My Husband’s Mistress Drained My Life to Bear His Heirs

I jolted awake with a gasp, my body drenched in cold sweat despite the silk sheets clinging to my skin. My hands flew to my stomach, expecting to feel the familiar, excruciating pain that had been my constant companion in those final days. The phantom labor pains that had torn me apart while Kaia gave birth in glory just one wall away.

But there was nothing—just smooth, flat skin beneath my fingertips.

"It can't be," I whispered, my voice hoarse. "It can't be real."

The morning light streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of our Hamptons estate master bedroom. Not the guest house. The master bedroom. Where I belonged.

I reached for my phone on the nightstand, trembling fingers swiping across the screen. The date glared back at me in harsh white numbers: September 15th.

Nine months. I had been given nine months back.

A strangled laugh escaped my throat as I collapsed back against the pillows. The pain that had killed me—the supernatural agony of a pregnancy I never carried—had been just a nightmare. Or rather, a memory.

Because I remembered everything. The curse. The betrayal. Dying alone while they celebrated new life.

A sharp twinge suddenly flared across my abdomen, stealing my breath. I clutched at the sheets, waiting for it to pass. A residual echo of the curse, a grim reminder of what was to come.

"I won't let it happen again," I promised the empty room, my voice steadier now. "Not this time."

---

"Valeria." Luca's voice cut through the breakfast room as he entered, already dressed in his impeccable suit despite the early hour. "We need to talk."

I looked up from my untouched tea, meeting his cold eyes with perfect composure. In my previous life, this moment had shattered me—his announcement that he was moving his mistress into our home. This time, I felt nothing but ice in my veins.

"Kaia will be moving in today," he said, not bothering to sit down. "Full-time. She'll be overseeing a spiritual fertility regimen for us."

Us. As if we were still a team. As if I were anything more than a failed incubator to him now.

"I see," I replied, my voice cool and even. "And where will she be staying?"

Something flickered across his face—surprise at my lack of resistance. In my past life, I had screamed, cried, begged. This time, I merely set down my cup with deliberate precision.

"The east wing guest suite," he said finally. "She'll need space for her... equipment."

I nodded once. "I'll ensure Sydney prepares everything."

Hours later, I stood at the front door, waiting. When the sleek black car pulled up, I straightened my spine and fixed a smile on my face that didn't reach my eyes.

Kaia emerged like a vision in flowing linen, her dark hair gleaming in the afternoon sun. But it was the pendant hanging from her neck that caught my attention—a polished obsidian stone wrapped in silver wire, hanging just above her collarbone.

The conduit for the Gemini Blood Pact. The medium of my destruction.

"Mrs. Matthews," she greeted me with practiced warmth, extending her hand. "Thank you so much for welcoming me into your home."

I took her hand, noting how her smile faltered slightly at my touch. "Ms. Salazar. Welcome to the Matthews estate. I hope your stay is... productive."

Something flickered in her eyes—uncertainty, perhaps even a flash of fear. She quickly masked it, but I had seen it. She hadn't expected me to be so composed.

"Luca has told me so much about you," she continued, her voice honey-sweet. "I'm sure we'll work wonderfully together toward your goal of starting a family."

I smiled again, this time allowing a hint of mystery to enter my expression. "Oh, I'm sure we will. Though perhaps not exactly as you imagine."

---

The private dining room glowed with candlelight as Eleanor Matthews presided over the head of the table, her diamond necklace catching the light with every sharp movement.

"Kaia, dear," she said, reaching across to pat the younger woman's hand. "You've been such a blessing to this family already."

I sat silently, watching the performance unfold exactly as I remembered. The fainting spell that Kaia had planned to perfection. The panic that followed.

"Call Dr. Whitfield immediately," Luca commanded, cradling Kaia's head as she slumped dramatically in her chair.

I knew what was coming next.

Dr. Marcus Whitfield arrived within the hour, his distinguished silver hair and confident manner calming the room instantly. After examining Kaia privately, he returned to the dining room with an expression of professional astonishment.

"It's extraordinary," he announced, looking directly at Luca. "Ms. Salazar is pregnant. Approximately six weeks along, and... there are eight distinct heartbeats."

"Eight?" Eleanor's voice rose with delight. "Octuplets? But that's medically impossible!"

"Not impossible," Dr. Whitfield corrected. "Just extremely rare. Supernaturally rare, one might say."

Luca's face transformed with joy as he rushed to Kaia's side. Eleanor followed, both of them enveloping the woman who had just cemented her position in the Matthews dynasty.

No one looked at me.

Then it came—a sharp, stabbing pain in my abdomen. I gasped silently, recognizing it immediately. The sympathetic link had begun.

I rose from the table, my napkin falling to the floor. "If you'll excuse me," I murmured, though no one was listening anyway.

As I walked from the room, my hand pressed against my still-flat stomach, my eyes hardened with determination. The game had begun. And this time, I knew all the rules.