Nuptials & Neglect (Betray Me Once #1)

Chapter 1

CALLIE

It was almost fifteen minutes past my appointment with my OB-GYN. The doctor running late was to be expected since that happened in medical offices all the time. And she delivered babies, which could mess up anyone’s schedule.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t think of a single good excuse for my husband not being here yet.

I took a slow, deep breath through my nose to try to calm down, but it didn’t help at all. The smell only made me feel worse. The mixture of disinfectant and the lavender diffuser didn’t go well together.

A baby giggled from the far corner, drooling around a plastic teething ring while her mom whispered a lullaby. Across from me, a couple sat with their knees touching, heads bent close over a phone screen, her belly round with their child.

I shifted in my chair, arms folded tight around my flat stomach as I stared at the empty seat next to me where Ethan should be sitting. With the air conditioner cranked high, the plastic chair was cold, mocking the warmth Ethan’s hand should’ve brought.

When I made the appointment, he said he added it to his calendar. Ethan was a stickler about the darn thing because his workdays were usually packed with meetings. Everything got added so his personal assistant wouldn’t accidentally double book him.

Maybe he got caught up at work. Or his phone died.

I stopped myself. The excuses were starting to sound too familiar. And none of them changed the fact that I was sitting here alone. Or that he hadn’t answered the phone when I tried calling at one.

My name was already checked off on the list at the front desk. I’d confirmed that nothing had changed since my last appointment six months ago. Then I sat down for what felt like the longest twenty minutes of my life. All by myself.

“Callie?”

My head snapped up. The nurse was at the entrance to the hallway leading to the exam rooms, tablet in hand, flashing me a kind smile that only made the tightness in my chest worse.

I forced myself to return her smile as I stood, my legs stiff from sitting so long. My purse strap slipped off my shoulder, and I fumbled it back into place, suddenly aware of how shaky my hands were.

“That’s me.” My voice came out thinner than I meant it to.

The nurse motioned me forward. I followed her around the corner to the scale.

“My husband’s running late,” I explained as I set my purse on the counter. “If he gets here before I’m done, would you mind bringing him back?”

“Of course,” she agreed, her eyes darting toward the clock on the wall as if she doubted he’d show. “I’ll let the front desk know.”

I nodded, then looked down quickly so she couldn’t see the heat filling my cheeks. “Thanks.”

The weigh-in and vitals passed in a blur of numbers and polite murmurs I barely registered. I nodded when prompted, offered my arm when asked. Smiled thinly. Pretended everything was fine.

A few minutes later, I found myself sitting on the exam table in a gown that gaped in the back no matter how many times I tugged it closed. The crinkling sound beneath me echoed with every small movement, loud in the sterile hush of the room.

I kept my eyes on the poster across from me, but my mind kept circling back to the same devastating truth—he forgot.

There was a soft knock on the door before it creaked open.

“Hi, Callie.” Dr. Hennessey stepped in, her smile warm but professional. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“No problem,” I murmured.

She glanced at the tablet in her hand as she settled onto the stool beside the counter. “So, it looks like it’s been about six months since your IUD was removed. Is that right?”

My voice was flat as I confirmed, “Yes.”

“And your cycle returned to normal a few months ago?”

My fingers dug into the paper beneath me as I nodded. “It’s been like clockwork. Unfortunately.”

She looked up from the tablet with a soft smile. “You mentioned at your last appointment that you wanted the device removed because you and your husband were hoping to get pregnant?"

“Yes, and we’ve been trying,” I whispered, smoothing my palm down the front of the paper gown. “But nothing yet.”

Dr. Hennessey offered a nod of understanding, her expression calm. “How long have you been tracking?”

“Since the removal. So…six months now.” I tried to smile, but it felt brittle. “I know it’s probably too early to be worried.”

“It’s a common concern,” she said, her voice kind. “But try not to stress just yet. We generally advise giving it a full year before we start to worry.”

