Rivals

 As we made our way down the street, her heels clicking softly on the pavement, I couldn’t help but admire her. Nine months pregnant, and she still moved with such grace, despite the weight of the life growing inside her. Her round belly was accentuated by the blue dress she wore, the fabric gently hugging her form, making it impossible to miss that she was about to bring our child into the world. She smiled at me, that same sweet smile she always gave, her hand resting protectively on her bump.

In this reality, we had been together for years—high school sweethearts. We’d met as freshmen, started out as friends, and over time, our bond deepened. Everyone who knew us believed we were destined to be together. But the truth, the real truth, was something she didn’t know, something *no one* knew. The girl walking beside me now, glowing with pregnancy, wasn’t always my girlfriend. Nine months ago, she was Jake—my biggest rival from college.

Back then, Jake lived to outdo me, to prove he was better at everything. But when I found that spell book, everything changed. It was supposed to be a prank, a little taste of revenge for all the times he’d beaten me. But when I cast the spell and transformed Jake into the woman beside me now, I realized I didn’t want to undo it. She had become my dream girl—sweet, kind, and perfect in every way. And I wasn’t ready to let her go. 

In this reality, we had always been in love, always the golden couple that everyone looked up to. We had talked about having kids since high school, joked about how many little ones we’d have running around someday. And now, in this version of our life, those dreams had come true. Nine months ago, when I decided to make sure the change was permanent, I had made love to her without any barriers, knowing full well what would happen. The spell had worked too perfectly. When I came inside her that night, I *knew* she would get pregnant, that this life I’d created for us would become unchangeable, bound by the child she now carried.

The pregnancy itself had been smooth. The first trimester had its typical morning sickness, but she handled it like the strong woman she was, always smiling through the discomfort. By the second trimester, her belly had begun to grow, and I remember watching her in awe as she blossomed into motherhood. She would spend hours rubbing her bump, talking to the baby as if they were already best friends. We would lie in bed together, my hand resting on her belly, feeling the soft flutter of kicks beneath my palm. Her joy was contagious, and even though I knew the darker truth behind it all, I couldn’t help but get lost in her happiness.

Now, as we walked to my parents' house for dinner, her belly was at its fullest, heavy with the weight of our child. The baby was due any day now, and she often joked about how she couldn’t wait to “finally meet this little kicker.” She had spent weeks preparing the nursery, buying tiny clothes, and talking about the future with that bright, hopeful smile that made me both proud and uneasy. To her, this baby was the natural next step in our life together. She had no idea that her entire life—our entire relationship—had been rewritten by my own hand.

I reached for her hand, intertwining our fingers as we neared the gate. She looked over at me, her eyes soft, filled with the kind of love that made me feel both comforted and guilty. In this reality, we had been through everything together—high school, college, life’s ups and downs. But only I knew the truth. Only I remembered the rival who had once stood where this beautiful, expectant mother now did.

“You okay?” she asked, her voice gentle as she gave my hand a squeeze. She had noticed my quietness. She always noticed.

“Yeah,” I said, smiling back at her. “I’m just thinking about how amazing you are. How close we are to meeting our little one.”

She beamed at that, her hand moving to her belly, rubbing it softly. “I can’t wait,” she said, her eyes lighting up. “Can you believe we’re almost there? After all these years, we’re finally having our baby.”

I nodded, my heart pounding in my chest. I had orchestrated this entire reality—made her my girlfriend, my partner, and now, the mother of my child. The spell had woven itself so deeply into her life, into our lives, that not even she could question it. She didn’t remember ever being Jake. To her, this was real, as real as the baby growing inside her.

“We really are,” I said quietly, placing my hand on her belly, feeling the baby move beneath my touch. “I can’t wait to meet them.”

We stood there for a moment, just the two of us, wrapped in the quiet anticipation of what was to come. Her pregnancy had been a journey we’d shared together, but it was also the final thread that bound this reality into place. She was mine now, forever, and soon, the child she carried would seal that bond in ways even magic couldn’t undo.

As we stepped through the gate and toward my parents' house, I smiled at her again, knowing that this life—*our* life—was here to stay.