Fatal Lover
Chapter 1
I couldn’t believe it when I found out that Jake’s “one true love” had tested positive for HIV at our hospital.
It was a breach of confidentiality, but I told him anyway.
He accused me of lying, of malpractice that led to a patient’s death, and I ended up in prison.
Then, while I was eight weeks pregnant, he poisoned my milk.
I hemorrhaged.
I begged him for help, but he just kicked me aside, saying, “Finally, there’s nothing stopping me and Ashley from being together.”
I woke up, back on the day Ashley’s HIV diagnosis came in.
This time, I kept my mouth shut.
And I dumped him.
He loved Ashley so much, I figured I’d let them have their happily ever after.
1.
I was having breakfast with Jake when I came back.
He peeled my egg and handed it to me.
“Sarah, what were you about to say?”
On this day, in my past life, I told him about Ashley’s HIV.
Ashley had come to me for a prenatal checkup, and that’s how I saw her bloodwork.
She had no clue the test screened for HIV.
She’d even gloated, “Take a guess who the father is.”
“Your husband.”
My mind went blank.
Jake had cheated on me.
And now he might be infected.
I forgot about my own heartbreak.
All I could think about was Jake’s health.
I rushed home and told him everything, urging him to get tested and start PEP.
He flipped out, overturning the table.
He glared at me. “Sarah, you’re so vicious!”
“Just because I’ve been spending time with Ashley, you make up this lie about her having HIV?”
“You have to listen to me, this is serious…”
He slapped me across the face before I could finish.
“I know Ashley better than anyone. I know if she’s sick. Stop lying!”
I’d broken protocol for his sake.
I hadn’t even brought up the affair. All I cared about was his well-being.
And this was how he repaid me.
Well, this time around, he could stay in the dark.
He and his precious Ashley could rot together.
2.
“Oh, nothing. Just letting you know I’ll be busy with work and won’t be staying here for a while.”
Jake might already be infected.
I needed to get away.
“Sure, go ahead. I support your career.”
He smiled.
The sight of him made me nauseous.
I forced a smile. “Thanks, Jake.”
Ashley had returned to the States just this month. Her baby was only two weeks along.
My baby was conceived before that.
And since finding out I was pregnant, Jake and I hadn’t been intimate.
Logically, I shouldn’t be infected.
But just to be safe, I got tested.
Negative.
I breathed a sigh of relief.
I’d died so horribly last time.
It seemed like fate was finally on my side.
This time, I would make the most of this second chance.
No more scumbags. Time to focus on my career.
3.
I rented an apartment near the hospital and bought all new furniture.
I couldn’t bear to use anything from my old life.
Once I was settled, I skipped work and drove home.
I remembered Jake hadn’t driven to work that morning.
That meant his dashcam footage was my ticket to proving his infidelity.
I scrolled through the past month’s recordings.
There it was: multiple trips with Ashley, conversations about hotels.
I even heard them… in the car.
“Jake, is this okay?” Ashley’s voice was sweet and soft.
Apparently, that’s what initially drew Jake to her.
“What’s not okay? Don’t you want this?”
“After all these years apart, don’t you miss me?”
“Of course I do… Oh, Jake, that feels so good.”
“Just wait, there’s more where that came from.”
I couldn’t stomach any more.
I stumbled out of the car and threw up.
Seven years. I’d loved this man for seven years.
A burning desire for revenge took root in my soul.
4.
The memories of my past life were vivid.
After I told Jake about Ashley, he stormed off.
He never came home. He never contacted me.
I only saw glimpses of their life together on social media.
Happy pregnancy updates. Pictures of smiling couples.
They looked blissfully happy.
My life, however, was falling apart. A patient died unexpectedly after a successful appendectomy I performed.
It became a media frenzy.
The blame fell squarely on me.
The patient’s family harassed me at the hospital.
I was suspended, pending investigation.
The autopsy revealed surgical scissors inside the patient’s abdomen.
Conveniently, the OR’s security footage was corrupted.
The surgical team, the anesthesiologist, everyone claimed I was the only one who handled those scissors.
I had no defense. I was convicted.
Because I was pregnant, my sentence was postponed until after I gave birth.
My world crumbled.
Then Jake came to see me. He took me home.
He was unbelievably kind. He bought me cake, warmed me milk before bed.
He held me close. His voice was gentle. “Just drink this and get some rest. I’ll take care of everything.”
I trusted him. I drank the milk.
Twenty minutes later, I was bleeding.
Terror seized me. I clung to Jake, begging him to take me to the hospital.
He kicked me in the stomach.
Over and over.
He laughed. “I paid them to set you up.”
“Sarah, did you know people will die for money?”
“Those desperate people will do anything for money. Hahaha!”
My eyes widened in horror.
He sneered. “I bought them all.”
“And now, you’re going to die.”
“I put abortion pills in your milk. Hahahaha!”
Another brutal kick, harder than the rest.
I watched the blood flow between my legs.
His last words echoed in my ears: “Finally, there’s nothing stopping me and Ashley from being together.”
The pain, the despair… I would never forget it.
5.
I copied the dashcam footage onto a flash drive.
Then I called a lawyer and filed for divorce.
He cheated. I wanted him to walk away with nothing.
I also scheduled an abortion.
Bringing a child into a broken home wasn’t fair.
It was better this way.
I ran into Jake and Ashley at the hospital.
They were leaving the OB-GYN’s office, arm in arm, laughing.
Jake quickly let go of Ashley when he saw me. “Just here for Ashley’s checkup.”
“Sarah, you know, her husband’s gone. She’s all alone…”
“Of course, honey. Take good care of her. She must be so lonely.” I said, smiling sweetly.
He beamed. “You’re so understanding, Sarah.”
“That’s my wife. Come home tonight. I’ll make dinner.”
Once upon a time, those words would have made my heart soar.
Now, they only made me sick.
“I’ll be working late. You two enjoy.”
Later, Ashley showed up at my office, her eyes full of malice.
She slammed the door shut.
“You know about my… condition, don’t you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I feigned ignorance.
“The doctor told me my blood test showed I have HIV.”
“You must’ve seen it on my chart from my last appointment.”
“That’s your business. Whether I know or not doesn’t change anything.”
She snorted.
“Just so we’re clear. Don’t try anything funny. If I go down, you’re coming with me.”
She spun around and left.
From my window, I watched Jake kiss her goodbye before they drove off.
Probably heading home. I’d made sure he knew I wouldn’t be there.
I checked the living room security camera. There they were, embracing on the couch, kissing passionately.
Jake’s eyes were glazed over. He moaned, “Ashley, use your mouth…”
I gagged.
The cameras had been broken, which is why Jake felt so comfortable.
But I’d had them fixed that morning.
The dashcam only had audio. I needed video evidence.
Now I had it.
6.
The next morning, I sent the footage to my lawyer.
A week later, Jake stormed into the hospital, finding me in the conference room.
“Sarah, what the hell is this?”
The court must have served him.
I glanced up. “This is a hospital. Please be quiet.”
He ignored me, his voice tight with anger. “Why are you divorcing me? What did I do?”
The audacity.
I played the dashcam recording.
His face paled as he listened.
“It was just a mistake, Sarah. You weren’t… available. I couldn’t help myself.”
A voice called from the hallway.
“Doctor, I forgot to ask earlier, can HIV be passed to the baby?”
It was Ashley.
Jake froze, then threw open the door.
“Ashley, do you have HIV?”
