Book 4–Chapter 12
Four years. That’s how long I’ve been married to Reagan De Santis. Four years of loving him, defending him, trusting him with the kind of blind loyalty that only a fool could afford. And I was that fool.!!
I shouldn’t be here.
Not in this underground war room, not holding this sonogram report like it’s some peace treaty between two nations secretly at war. I came here tonight hoping to give him a reason to smile. A reason to soften, to love me a little more. I thought maybe the ultrasound would bring us closer–maybe the news of our quadruplets would melt some of that cold detachment in his eyes.!!
But instead I found this.0
I’m hiding behind a metal shelf, my breath shallow, my fingers digging into the folded report so hard it’s starting to crumple.
Reagan stands just ten feet away, calm as a king in his kingdom. He’s dressed sharp, sleek, and completely focused on the screen in front of him–negotiating a weapons deal with two foreign buyers. That’s not the part that makes me want to vomit.!!
The weapons?
They’re Titanis prototypes. The kind only a handful of people have access to. Classified tech. My father’s firm. My family’s blood. And Reagan?
He’s selling them.
I can barely process what I’m seeing before I hear something that shatters me
“She’s the golden key, he says, chuckling.
My breath hitches.
“You really mamed the VP’s daughter just for Titanis access?” one of the men asks, amused.
Reagan smiles
the door, and is a joke. “Of course I fucking did. Danica’s sweet, but come on. She was always just a pawn in heels. She opened
I run the whole damn castle. Pew!
My legs buckle slightly, and I grip the shelf for balance. My husband… my husband just said that. About me. Like I’m some disposable
tool
And then the twists the knife deeper!!
“Dulcie’s the one who deserves a throne,” he says, voice lowering. “Not Danica.”
Dulcie. My best friend. My only friend, if I’m being honest &
hey’re in this together?
- o. That can’t be right.
He laughs again, cruel and effortless. “Danica’s too soft, too trusting. She still fucking believes love is real. Idiot. That’s what makes her useful.”
My hands are shaking so bad the sonogram slips from my grip and lands softly on the floor behind a crate. Thank God no one hears it. But I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe
I’m pregnant. With his children. Three of them. And he sees me was helping him the whole time?
as nothing more
ng more than a vault he picked open and looted, And Dulcie. she
I slip out while they’re distracted, somehow managing not to scream, not to break, not to collapse. My heels echo faintly through the hall as I escape the dark maze beneath our estate
Once I’m outside, the night air hits me like a slap. I clutch my stomach, trying to calm the storm raging inside me. My babies. I have to think of them. Not him. Not her. Not the betrayal boiling in my throat.
For a split second, the darkness whispers that it would be easier to disappear. To end this. But then I feel it–one small flutter in my belly.!! I choke on a sob
No. I’m not going to die.
Not for a man who sees me as a pawn.X
Not for a best friend who traded me for a crown.
I return home, barely functioning. The walls feel the same, but everything inside me has changed.
Reagan is already there. Of course he is. Cool. Composed. A fucking iceberg in human skin
“You
look pale,” he says, eyes scanning me like a threat under a microscope. Everything alright?”
“Just tired,” I mutter, voice dull
“Dulcie’s back, by the way?” he says casually. “She’s hosting a gala this weekend and wants you there.”
I blink slowly Dulcie wants me there? After everything I just heard?%.
“She said she misses you” he adds, like poison laced with sugar. “You two have been distant lately, haven’t you? She just wants things to go back to normal.”
Normal?
I nearly laugh He’s testing me Manipulating the narrative already–trying to gaslight me into thinking Dulcie and I just drifted apart. not that the stabbed me in the back I
Inod What else can I do? Say no? Hall twist it into some emotional quilt trap
“Sure.” I whisper.”
His eyes light up like he’s just won again. He steps closer, tries to kiss me–but I turn my face at the last second, his lips brushing my cheek.B
Tm exhausted,” I say, flat.
He studies me for a second, something calculating flickering behind his perfect smile. But he doesn’t push. Just hums, then pulls me into his arms.
“You’ll see,” he murmurs, stroking my hair. “This is all for us.”
Ilie there, stiff in his arms, staring at the ceiling. His breath evens out as he drifts off)
And I swear to God–I will never forget this moment.”
You used me, Reagan.
You played me.
You turned my best friend into my enemy.
But
you have no idea who you married.!
I might’ve been your golden key”
But now?
Now, I’m the lock y
you’ll never pick again !!
