1 Introduction
Eden POV
“Miss Eden, Congratulations, you are 2 weeks pregnant.” The doctor’s words rang in my ears all day. I was overjoyed, nervous, and a little scared all at once. But mostly, I couldn’t wait to tell Keith. I thought maybe this news would bring us closer, give us something real to hold on to.
Keith came home late, as usual. He looked tired but not in the mood to talk. I‘ ve been married to him for three years now, but it doesn’t feel like a real marriage. No one even knows we‘ re husband and wife. His grandfather, Pa Greg, is the one who set us up. He believed I was the right woman for Keith, and I guess I believed
him too.
But Keith? He’s never seen it that way. This marriage wasn‘ t his choice, and he’s never hidden that fact. Still, I loved him. I kept hoping that one day, he’d feel
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the same.
Tonight, I thought it might be different.
“Keith,” I said softly, trying to catch his
attention.
He glanced at me and sighed. “What is it?”
“I have something to tell you,” I began, my heart racing.
“Go on,” he said, his voice flat, distracted.
But just as I opened my mouth to tell him the news, his phone rang. Without a second thought, he answered it. “What?” His tone shifted, suddenly sharp and focused.
I stood there, watching as he listened intently. His expression hardened, and he stood up abruptly. “I’m coming,” he said before ending the call.
“Keith, wait,” I called after him as he started heading toward the bedroom to
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grab his jacket.
“Not now, Eden,” he said quickly, brushing past me.
“But I’ve been trying to talk to you all day,” I insisted, following him.
“I don‘ t have time for this,” he snapped, pulling on his coat.
“Where are you going?” I asked, frustration and hurt bubbling up in my
chest. It was the middle of the night. Whatever it was, couldn‘ t it wait?
“It’s important,” he said curtly, walking
toward the door.
“Keith, please, just listen to me for once,” I pleaded, my voice breaking.
He stopped briefly, looking back at me with an annoyed expression. “Eden, go back inside.”
And with that, he opened the door, stepped out, and headed straight for his car.
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I couldn’t take it anymore. I followed him out into the cold night air, calling after him. “Keith!”
He didn’t stop until he reached his car. Turning to face me, his tone was colder than ever. “Eden, go back inside. I have something important to handle.”
He got into the car, started the engine, and sped off without another word.
I stood there in the driveway, watching his taillights disappear into the darkness. My heart felt heavy, and tears burned in my eyes. What was so important that he‘ d leave like that, in the middle of the night? What could it be that mattered more than
me–or the news I was so desperate to
share?
This is just how Keith is–distant. Always somewhere else, like I don‘ t even exist in his world. I thought maybe the pregnancy would change things, bring him closer to me, but he can’t even give me a minute of his time. I blinked back my tears and sank
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onto the couch, feeling the weight of it all pressing down on me.
As I sat there, my phone rang. It was Becca, my best friend. I swiped to answer, forcing my voice to sound normal. “Hey, Becca.”
“How are you?” she asked, her tone careful.
“I’m okay,” I replied, trying to brush it
off.
“Are you sure?” she pressed, sounding more concerned now.
“What’s going on?” I asked, frowning. “Why do you keep asking me that?”
She hesitated, then said, “It’s because of the news.”
“What news?” I asked, my chest tightening.
“I’ll send you a link,” she said, avoiding my question. Before I could push her for more, she hung up.
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A few seconds later, my phone beeped. It was a message from Becca with a link attached. My stomach knotted as I tapped on it, not sure what to expect. The page loaded, and I froze.
It was a gossip blog, and the headline screamed at me: “Georgia Dominic Is Back–and She’s Not Alone!”
Georgia? My cousin? I stared at the pictures beneath the headline. It was her, looking as glamorous as ever, even with the crutches she was using. My mind reeled. Georgia had been gone for three years, completely off the radar, and now she was back? Why now? Why, when I was finally trying to hold my fragile marriage together with news of a baby?
I scrolled down, reading the comments under the post.
“Georgia is back, and she looks stunning!”
“Is she with her billionaire boyfriend?
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Lucky girl.
“Why is she on crutches now? What happened?”
Billionaire boyfriend? I frowned and went back to the pictures, scanning them more closely. There she was, arm–in–arm with a tall, familiar figure. My heart stopped, and I felt the air leave my lungs.
It was Keith.
My husband.
I zoomed in, hoping–praying–I was wrong. But it was him. Keith, standing next to Georgia, his hand resting protectively on her back, looking at her in a way he‘ d never looked at me.
My hands trembled as I stared at the screen, disbelief and anger swirling inside. me. He left the house tonight without a word, brushing me off like I didn’t matter. And now I knew why.
He went to see her.
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Georgia wasn’t just my cousin; she was Keith’s first love. The woman he’d never quite let go of, no matter how much time.
had passed. And now she was back, stealing his attention, his time–everything I’d been hoping to get from him.
She is back to take him…. Just like she had told me three years ago. “Enjoy your
marriage dearest cousin, wait for my return. And when I return, I will take what was rightfully mine.”
