Dear Ex-Husband, I’M YOUR BIGGEST REGRET!

Natalia’s POV

“Congratulations, Mrs. Blackthorne. You’re five weeks pregnant with twins.”

To my ears, the word didn’t make any sense.

“What?” My voice came out smaller than I expected. “No, no, Dr. Reeds. That's—it’s not possible. You know what happened to me three years ago. I mean, that’s definitely the wrong test. So, check it again.”

Dr. Reeds sighed, shaking her head. It was the first time I had seen her looking this concerned since she started working for us.

“I have checked it three times, Natalia. Medically speaking, with only one kidney and all that scarring from your past surgery… your body shouldn’t have been able to carry, let alone twins.”

Twins—I was going to be a mother! After three years of being called a failure and a barren, nuisance wife!

“Here, take these prenatal vitamins, Natalia. But you should be resting; your body is putting a lot of pressure on itself,” Dr. Reeds said, handing me a tiny white bottle.

“I will. Thank you, Doctor,” I said, standing up from her desk.

As I walked out of the building, my head was swimming.

All I could think about was Christian—my husband, the billionaire CEO who treated me like one of those furniture in his mansion he was so eager to rid himself of.

My heart ached as I thought about last year at his father’s birthday party.

Christian was standing among his friends and their wives in the dining hall, and I walked up to him to give him the pills for his headache.

One of his friends said, “Hey, Christian, when are we going to see a little Blackthorne running around? Man, even my dog breeds faster than your wife!”

Christian didn’t defend me; he just took a sip from his drink and chuckled. “Some things are just bad investments, Lucas. You can’t force a broken machine to work.”

The whole table laughed heartily while I looked down at my feet, wishing the ground would swallow me.

But then… there was that one night.

Christian came home drunk as hell, and I went to get his briefcase from the bar.

Out of nowhere, he grabbed me from behind, squeezing me until his hips pressed against my ass, and kissed me passionately all the way to the bedroom.

He did not say anything as he made love to me, but somehow, in that moment, I thought his heart was finally opening to me.

But the next morning, the magic disappeared.

I woke up just as the sun rose, only to find Christian already dressing in a three-piece suit.

“Good morning, Christian,” I mumbled, reaching out to touch him.

He jerked his hand away from mine.

“Forget what happened last night, Natalia. It was a mistake I regret.” Then he left for a business trip to Singapore without saying goodbye.

I rubbed my belly beneath my cotton sweatshirt. No, It wasn’t a mistake, I thought. That night had given me my children.

Perhaps when Christian found out the news about the twins, the ice in his blue eyes would finally melt.

All I had ever wanted was to be loved, so I had spent my whole life pleasing everyone at the expense of my own happiness.

Growing up, I was hit and kicked by my stepmother every day, but when her precious daughter, Gemma, was diagnosed with kidney disease, I gave her my left kidney just to have a family of my own, even if it was just for a little while.

I pushed the glass doors to the hospital lobby open, about to head to the car and suddenly—flash! Flash!

Cameras were flashing in my face as reporters stormed the entrance. They shoved heavy black microphones at my mouth, their bright camera lights almost blinding my eyes.

“Mrs. Blackthorne, rumors are surfacing that Christian Blackthorne has begun looking into international adoption due to your barrenness! Care to comment on these accusations?”

“Natalia, does your inability to bear a child threaten the Blackthorne succession?”

Their questions felt like physical blows. I took a step back, my hands shaking as took my sunglasses from my bag to cover my face.

“Please, let me pass,” I murmured, keeping my head down and pushing past their shoulders until I was safe inside the car.

No stress, I reminded myself, breathe deeply. Think of the babies, Natalia.

I drove the long distance back to the Blackthorne mansion, the nerves in my stomach tying themselves into knots.

As I pulled up the long driveway, my breath caught in my throat.

Christian’s Maybach was parked out front.

He wasn't supposed to be back from his business trip until January. It was only November.

I pushed my way back inside the house, shutting the front door behind me. “Christian?” I called out.

No one answered

As I walked toward the staircase, my heart pounded in my chest.

A black stiletto heel was lying sideways on the carpeted floor.

A wave of uneasiness washed over me as I took a careful steps toward the room.

Lying across the arm of the couch was a lacy bra, and next to it was a wrinkled satin skirt.

I looked around the place, trying not to imagine what I thought I saw. No, it could not be!

Suddenly, a woman’s giggle floated down the hallway from our master bedroom.

Without thinking, I raced up the staircase, my heart beating furiously in my ears.

I reached our bedroom door, ready to push it open as I reached for the brass knob.

“Christian, stop it, that tickles,” a familiar voice whispered from inside.

It was Gemma—the girl who had my kidney inside her.

“Then stay still,” Christian’s voice murmured. It was relaxed and warm—a tone he had never, not once, used with me in our three years of marriage. “You’ve been whining about hiding in hotels for too long.”

“Yes, because I’m tired,” Gemma pouted. “When are you finally going to divorce that witch? You said it would not take this long, Christian. I hate seeing her live in this house, pretending to be your wife.”

