Chapter 2
The morning light streaming through the kitchen windows was too bright, too cheerful. It mocked me as I stood at the counter, sipping my black coffee and pretending to care about the financial section Ryan was reading. He’d barely spoken to me since yesterday’s spectacle, not that I’d expected him to.
“Ugh,” Ashley’s voice cut through the silence, saccharine sweet and edged with feigned distress. “Sorry, guys. Morning sickness is the worst.”
I didn’t turn. Didn’t dare. My hands tightened around the mug, the ceramic biting into my palms.
“Babe,” Ryan murmured, already sliding into the chair beside her, “do you need some ginger tea? Or crackers? Anything?”
“No, no,” she waved a hand, her diamond tennis bracelet catching the light. “It’s probably just...something I ate.”
My spine stiffened. Something she ate.
“Or maybe,” she continued, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, “someone’s trying to hurt the baby.”
The room tilted. I set my mug down carefully, the thud of ceramic on marble echoing in the sudden silence.
“What are you talking about?” Ryan asked, his voice low and dangerous.
Ashley’s eyes met mine, wide and innocent. “I was going to tell you last night, Ry, but I didn’t want to upset you. Someone’s been tampering with my prenatal vitamins.”
“What?” Ryan’s chair scraped back as he stood, his gaze snapping to mine. “Sarah—”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I cut in, my voice steady despite the storm brewing in my chest. “Why would I—”
“Because you’re jealous!” Ashley cried, her face crumpling into theatrically devastated lines. “You’re bitter and alone, and you resent the fact that I’m carrying Ryan’s child!”
The words hit like a physical blow. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.
“Is this true?” Ryan demanded, his eyes blazing with fury. “Did you touch her vitamins?”
“Of course not!” I shot back, my hands curling into fists. “I don’t even know where she keeps them!”
“Liar!” Ashley spat, her voice trembling with manufactured outrage. “I saw you snooping around the guest suite yesterday! You’ve always hated me, but this—this is a new low, Sarah!”
“Enough.” Ryan’s voice silenced us both, his tone cold and final. “Get out of my sight, Sarah. Now.”
I stared at him, my chest heaving. “Ryan, I—”
“I said get out!” he roared, slamming his fist on the table. The sound echoed through the kitchen, making Ashley jump.
“Okay, okay!” she soothed, placing a hand on his arm. “Don’t upset yourself, baby. For the sake of our little one.”
I turned on my heel, my legs trembling as I made my way to the study. The door slammed behind me, the sound reverberating through the penthouse.
“Sarah.”
I spun, my back pressed to the door as Ryan stormed into the room. His eyes were wild, his jaw clenched tight.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he snarled, advancing on me. “Endangering my child? My heir?”
“I didn’t touch her vitamins,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “You know me better than that.”
“Do I?” he sneered, stopping inches from my face. His breath was hot against my skin, smelling of coffee and something bitter. “You’ve been acting strange for weeks, Sarah. Erratic. Paranoid.”
“Paranoid?” I echoed, a hollow laugh escaping me. “You bring your pregnant mistress into our home, flaunt her in front of me, and I’m the paranoid one?”
His hand shot out, gripping my chin with bruising force. “Watch your tone,” he growled. “You’re not in a position to lecture me.”
I met his gaze, searching for a glimmer of the man I’d married. The man who’d held me close on our wedding night, promising to love me until death parted us. But all I saw was a stranger—a cold, calculating narcissist who saw me as nothing more than an inconvenience.
“Get out of the kitchen,” he ordered, releasing me with a shove. “I don’t want her upset.”
I stumbled back, my fingers brushing the door handle behind me. “And if I refuse?”
“You won’t,” he said, his confidence absolute. “You’ve spent twelve years bending over backward to please me. I doubt that’s going to change now.”
The words stung, but not as much as they should have. Something inside me had shifted, like the first crack in a frozen lake.
“You’re right,” I said softly, my voice barely above a whisper. “It won’t change.”
His smirk faltered, replaced by a flicker of unease. He opened his mouth to say something, but I turned away, walking out of the study and leaving him staring at my back.