The Game of Love and Betrayal: The revenge of a highly educated female forensic doctor

I lay in bed, listening to my husband and my sister flirt and plot how to leave me with nothing.
Since they’ve set the trap, I’ll play along and walk right into it.
But who’s the hunter and who’s the prey? That’s still up in the air…
“Emily, if a global pandemic hit and it was the end of the world, would you have any regrets?”
My best friend Sophia asked, chewing on her straw.
I shook my head. “No regrets, my life’s been perfect.”
Sophia rolled her eyes. “You’re tempting fate, you know that?”
Little did I know, her words would turn out to be prophetic.

Chapter 1

My name is Emily Parker. I used to be a forensic pathologist with dual degrees in forensic science and criminal psychology.
After leaving my job, I started my own company providing injury assessments for several insurance firms. Business has been smooth sailing.
One day, while sending the quarterly case summaries, the file was too large, causing the system to slow down.
While waiting for the upload, I opened the network adapter settings.
Among the connected devices, besides my and Ethan Collins' phones and laptops, there was a new iPhone.
“Hey babe, did we have any guests while I was away on my business trip?”
“No,” Ethan Collins replied with a confident smile.
His eyes shifted to the lower left, matching the direction of his body movement.
His microexpressions showed no signs of deceit.
Ethan Collins, a physics PhD, built his company from scratch and has met countless people.
When it comes to reading people, we are evenly matched.
So, no signs of lying didn't necessarily mean he was telling the truth.
I decided to keep an eye out. Instead of removing the device, I just closed the browser.
“Absence makes the heart grow fonder, huh?” Ethan Collins murmured as he wrapped his arms around me from behind, his breath tickling my ear.
As night fell, Ethan seemed particularly tender, like he was trying to prove something.
But the presence of the unfamiliar device on our WiFi left me uneasy. I told him I was too tired and gently declined his advances.
“You’ve been working hard lately,” Ethan said softly, kissing my neck and holding me close, whispering sweet nothings.
I pretended to savor the affection, but my mind was racing.
A brand-new iPhone 15 Pro Max! Retail $1,199.
Who could have this newly released phone?
Lost in thought, I was startled when my phone screen suddenly lit up.

Chapter 2

"Emily, your sister is pregnant!"
The first message hit me like a ton of bricks.
The second message was a photo, clearly a candid shot taken at the city hospital where Sophia works. Despite the sneaky angle, the picture was clear enough. In it, my sister Ava Parker was sitting in the waiting room, grinning at her phone. The stark hospital environment made her phone stand out like a beacon.
In the darkness, it felt like a lurking beast was starting to bare its fangs.
I tried to steady my breathing and leaned back. Ethan Collins, half-asleep, instinctively tightened his arms around me.
"Ava Parker is pregnant," I stated bluntly into the silence.
Ethan Collins's breathing remained deep and steady, as if he were in a deep sleep.
I squinted, using the faint glow of my phone screen to count his heartbeats.
A normal adult's resting heart rate varies significantly, averaging around 75 beats per minute, with a range of 60 to 100 beats. For men during sleep, the normal range is 50 to 95 beats per minute.