“The lawyer is bringing the papers first thing in the morning. She will have no choice but to sign them. I’ve already gotten what I wanted from my father,” Christian said to her.

“Good,” Gemma giggled again. “Because Natalia is so selfish, keeping you all to herself. You’re the sweetest man I’ve ever seen, Christian. I love you so much.”

At that moment, I could not breathe or think.

I pushed the door open slowly, my eyes searching the room, praying to God that I was just hallucinating from the medication I had taken.

They weren't.

Gemma was lying across our bed, wearing nothing but a tube bra. Her legs were tangled with Christian’s naked thighs under the sheet, her head resting comfortably on his bare chest.

I slammed the door wide open.

BANG.

The two of them jumped apart in surprise.

Christian quickly covered Gemma with the silk sheet, his face hardening when he saw me standing there, shaking.

“Please,” I choked out, tears streaming down my cheeks. “Tell me that this is some kind of joke. Say something, Christian. Tell me it is not real.”

Christian adjusted himself, throwing a careless glance in my direction as he sat up. “Well, since you saw us, there is no point in lying to you now. Whatever you saw or heard is fucking real.”

I stepped back, gripping the doorframe for support.

“Why?” I asked, turning to Gemma. “Gemma, how could you do this to me? Did Christian force you to do this? Tell me something!”

Gemma let out a mocking laugh. She hopped out of bed, unbothered by her naked body, and walked straight toward Christian.

Right before my eyes, she kissed him on the lips.

“Does this answer your question, Nat?” Gemma spat, stepping back.

“She didn't have to be forced,” Christian muttered behind her. “Gemma and I were together long before I met you. Don't pretend what we had was real. You were the perfect puppet my father wanted for the Blackthorne empire. And now that I've inherited the throne, you're no longer useful to me. Loving you was never part of the contract.”

“No…” I whispered, my knees nearly giving out. “Gemma, I gave you my kidney! I ruined my body for you, and you turn around and do this to me?”

Gemma stepped closer to me, her breath brushing past my ear so Christian wouldn’t hear what she was about to say.

“You must be a fool to think that I needed your rotten old kidney,” she hissed. “All thanks to my mom for planning the whole thing. We needed you weak forever so you could never give Christian a child, and you fell for it like the pathetic dog that you are.”

My eyes widened at the words.

So I gave up my health, lived in pain every day with a ruined body, all for a lie? For a sister who was sleeping with my husband the entire time?

“You monster,” I whispered, my body shaking with rage.

“Oh, go cry about it on your mother’s grave,” Gemma sneered, stepping back. “She must have died right after giving birth to you because she couldn’t stand having you as her daughter.”

SLAP!

The sound of my hand against Gemma’s cheek echoed in my ears. Within seconds, a red mark bloomed on her cheek.

Her palm flew to her cheek, a red mark already blooming there.

“Don’t you DARE speak about my mother like that,” I gasped.

Gemma’s expression contorted in rage as she grabbed my collar and threw me toward the staircase leading down from the bedroom.

“You piece of trash,” she spat viciously. “I was going to let you live in misery and watch me marry Christian next month, but you had to be so rude and slap me?”

“Let me go, you filthy whore!” I struggled as she pushed me, trying to keep my footing on the steps.

I turned my head toward Christian. “Christian, help me!”

“Natalia, get your filthy hands off her. Gemma is my woman,” he said, stepping toward Gemma.

I pushed myself off the ground with as much force as I could, trying to break away from Gemma’s hold. Instead, my foot slipped on the step, and Gemma shoved me backward.

“Christian!”

My body flew weightlessly for a moment before crashing down, and I landed hard on my back on the long staircase.

I groaned in pain as my spine cracked against the wood before sliding down the steps until I landed on the floor in the living room.

I tried moving, but I suddenly felt a warm pool around my thigh, soaking my jeans and the white carpet.

Oh no. Not my children. I was dying, and the babies I never even got to tell Christian about were dying with me.

I heard Gemma gasp as she stared at me from the top of the stairs.

“Christian, she isn’t moving! Is she dead? Oh my God, I didn’t mean to. I don’t want to go to jail.”

“Calm down, Gemma,” Christian said, grabbing her by the shoulders. “You didn’t do anything wrong. People know she’s sick, and it was an accident that she fell. I will handle the security footage. You don’t have to worry about anything.”

“Are we just going to leave her here?” Gemma whispered.

“Yes. We should leave now,” Christian said, grabbing her waist and leading Gemma back into the room. “The maids will find her tomorrow morning.”

“Christian..." I murmured as I tried to reach out my hand to them. "Gemma... please..."

No one came.

I lay there in my own pool of blood, my vision fading and my heart slowing to its final beat.

If I ever get another chance, I vowed with my last breath, I will burn Christian Blackthorne and Gemma Brown's world into ashes.

I will make both of them crawl on glass for a forgiveness I would never give.

My eyes closed.