Chapter 3
Freya’s POV
The next day, my assistant informed me the appointment had been set.
“Ma’am, are you really not going to tell the CEO? The baby’s already that far along…”
“There’s no point.”
I placed a hand on my belly. It was as if the baby could sense my decision–it had gone completely still.
Honestly, it wasn’t until yesterday that I snapped out of the lie I’d been living–that I was happy.
Rowan was so good at hiding things, he
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probably thought he could keep sneaking around with Amara forever and I’d never catch on.
But he slipped up.
I figure the pregnancy was so far along, he assumed I wouldn’t walk away even if I did find out.
But I was done.
I’d waited ten years for him to love me- since I was sixteen. I waited through silent crushes, waited through a pregnancy, waited through three years of being his secret.
I was good at waiting.
What I couldn’t take was being used. Used to bring his child into the world, only to be tossed aside to make room for another
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woman.
Before heading to the hospital, I stopped by the mall nearby to grab a bite.
That’s when I heard it–his voice, low and unmistakable.
“This section’s worth paying attention to. Domestic luxury brands are gaining more ground.”
I looked up.
There he was–Rowan–just a few aisles away. And walking right next to him… Amara.
Both of them dressed to impress, looking like they were on some kind of business tour.
My chest tightened. I was ready to turn and leave when I heard a fake little laugh behind
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- me.
“Oh wow, Miss Archer! What are the odds?”
Amara strutted toward me in her heels, her eyes sparkling with that rehearsed professionalism.
Before I could say a word, the mall manager rushed up to greet them with a big grin.
“Mr. and Mrs. Ashford! Right this way–we’ve got a new display I’d love to show you!”
“Oh, just call me Amara,” she said smoothly. “Let’s keep work separate from personal life.” She smiled, casting a pointed look at me.
My hands curled into fists.
Rowan, the one who had concealed me for so long, didn’t even wait until our baby
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arrived before presenting his ex as his fiancée–and to his business associates, no
less.
“Miss Archer, do me a favor and keep this between us, yeah?” Amara added playfully. “No one at the company knows yet. We want to keep it quiet until the wedding. You won’t say anything, right?”
She gave me a smile as if I were a stranger, as though she had no idea I was his fiancée
now.
Rowan’s jaw tightened. I saw the guilt flash in his eyes, but right behind it was the same cold warning: Don’t make a scene.
I forced a smile, even as my heart splintered.
“Of course. I won’t say a word.”
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After the abortion was over, so was I. I was getting out. Whatever they had going on between them no longer concerned me.
“I knew you’d be cool about it, Miss Archer,” Amara chirped. “Just out of curiosity, why are you here by yourself? Is your husband not with you?”
There was something smug in the way she said it, like she’d already won. She latched onto my arm like we were old friends.
“All this market talk stresses me out. It’s all men. Will you stick with me for a bit?”
I gently pulled away and avoided looking at Rowan.
“I don’t have a husband.”
saw his face tighten for a split second
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before he smoothed it out again. His voice came back clipped and distant.
“Since you’re already here, show Amara around. She’s still getting familiar with everything.”
Then he turned and walked away with the mall manager, not even waiting for a response.
I frowned, trying again to pull my arm from Amara’s grip, but she leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a whisper
“I’m aware you’re his fiancée. But what does that even mean? Let me spell it out for you- you’re nothing more than… a vessel. Rowan belongs to me. Once that child is born, the true wife? That’ll be me.”
A chill ran through me.
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“Let go.”
I gave her a gentle nudge. Nothing forceful.
But out of nowhere, she let out a cry and toppled sideways, crashing into a woman who happened to be walking past with a baby in her arms.
Both the woman and the child went down.
The baby’s cries pierced the air, and the mother’s face went from shocked to furious in an instant.
“Are you out of mind?! Why on earth are you shoving people while pregnant? Are you trying to hurt someone?!”
I stepped forward, ready to explain, but Amara beat me to it, tears already streaking
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down her cheeks, her voice shaking.
“I’m truly sorry! This was all on me! The VP didn’t mean any harm–please don’t blame her, Ma’am. I’m the one at fault!”
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