I stared down at my phone, my hands shaking uncontrollably. Every instinct screamed at me to call back, to cancel, to flee from the deal I had just made. But what alternative did I have? Being bound to the man I once called my enemy was still better than trusting the husband who had already chosen another woman over our child.
My thoughts drifted backward, to all the years I had wasted believing in the wrong person.
Back in college, I had been naïve—so sure of my feelings. I loved Aldrin first. With everything I had. When my father proposed the marriage to merge our companies, I didn’t hesitate for even a second. I thought fate was on my side. I believed Aldrin loved me the same way.
For a while, he played the part well. He was attentive, charming, gentle. The ideal partner.
Until he wasn’t.
Late nights became routine. Excuses piled up. Perfume on his clothes that wasn’t mine. Lies stacked on top of lies. And then there was Bianca—my closest friend. The betrayal should have been my breaking point. I should have left then. But I stayed. For Sienna.
Now I knew the cost of that choice. And my daughter was paying for it.
When I returned home, the house felt hollow, like all the warmth had been drained from it. I gripped the edge of the dining table, breathing hard, trying to keep myself upright.
That was when I heard heels approaching.
Bianca appeared, standing confidently in my home, one hand resting on her stomach, satisfaction written all over her face. Moments later, Aldrin followed her in, his hand brushing her arm with a familiarity that made my stomach twist.
“What is she doing here?” I snapped.
“She’ll be living here for now,” Aldrin replied casually. “And you’ll be preparing her meals.”
I stared at him in disbelief. “And why would I do that?”
“Because you’re responsible for putting the baby at risk,” he said coldly. “You should make up for it.”
“I won’t,” I said, my voice shaking with anger.
His gaze turned sharp. “That wasn’t a request, Amara.”
I stepped back, my chest aching. “I’m done. Let’s end this. I want a divorce.”
He blinked, then laughed harshly. “Divorce? That’s your move? Over something this small?”
“You know damn well this isn’t small!” I yelled. “Sienna has been taken! Instead of helping me, you froze my money—you did nothing!”