"Two weeks… huh." Rixa's voice came from behind me.
The cashier handed over the two tubs of Ben & Jerry's, the cold plastic biting into my palms as I turned to face her.
She knew now.
About Josh.
About the engagement.
About the baby.
After that kiss—that kiss—Josh had slipped a diamond ring onto my finger like it meant something real. Like it wasn't just a solution to a problem.
It was too bright. Too loud. Too… permanent.
"I know how it looks," I said, forcing a small smile. "But it's what Josh and I want… especially with the baby coming."
Rixa hummed, scooping into her ice cream slowly, watching me over the rim of her spoon.
"It's just… strange," she said. "I thought you didn't like Josh like that. Dating? Maybe. But marriage?" She tilted her head. "That's a big jump, Lani."
My grip tightened around the ice cream.
"I'm carrying his child, Rixa. Marriage is the only logical step."
She let out a short laugh, but there was no humor in it.
"Ever heard of condoms?" she muttered, then looked at me properly. "I'm starting to feel like you don't really think much of me."
That hit.
"What?" I frowned.
"First, you start having sex—you don't tell me. Then you get pregnant—you lie about it. Then suddenly it's Josh?" She shook her head slightly. "And now you're marrying him."
Her eyes locked with mine.
"Did I do something?"
Guilt crawled up my throat.
Because the truth was worse than anything she could imagine.
I kissed her boyfriend.
I loved her boyfriend.
I slept with him.
And now I was standing here… lying again.
"No… no, of course not," I said quickly.
But then—
Condoms.
The word echoed.
Mason always used one. Always.
So why… that night…
My thoughts stalled. Blank. Slippery. Like trying to hold water in my hands.
I couldn't remember.
A flicker of unease passed through me, but I pushed it down just as quickly.
"I just… panicked," I said instead, softer now. "Everything happened so fast. I didn't think Josh would accept the baby."
Rixa studied me for a second longer than necessary.
"That's why you two were always arguing," she said.
I nodded, even though it wasn't true.
"After your engagement to Mason…" I reached for her hand, brushing my thumb over her ring. "I think it pushed him. Made him realize what he wanted."
I forced a smile.
"So… I guess I have you to thank."
That did it.
She smiled back.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," I added quietly. "Forgive me?"
Rixa sighed, her shoulders relaxing as she leaned into me slightly.
"It's okay," she said. "I'm happy for you."
A pause.
"I mean… we're going to be sisters."
She grinned.
"And I get a niece or nephew out of it."
We laughed.
"Am I invited?" Mason's voice cut in as he walked up to the table.
"Babes!" Rixa squealed, jumping up to kiss him.
I watched them with a smile that didn't quite reach my eyes.
His nose looked fine now.
Josh's lip, on the other hand, still carried the mark of that night.
"You look nice, baby," Mason said, brushing his thumb over Rixa's cheek.
"I just need to use the restroom, then we can leave," she said, already walking off.
And just like that—
We were alone.
"Pregnant… huh." His tone dropped instantly.
Of course, he knew.
In families like theirs, nothing stayed private.
I nodded.
He let out a short laugh, shaking his head.
"You were cheating on me."
That made me smile.
"We were never a thing," I said, throwing his own words back at him.
His jaw tightened.
"I said I was sorry for that."
"But sleeping with my cousin?" he continued, voice lowering. "My best friend, Lani? I thought you were better than that."
I almost laughed.
"That's funny," I said. "Because you were sleeping with your girlfriend's best friend."
That hit.
For a second, something flickered in his eyes—guilt, maybe—but it disappeared just as fast.
"How long?" he asked.
"I don't see how that's any of your business."
His gaze lingered on me, slow, deliberate.
"Marrying him doesn't have to change anything," he said quietly.
I blinked.
"Are you serious?"
"You think a ring changes what we have?" he added, stepping closer. "It doesn't have to."
Something in me snapped.
This was the man I thought I loved.
"I love Josh," I said, the words leaving my mouth before I could think them through. "He gave me something you never could."
Mason scoffed.
"You don't love him," he said instantly. "And he knows it."
His voice dropped, sharper now.
"That's why he trapped you. Got you pregnant just to win."
The words hit harder than they should have.
Trapped.
For a split second, my mind flickered
That night.
The blur.
The silence in my memory.
I pushed it away.
"What does it matter?" I said instead. "You're marrying Rixa."
"Lani…" His voice softened, almost dangerous now.
He reached for my hand.
For a second—just one—I let him touch me.
Then I pulled away.
"Don't."
His eyes darkened, not with anger—but something worse.
Possession.
"I meant what I said," he murmured. "This isn't over."
My stomach turned.
"Im backkkkk!" Rixa's voice rang out as she returned, bright and unaware.
And just like that—
Everything snapped back into place.
Silence and secrets
FIVE YEARS LATER
You know, I thought survival was the hardest part.
It wasn't trust me.
The hardest part was living with the choices you made to survive.
"Mom!"
A small voice pulled me from my thoughts, and I turned just in time to see him running toward me—tiny feet, bright eyes, laughter that didn't belong in a world like mine.
My son.
My Kai.
I bent slightly, catching him in my arms as he crashed into me.
"Slow down my love," I laughed softly, brushing his hair back.
He looked up at me with those eyes.
Those very familiar blue eyes.
My heart paused for half a second—like it always did.
"Daddy said we're leaving soon!" he said excitedly.
Daddy.
Josh not Mason.
Five years and Josh never wavered.
Not once.
He kept his promise—to protect me, to protect my child.
He loved Kai like he was his own… no, more than that. Like there had never been a question of who he belonged.
And Kai loved him back just as fiercely.
Anyone looking from the outside would say I had everything and maybe if I wasn't so angry with myself i would see it, that i had
A husband who would choose me over and over again.
A child who was safe.
A life people would kill for.
So why did it feel like I was living inside something borrowed?
Every family gathering, every dinner, every forced smile—
I had to sit in the same room with Mason… and my son.
And the guilt never missed.
It sat quietly in my chest, growing heavier each time Kai ran past him, laughing—
"Uncle Mason!"
Uncle.
The word cut deeper than it should.
Was I stealing something from him?
Was I robbing my son of the truth… of his name… of his inheritance?
Or was I just protecting what little peace I had managed to build?
Five years ago, I was certain I had made the right choice.
But the day Kai was born—
When I pushed him into the world, shaking, terrified—
And Josh was the one who held me, who kissed my forehead, who whispered soft reassurances like I wasn't breaking apart—
When he named my son…
That was the moment the guilt truly began.
"Kai, go wait for mummy in the car, okay?" I pressed a kiss to his hair and handed him gently to Eva.
Josh was taking his time.
He always did.
Between medical school and stepping deeper into the family's affairs, he barely had time to breathe.
He was becoming… something bigger.
More powerful.
More dangerous.
But somehow—
I still came first.
"Josh?" I called softly, stepping into his study.
His voice was sharp, cutting through the air.
"No, that won't suffice. I want a full report on my desk tomorrow morning."
A pause.
"And don't make me repeat myself."
He ended the call, muttering under his breath.
For a moment, he didn't notice me.
And in that moment—
I saw it.
Not the boy I married.
Something colder. Controlled. Untouchable.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
He looked up.
And just like that—it was gone.
"It's nothing I want you worrying about," he said, his voice softer now.
He stepped closer.
Too close.
His hand brushed my cheek, warm, familiar… careful.
Then he kissed me.
Soft. Gentle.
Like always.
And still—
I tensed.
Five years.
Five years and he never pushed.
Never demanded.
Never crossed the line I drew between us.
He loved me…
From a distance I created.
And he stayed there.