Chapter 2: The Girlfriend Nobody Wanted

I’m the live-in girlfriend of the Montgomery heir—or, more honestly, the girlfriend who came as part of the package deal when my half-sister married into the family. I wasn’t chosen; I was included, like some leftover party favor.

The estate looked like it belonged on the cover of Architectural Digest—red brick, black shutters, a flagpole out front, and lawns that needed their own zip code. Every window felt like an eye, following me, judging me.

A few months ago, my half-sister announced she was pregnant. Right away, she made sure all the other girlfriends in the heir’s circle ditched their birth control, as if the whole house was competing to pop out the next Montgomery heir.

It didn’t take long—soon enough, I and two others found ourselves pregnant, too.

Now I’m five months along and more careful than ever.

I know my half-sister. She’d never allow another woman’s child to be born into the family. She’d smile at brunch, fingers drumming on the tablecloth, her gaze never quite reaching my eyes but always landing on my belly. She didn’t need to say anything; I could read the threat in her smile.

Tanya, my friend, came in from the cold, cheeks pink and hair damp. She made sure no one was around before slipping a little paper packet from her jacket and handing it to me—sour gummy candies.

I snatched one, the tartness exploding in my mouth. It was a tiny rebellion, but it tasted like freedom—lemon, cherry, apple—just like when Tanya and I would sneak snacks behind the gym in high school. She’d always been the one who’d sneak out with me for late-night milkshakes, no questions asked.

Tanya tucked the candies away, and we shared a secret grin. Even something as small as eating a gummy had to be done in secret now.

"Don’t you think Aunt Lisa’s being way too paranoid?" Tanya gave me that look—half pity, half disbelief.

She slouched against the kitchen island. “I see Melissa and Rachel strutting around, showing off their bumps like they’re auditioning for a maternity magazine. Meanwhile, I can’t walk into the kitchen without someone’s friend begging for snacks. Everyone wants pickles and soup, but you’re always after spicy buffalo wings. Girl, I don’t know how you do it.”

She patted my arm, rolling her eyes as if to say, Only you could survive this circus. Tanya always carried a little hot sauce in her purse for me. She got it, even if no one else did.

I sighed, tracing a circle in the condensation on the window. “They’re playing with fire and don’t even know it.”

Tanya hesitated, lowering her voice: “Your sister seems so gentle and put-together. Do we really need to tiptoe around her?”

"After all, you’re carrying the heir’s child. She wouldn’t dare do anything to you, right? Doesn’t she worry about what the Montgomerys would think?"

I squeezed her hand. “Better safe than sorry. I’ve seen what she’s capable of.”

It still hurt, the way my half-sister broke up my engagement just because she thought I was pretty and easy to control. One minute, I was someone’s sunshine; the next, I was shipped off to upstate New York with nothing but a suitcase and my doubts. Around her, I’d learned you can’t be too careful.

I packed up the baby clothes I’d made—onesies, blankets, all tied up with blue yarn. The scent of fresh laundry made me ache for simpler days. “Tanya, can you take these to my half-sister?”

Tanya looked at me, her eyes soft. “Why give them all away? Won’t your baby need clothes?”

I glanced at my belly, then back at her. “I’ve still got you, right?”

She laughed, bumping my shoulder. “That’s right. We’ll dress your baby in whatever we can find. Who needs fancy stuff?”

But Tanya didn’t come back for two hours. Lunch passed, and my stomach twisted with worry.

The longer I waited, the more restless I got. Tanya always put me first—she never let me miss a meal unless something was really wrong.

Something had happened.

Trying to swallow my fear, I went to my half-sister’s wing to look for her.

The housekeeper stepped out, her voice all sharp and smug: “Your friend Tanya? Caught her with sticky fingers in the jewelry box. She’s gone, don’t bother asking.”

My stomach bottomed out. Tanya—my only real friend here—just erased like she was nothing. I felt like the ground had dropped away beneath me.

I knew this was my half-sister’s doing. Tanya was my lifeline, and my sister would cut her off to leave me stranded.

Ignoring my pregnancy, I dropped to my knees outside my half-sister’s door, voice cracking, tears blurring everything. I begged, pleaded for Tanya back, but no one answered.

Mrs. Green, the housekeeper, sneered, “What do you want, Miss? The lady’s pregnant and you’re making a scene—trying to upset her on purpose?”

She spat at my feet. “You and your friend—trouble, both of you. Always have been. Your friend stole jewelry, now you’re crying? What, hoping to hurt the lady, hurt the next Montgomery?”

I wanted to scream the truth, but I bit my tongue. In this house, words could be twisted into knives.

I had to walk away, my body shaking with fury and shame. If I got thrown out, Tanya would never come back. I needed another plan.

I gritted my teeth and headed for the heir’s study, praying he’d listen—just this once.