Between My Husband and Friend, Who Was My Real Ally

Bella's POV After hearing my suspicions, my best friend Cassie Harper went silent for a few seconds on the phone, then burst out laughing. “My girl, are your pregnancy hormones messing with you? Is pre-birth anxiety hitting early? How big is that imagination of yours?” She kept laughing as she continued, “Nate treats you like you’re made of glass. He adores you. How could he possibly sell you? And on a livestream auction? Come on, that sounds like a movie plot!” I hesitated. “But that photo…” “It was just a back view! Tons of people look alike from behind. Don’t scare yourself. And even if something did happen, my brother and I live right here in the city. He just finished his military service. Ten guys couldn’t beat him. You’re safe,” she reassured. She had a point. Nate was known for being a model husband—gentle, considerate, meticulous. Nothing strange had happened lately, either, except for maybe the fact that he’d been taking and making more phone calls than usual, which was probably work-related. Maybe I really was overthinking it. After hanging up, it was already 10:10 p.m., past the supposed meeting time. Then, some unknown instinct pushed me to open that livestream again. Someone in the chat asked, [@Morgan Reed, so how was it? How’s the quality?] A few minutes later, Morgan replied, [Damn! Don’t mention it! The owner of that little bitch messaged me saying it threw a fit tonight. Got all aggressive. Won’t go out. Delivery postponed to tomorrow! What rotten luck!” [If that little bitch weren’t so fair and hairless, I’d have asked for a refund already!] he even added. My mind went blank. Being naturally hairless down there was one in a million, almost impossible to meet one. And that was my secret. Because it was so rare, even Nate didn’t know until the first time we were intimate. He’d even joked back then that I was a “heaven-sent treasure.” No one else knew except him. If even this detail matched, wasn’t that too much of a coincidence? Could it be that the seller of that so-called lucky bitch was actually Nate? Did he really take my most private feature and use it as a selling point? I felt my entire body go cold. My legs gave out, and I slid to the floor. Just then, a small cramp tugged at my belly. I quickly held it with both hands as a wave of grief and anger crashed over me. If it really was him, why would he do this? But before I could even think of a plan to protect myself, I heard knocking at the door. I snapped back to reality, hurriedly wiped my tears, and went to open it. Nate walked in carrying bags of barbecue, completely unaware of anything. “Babe, you must be starving. Eat it while it’s hot.” I took the bag. Normally, the smell of barbecue made my stomach growl. But tonight, it made me nauseous. He sat beside me, watching me with gentle eyes. “Why aren’t you eating? Are you feeling sick?” He leaned closer, reaching out to rest his hand on my belly like he always did. But I flinched away hard. “I’m… not feeling well. I don’t feel like eating anymore. I’ll just take a shower first.” Before he could say anything, I practically fled into the bathroom and turned on the shower full blast. Recalling Morgan’s words in my mind, the barbecue mustn't be safe. But I had no proof. By the time I finally stepped out of the bathroom, dragging things out as long as I could, Nate was lying against the headboard playing on his phone. When he saw me, he set it aside and leaned in. His breath brushed behind my ear, and his hands began to wander. “Bella, you’re already five months along. I asked the doctor and he said it’s fine. We’ll be gentle.” He murmured the words as he kissed my neck. “I heard pregnant women bring good luck. Maybe if we try tonight, I’ll win the lottery tomorrow.” The moment he said “good luck,” every hair on my body stood on end, and I shoved him away instantly.