I nodded, though the ache in my chest didn’t ease.

“For most couples trying after IUD removal,” she continued, “conception occurs within twelve months. About seventy to seventy-five percent of the time.”

“That’s good to know,” I murmured, though I didn’t feel any better. Facts were comforting until you were living in the thick of it. By yourself because the man who should be supporting you through the process was nowhere to be found.

“If you’d like,” she added gently, “we can run a basic hormone panel today. Just to check the usual markers and give you a little peace of mind. Totally your call.”

I hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah. I’d like that.”

“Okay. We’ll have the nurse come back for a blood draw once we’re done here.” She smiled again, but my lips only trembled in response. “And we’ll schedule you to come back in six months, but please call for an earlier appointment if you get pregnant before then.”

I tried to not let the if—instead of when—get to me while she did a quick physical exam before leaving me alone again.

There was a knock on the door a few minutes later, and a different nurse stepped inside with a tray. “Hi there, Callie. We’ll get that bloodwork started, okay?”

I nodded, though I was already bracing myself.

The paper beneath me crinkled as I adjusted my arm, my skin suddenly clammy. I tried to focus on the wall, staring at the poster across from me without really taking anything in. But the sight of the tourniquet being unrolled sent a prickle of unease down my spine.

“I, um... I’m not great with needles,” I admitted.

“You’re not alone there.” The nurse flashed me a reassuring smile. “I’ll make it quick, though.”

I nodded again, throat tight.

When she tied off my arm, I clenched my other hand in my lap so hard my nails dug into my palm. My heart was pounding, but I kept still as she swabbed the inside of my elbow.

Noticing how pale I’d gotten, the nurse asked, “Do you have any ear buds with you? Sometimes listening to music helps my patients.”

“Good idea.” I fumbled through my purse with my free hand, pulling out my phone and ear buds. She waited until music was blasting in my ears at full volume before touching me again.

I breathed a little easier, trying to stay calm as the anticipation built.

Knowing what was coming always made me tense. The sting. The pressure.

Ethan and I had talked about it when we decided to try for a baby. There were so many blood draws during pregnancy, but he had promised to be there to hold my hand. That I wouldn’t have to be alone. To be there for every appointment, every needle, every moment along the way.

But he’d already failed before the journey had really begun.

I bit the inside of my cheek, blinking fast as the needle slid in. The pinch quickly shifted to a slight burn, and I squeezed my eyes shut. It was nothing compared to the sting of Ethan’s absence, though.

Luckily, the nurse kept her promise about being quick because it was over before a single tear slid down my cheek.

If only my husband had followed through the same way.

The moment I stepped back into the waiting room, I noticed the seat I’d used before was empty. So was the one next to it.

I stared at it for a long time before moving to the line to schedule my next appointment.

My body felt heavier as I started to accept the fact that Ethan wasn’t coming.

I didn’t even bother checking my phone. There hadn’t been a single notification the whole time I was in the exam room. No missed calls. No texts. Just silence that was even more deafening in a room full of soft laughter and rustling magazines.

I interlaced my fingers and clenched them to stop the tremble.

This wasn’t the first time Ethan had let me down. But it was the worst.

Today mattered. This wasn’t a random dinner he forgot to put on his calendar. It wasn’t a weekend plan he casually brushed aside.

This was our future. Our maybe-baby. The family he said he was excited to build with me.

I blinked up at the ceiling to keep the tears from falling, my throat burning.

The automatic door hissed open across the lobby, and I looked over, a sliver of hope returning.

A man in a suit walked in with a woman trailing behind, her hand resting on a prominent bump beneath a fitted maternity dress.

They both smiled when they saw the toddler clutching a juice box by the play area.

I quickly turned away, feeling as though my heart was being ripped to shreds. Hurrying to my car, I let the tears fall where no one could see. He wasn’t coming.

I was Ethan’s wife, but I wasn’t his priority. Not even close.