. “The ones doing the renovations before we move in. You said the sellers arranged everything.”

Jaime tugged at his collar. “Right. Right. Of course.”

I sipped my wine, watching him squirm. He had not arranged anything. He could not have, since he did not own the house. I wondered how long he could keep up the lie.

“Show everyone the nursery photos,” Sophie urged.

Jaime’s phone rang again. “Sorry, I need to take this.”

I followed him around the corner of the house, staying just close enough to hear.

“I know I’m late on the payment,” he hissed into the phone. “The house fell through, okay? But I’ve got another plan. No, please. Just give me two more weeks.”

I stepped into view. He jumped and ended the call.

“Were you listening?” he snapped.

“Calm is a funny thing, isn’t it?” I leaned against the wall. “One minute you’re on top of the world. The next…”

His eyes narrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing.” I smiled. “Just thinking about how quickly things can change. Houses slip away. Debts pile up.”

“What do you know?”

“I know Sophie would be devastated to learn about your gambling. Almost as devastated as I was when…”

“There you are.” Sophie waddled around the corner. “What are you two talking about?”

“The house,” I said smoothly. “Jaime was just telling me about all the special features. The bay window. The vintage fireplace. The original hardwood floors.”

Sophie beamed. “We’re so lucky.”

“The master bedroom has this amazing crown molding that’s being replaced,” I cut in.

Jaime’s head snapped up. “What?”

“Oh, you didn’t know? The contractors are replacing the crown molding and the hardwood floors. Even the vintage fireplace is going. Gone by Thursday.”

Sophie’s face fell. “But we chose that house because of those features. Jaime, you said nothing was being changed.”

He shot me a panicked look. “There must be some mistake.”

“No mistake.” I pulled out my phone, showing them the contractor’s latest photos. “See? They’re making good progress.”

“But why would the sellers…” Sophie’s voice trailed off as she studied the images. “Wait. Jaime. That’s not our house.”

“Of course it is,” he said quickly. “It’s just the angle.”

“No, look at the address in the background.” She zoomed in on one photo. “That’s the Victorian we lost. Why do you have renovation photos of a house we don’t own?”

I watched the color drain from Jaime’s face as his whole flimsy story started to collapse.

“Someone else bought it,” he stammered. “The loan… we couldn’t…”

“Then why are you acting like we’re moving in?” Sophie’s voice rose. “Why are there contractors? Why did you let me plan a housewarming party?”

Other guests were starting to stare. My mother hurried over. “What’s going on?”

“I’d like to know that too,” Sophie said, tears streaming down her face.

Jaime opened his mouth, closed it, then turned and walked quickly toward his car.

“Jaime!”

Sophie tried to follow, but stumbled. My mother caught her arm.

“What did you say to him?” my mother demanded.

I shrugged. “Just the truth. For once.”

Sophie sank into a nearby chair, one hand on her stomach. “I don’t understand. We picked out paint colors. We measured for curtains. How could he lie about this?”

I caught Eric’s eye across the yard. He nodded slightly. My cue to leave before the real storm hit.

“Happy birthday, Elelliana,” I called out, heading for the gate. “Thanks for having me.”

Behind me, I could hear Sophie’s sobs, my mother’s soothing voice, and the growing whisper of gossip. Phase one was complete. Now for the real surprise.

The contractor’s boots echoed through the empty house as he showed me the progress.

“We’ve gutted the master bedroom and nursery as requested. The new fixtures arrive tomorrow.”

I ran my hand along the exposed beams, all that remained of Sophie’s dream nursery. “Perfect.”

“And the timeline? We’ll be done two days before their supposed move-in date.” He checked his clipboard. “Though I still don’t understand why we’re renovating exactly what they wanted to keep.”

“Sometimes people don’t know what they really want,” I said, stepping over a pile of vintage crown molding, “until it’s gone.”

My phone buzzed. Elelliana calling.

“Sophie’s a mess,” she said without preamble. “Jaime finally came clean about the gambling. She’s staying with your parents.”

“How much does he owe?”

“Enough that they’re selling her engagement ring, the one he gave her after… you know.”

I selected a deep charcoal paint for the master bedroom. Sophie hated dark colors.

“This isn’t funny, Ivy. She’s pregnant and has nowhere stable to go.”

“She’s at Mom and Dad’s,” I said. “Probably being told none of this is her fault.”

A crash from upstairs made me jump. The contractor shouted down, “Sorry, just removing that built-in bookcase.”

“Where are you?” Elelliana asked suspiciously.

“Working late.”

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