Bella's POV “No! My stomach hurts. This could hurt the baby!” I refused. Nate froze. His eyes dimmed for a split second, but he quickly softened his expression again. “Alright. If you’re not feeling well, we won’t do anything. Just get some sleep.” I pretended to agree, but I didn’t dare close my eyes. It wasn’t until the middle of the night, when his soft snoring finally started, that I opened my eyes. Carefully, I slipped my hand under his pillow, took his phone, and tiptoed into the bathroom. My hands shook as I typed in the password and scrolled through everything as quickly as I could. But his recent contacts were normal—just me, his coworkers, and work group chats. All the conversations were about projects, schedules, and reports. Not a single thing looked suspicious. He had even set an alarm for the next morning to buy my favorite mini quiches. And his phone password was still our wedding anniversary. Was I really misunderstanding him? Maybe Cassie was right. Maybe it was all just an awful coincidence. I quietly placed his phone back where it was, then slipped into bed again. I had just started to relax when my phone lit up. It was a notification. The livestream selling the “lucky bitch” was live again. My heart lurched as I tapped into it. The same host appeared. He hadn’t started selling anything yet, but the chat was blowing up. Morgan was making a fuss again, commenting, [Can you make it tomorrow afternoon or not? Give me a straight answer! Otherwise, I’m canceling!] The host typed back calmly, [Relax. The owner of the little bitch promised he’ll deliver tomorrow. As for the location, well, to keep the product fresh, it’ll be announced at the last minute!] The livestream chat exploded. [Mr. Reed! Can’t wait for the unboxing!] [Is it true it’s top-quality? A rare white tiger and a first pregnancy?] [Damn, so jealous! If you get bored with it, resell it to me!] Morgan replied, [No problem! After I inspect it, if it’s really as amazing as he claims, I’ll share the blessing with you guys! And that kid said he’s fattening the bitch up for me. Barbecue one day, cake the next!” I slapped a hand over my mouth before a scream could escape. Every day recently, Nate had come home from work with my favorite cupcakes and barbecue. He said I was too skinny, that he needed to feed me well. It all lined up now. Realizing all that, my stomach twisted violently. I dashed into the bathroom and dry-heaved over the toilet. Turned out, this livestream had never been about secondhand jewelry, and the “lucky bitch” worth a hundred and forty grand was me. My legs gave out. I sat on the cold bathroom floor, trembling. I wanted to call the police, but what evidence did I really have? A strange livestream and a few cryptic messages? They’d never believe it. And I was pregnant. If I spooked Nate too soon, things could get worse. But I couldn’t just sit here waiting for whatever he planned. When he was finally in a deep sleep, I quietly dressed, grabbed my phone and ID, and slipped out of the hotel. I flagged down a taxi and headed straight to my best friend Cassie’s place. It was the only place I could think of where I might be safe. When she opened the door and saw my messy hair and terrified face, she nearly screamed. I collapsed into her arms and told her everything I had pieced together. Her expression turned serious as she held me tight. “Don’t worry. You’re safe with me. This neighborhood has great security. And my brother lives right across the hall. He’s ex-military. With him here, nobody’s going to try anything.” She then settled me on the couch and passed me a warm cup of water. “Get some rest first. You’re pregnant. You can’t let yourself get exhausted. When the livestream starts in the afternoon, we’ll record everything and take it straight to the police.” My entire body felt worn out, so under her comforting voice, I finally couldn’t fight sleep anymore and drifted off. I didn’t know how long I slept before a loud, urgent ringing jolted me awake. It was Nate.

Bella's POV “Bella, where did you go? I woke up and you were gone. I was scared to death!” Nate worriedly said. I steadied my voice and answered casually, “I got hungry this morning and went out for breakfast. Then I ran into a college roommate, so I came to her place.” Nate paused for a moment, then snapped anxiously, “What roommate? How come I’ve never heard of her? Listen, something urgent came up at work. I have to fly back immediately. I already booked the tickets. The plane leaves in two hours. Call a cab and come back right away. We’ll head to the airport together!” He didn’t even wait for my response before hanging up. When I tried calling again, his phone was already off. My mind raced. Did Nate truly have a work emergency? Or was this just an excuse so I'd come back and he could hand me over as “the product”? To confirm something, I opened our travel app and there it was. He really had bought me a plane ticket for a flight in two hours. I couldn’t tell which part of his story was real and which was a trap. But I did know one thing: as long as I stayed in Cassie’s apartment, I was temporarily safe. Just then, another notification popped up. The livestream had started again. I opened it immediately, ready to record everything as evidence. There, I saw Morgan celebrating. [Guys! I’m getting ready to pick up the goods! The streamer gave me the address early this time! Wait for my good news tonight. I’ll send out some bonuses!] Someone asked him where the pickup point was. He replied with a smug emoji, [2nd floor, Sunridge Residences, Eastview District.] My pupils tightened, and my phone almost slipped from my hand. Because Cassie lived on the second floor of Sunridge Residences. And this floor only had two units—her place, and her brother Gabby Harper’s place. How did the livestream host know I was here? Could it be Nate? No, he had no idea where I had gone. Then a colder, more terrifying thought crept into my mind. The only person who knew I was here was Cassie. Was the person arranging the pickup not Nate, but her? A wave of uncontrollable trembling washed over me. I tried to call the police, but my hands were shaking so badly that I couldn’t even press the right numbers. And then, the doorbell rang. When no one answered, loud banging began. Through the peephole, I saw a man with tattooed arms grinning at the door. His teeth were yellow, and his eyes glowed with greedy excitement. Two smaller men also stood behind him. My knees nearly gave out at the scene. As a scream rose in my throat, a large hand suddenly clamped over my mouth. “Don’t make a sound! I’m here to save you!” I jerked in shock and saw it was Nate.