My fingers tighten around the phone 100

ria’s POV
Sleep had been an elusive stranger all night. Every time I closed my eyes, my thoughts would spiral, leaving me staring at
the ceiling until dawn’s first light crept through my blinds. At least now I understood why my stomach had been staging a
constant rebellion—morning sickness was an all-too-familiar enemy from my first pregnancy with Lucas.
I carefully pushed myself to a sitting position and reached for the glass of water I’d left on my nightstand. The cool liquid
soothed my parched throat as I took tiny sips. Next came the crackers. I nibbled slowly, counting each small bite, giving
my body time to accept this offering without protest.
From the living room came the soft sounds of movement—Lucas was already up, probably nestled in his favorite spot on
the couch, wrapped in that tattered dinosaur blanket.
My hand drifted unconsciously to my still-flat abdomen. “Hey there, little one,” I whispered. “Did you let your momma
get any rest last night?” A sad smile tugged at my lips.
The question that had kept me awake refused to be silenced: Should I tell Ethan about this baby?
Soon enough, my body would betray the secret. In a few months, hiding would be impossible. And deep down, past all
the pain and complication, I knew Ethan deserved to know he had fathered another child. This baby was the heir to the
Shadow Fang pack—a fact that carried enormous weight in our world.
I drew a deep breath, squaring my shoulders against the headboard. “I can do this,” I murmured, more to convince myself
than anything. “I’ve survived worse. Much worse.” After all, I’d been completely alone when I discovered I was pregnant
with Lucas—abandoned by my pack, betrayed by those I trusted, weakened by poison that had severed my connection to my wolf. If I could raise a child under those circumstances, I could handle this situation too.
The decision crystallized in my mind: I would tell him. Today. No more delaying the inevitable. We were adults; we could
figure this out together. Co-parent. Maybe even give this child the stable family I’d always wished for Lucas.
Before I could reconsider, I grabbed my phone and scrolled to Ethan’s contact. My thumb hovered over the call button while my stomach performed nervous somersaults. One, two, three deep breaths, then I pressed call and switched to
speaker mode, placing the phone on my blanket-covered lap.
Each ring seemed to stretch into eternity. Just as I was about to give up, the line clicked open. But instead of Ethan’s deep
voice, a woman answered, her words thick with sleep.
“Hello?”
My brow furrowed. “Hello?” I responded, momentarily confused. Had I dialed incorrectly? I double-checked the screen—
no, this was definitely Ethan’s number.
“Aria?” The voice suddenly sharpened with recognition.
Ice flooded my veins as Emma’s voice registered in my brain. Of all people. My jaw clenched so tightly my teeth ached.
“Emma.” I forced her name through gritted teeth, each syllable carved from granite.
Why was she answering Ethan’s phone at—I glanced at the clock—7:30 in the morning? Understanding slammed into me
like a physical blow. The charity opera event. Ethan had attended his grandmother’s gala—the same one I’d turned down
Leo’s invitation for. Had Ethan taken Emma instead? And now she was answering his phone in the early morning hours…
“Why are you calling?” Her voice dripped with disdain.
I pressed my fingertips against my temple, where a throbbing headache was gathering force. “I need to speak with
Ethan,” I said, fighting to keep my voice level when all I wanted was to scream.
The silence stretched across the line before I heard rustling fabric, followed by Emma’s muffled voice calling Ethan’s
name. More silence, then her voice returned, smug satisfaction evident in every word. “Sorry, Aria, he’s not interested in
getting up right now.”
My lungs seemed to forget how to function. The room tilted slightly as I struggled to breathe through the knot of
emotion lodged in my throat.
“What exactly does that mean?” I finally managed, each word carefully controlled.
“It means,” Emma drawled, “that after several glasses of champagne at the opera, Ethan and I slipped away early.” A
theatrical pause. “We’ve been… otherwise occupied most of the night. I’m sure you can fill in the blanks.”
Her girlish giggle floated through the speaker, followed by what sounded unmistakably like someone groaning in the
background.
White-hot jealousy scorched through me, leaving nothing but ashes in its wake. I clutched the bedsheet in my free hand,
twisting the fabric until my knuckles bleached white.
“I don’t believe a word from your mouth,” I snapped. “You’ve never been trustworthy.”
“Believe whatever helps you sleep at night,” Emma replied, her tone suddenly bored. “But it’s time you accept reality and
drop this pathetic infatuation with my man. Ethan belongs to me. Only me.” More rustling sounds came through the line.
“Or are you just desperate to find your bastard child a father figure? How… predictably sad.”
Rage blazed through my veins at her casual cruelty toward my son. “How did you get his phone, Emma? Did you steal it?”
I demanded, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.
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“Steal it?” She laughed, the sound like nails on a chalkboard. “It’s right here on our nightstand where he left it after
undressing me. Want proof? Should I ask him to call you when he’s fully… satisfied me?”
“You’re lying. Ethan told me he wouldn’t—”
“Emma?”
Everything inside me froze at the sound of that familiar deep voice in the background. Unmistakably Ethan’s.
“Good morning, darling,” Emma purred, her voice dropping to what she clearly thought was seductive. To me, it sounded
like she was choking on something unpleasant.
“What time is it?” Ethan’s voice, heavy with sleep, drifted through the phone.
The final piece of my heart—the tiny fragment I’d managed to protect through everything—shattered into dust.
I ended the call with a violent jab, then hurled the phone across the room. It hit the wall with a satisfying crack before
bouncing onto the carpet. For several heartbeats, I couldn’t move, couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. The room spun
around me, reality fragmenting at the edges.
Ethan would never know about this baby. Never.