POV Norah
My chest felt so tight I could barely breathe.
Xander’s words echoed over me, relentless, and my eyes fell to his hand—still gripping the pregnancy test like it was some kind of proof of ownership. Like the two pink lines belonged to him more than me.
My stomach twisted. My hands shook so badly I had to curl them into fists to keep from falling apart. And then his eyes snapped to mine, piercing, demanding, leaving me nowhere to hide.
“Why didn’t you tell me, Norah?”
His voice was raw, almost breaking at the edges, but underneath was the sharp blade of accusation. I swallowed hard, my throat burning, blinking back the tears I swore I wouldn’t let him see.
“Because it doesn’t matter anymore.”
His brows furrowed, his face hardening, storm clouds gathering there.
“Doesn’t matter anymore?” His voice rose, shaking with fury. “You’re carrying my child, and you think that doesn’t matter?”
I lifted my chin, even though my whole body trembled, even though my insides screamed at me to run. I forced the words out like steel.
“You already have an heir, don’t you?”
The silence cracked open like glass shattering on the floor. Chris’s head whipped toward me, his eyes wide, confusion flashing before it hardened into something darker.
“What heir?” he demanded, his tone sharp, demanding answers I didn’t want to give.
My lips parted and I hesitated for only a heartbeat, but the weight of betrayal crushed me.
The words clawed their way out, hurting more to say than to hold in. “Alaina. She’s back and pregnant.”
Chris froze and I could follow the way his face drained of all color. His mouth opened and closed like he couldn’t breathe. He stumbled a step back, voice incredulous, hollow.
“What. The. Fuck?”
The weight of his shock cut deeper than I expected, as if the entire world knew of her return, of her shadow, before I could even gather the strength to face it.
Xander’s jaw clenched, tight enough to crack. He shook his head hard, eyes blazing, never leaving me.
“Alaina is the past, Norah. That’s all she is—the past.”
I laughed, but it wasn’t joy, not even close. It came out bitter, broken, shaking. “The past that’s haunting you.”
My voice cracked, but I pushed on, not letting him escape.
“Don’t lie to me, Xander. I saw it when I picked that photo. The flicker in your eyes, the hesitation in your breath. You can’t escape her. And I—” My chest heaved. “I won’t fight against a ghost I can’t kill.”
He took a step forward, desperation etched in every line of his body.
“Please, Norah…” His voice dropped, rough and pleading. “Let’s go home. We can talk there, away from this—away from him.”
His hand lifted slightly, almost reaching for me, almost touching, but I stepped back so fast it hurt, and the pain that flashed in his eyes nearly shattered me.
“No.” My voice was firm now, trembling not with fear but with fury, with heartbreak. “I refuse.”
The silence after my words was deafening, heavier than any scream.
I didn’t wait for his reply. I couldn’t. My heels clicked against the polished floor as I turned sharply, my every step echoing like a declaration, like a rejection louder than any words I could’ve spoken.
Chris’s footsteps followed close behind me. His presence was a shield, a wall between me and the storm behind us. His voice was low, steady, almost gentle.
“You can stay with me if you like.” His hand brushed my arm, careful, never forceful, not demanding—just there. Offering. “You don’t have to go back to him.”
I stopped mid-step.
For the first time in what felt like forever, I allowed myself to breathe. To exhale some of the pain clawing inside my chest.
Slowly, I turned my head to look at him. His face was carved with concern, anger simmering beneath it—but none of it was aimed at me.
He wasn’t judging. He wasn’t pressing.
He was just there, waiting for my choice.
“Thanks,” I whispered.
My voice broke on the word, soft but loaded with every ounce of gratitude and confusion tangled inside me.
I didn’t know what I was anymore—strong, broken, lost. Maybe all three. But in that moment, I clung to the kindness in his eyes like a lifeline.
And then I heard it.
The sound of heels. Click. Click. Click.
Slow. Deliberate. Each step is like a countdown, echoing through the hall, curling cold fingers around my spine. My stomach dropped before I even lifted my gaze.
When I finally did, the air left my lungs.
She emerged like a shadow materializing into flesh, every line of her body dripping with venom. Her lips curved into a cruel smile, and her eyes glinted with satisfaction, like she’d been waiting for this exact moment to strike.
Alaina.
Her gaze swept over me, dragging across my skin like knives, lingering with disgust. Then her lips parted, her voice slicing through the air like a blade meant to cut me in half.
“Hello there, whore.”