Alicia stood frozen in the middle of the hallway, her breath caught in her throat.
The laughter and chatter from the living room drifted toward her, a surreal soundtrack to the chaos unraveling in her chest. She had only stepped out for a few moments to answer a call from her doctor, and now she returned to find her world tilted again.
There he was.
Dominic Hale.
Standing in her parents' living room.
His hand firmly grasping that of… Camilla.
Her sister.
Her heart plummeted.
He looked effortlessly handsome, dressed in an elegant dark blue suit that molded perfectly to his frame. His smile was polite, calculated, but there was a tension in his jaw—a flicker of something unreadable in his gaze when it momentarily landed on Alicia.
He saw her.
He froze too.
Their eyes locked for a fraction of a second that felt like eternity.
Camilla turned around and, seeing Alicia, rushed over with her usual excited flair. "There you are! I was just about to come get you!" she giggled. "You're never going to believe this. Mommy and Daddy finally approved my engagement."
Alicia's lips parted, but no sound escaped.
"I'm getting married," Camilla beamed, showing off a diamond ring that looked like it could pay off an entire city block.
"To Dominic Hale."
Boom.
There it was.
The sound of her heart breaking was deafening, even in the silence.
She barely noticed her mother walking up behind Camilla with a proud smile, or her father pouring champagne as though this were the most natural news in the world. She was still processing the name.
Dominic Hale.
The man who had made her tremble in a dark hotel room.
The man whose child she carried.
The man who was now engaged… to her sister.
Dominic's expression gave nothing away, but she saw it. The flicker in his eyes. Confusion. Guilt. Recognition. His body turned slightly toward her, subtly tense, like he wanted to speak—like he knew this was wrong.
But Alicia wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of her pain.
She smiled tightly.
"Congratulations," she said, her voice far too calm for the hurricane inside her. "This is... a surprise."
Camilla squealed, oblivious. "Isn't it amazing? You know, we met at that same gala you refused to attend with me. Such a shame, you missed your first chance to meet your future brother-in-law."
Her words were meant to jab, but Alicia was too numb to feel them.
Dominic stepped forward slowly. "Miss Mendez…" he said formally, voice low. "It's… good to see you again."
Miss Mendez.
As if they hadn't been skin to skin just weeks ago. As if she didn't wake up every night with the phantom memory of his touch.
She nodded coolly. "Mr. Hale."
Their parents began talking again, loudly now, discussing wedding plans and dates and money. So much money. She felt like she couldn't breathe. The walls were closing in.
"I need some air," she whispered.
She rushed past them all and out into the garden, nearly tripping over the hem of her dress. The cold night hit her like a slap. She leaned against the stone pillar, one hand gripping her belly, the other trying to steady her spinning mind.
How was this possible?
How could fate be this cruel?
She didn't hear Dominic approach. But she felt him.
His presence was like static in the air.
"I didn't know," he said quietly, his voice rougher now. Realer. "I didn't know she was your sister."
Alicia laughed bitterly. "Is that supposed to make it better?"
"I didn't even recognize your last name until today. It didn't click."
"Because I wasn't important enough for you to remember my name?"
He stepped closer, his jaw clenched. "That night meant more than I thought it would. I haven't been able to stop thinking about you."
She spun around, fury in her eyes. "Then why are you marrying my sister?"
"I didn't plan this. Your family—"
"Oh, don't you dare put this on my family. You're a billionaire, Dominic. You don't do anything you don't want to do."
His silence was deafening.
She stepped back, heart pounding.
"You're the father of my child," she blurted before she could stop herself.
Dominic froze.
"What?"
Alicia swallowed hard. "You heard me."
He stared at her as though she had slapped him.
His mouth opened. Then closed. He took another step forward, this time uncertain. "You're… pregnant?"
"Yes."
A thousand emotions flickered in his eyes. "Is it mine?"
That question burned.
She raised her chin. "Do you think I sleep with men like that all the time?"
"No. That's not what I—" He sighed and looked away, clearly rattled. "I just… this is a lot."
"No kidding."
Silence stretched between them, thick and unbearable.
"What are you going to do?" he finally asked.
"I'm keeping the baby. With or without your help."
Dominic ran a hand through his hair, visibly struggling. "I need time."
"No. You had your time. You made your choices. You're marrying my sister, remember?" Her voice cracked on the last word.
He stepped forward again, eyes pleading. "Alicia—"
"Go," she said sharply. "Go back inside and celebrate your engagement. You're good at pretending."
Alicia watched as he hesitated, pain and indecision written all over his face. But then he turned and walked away—back into the house, back into the illusion.
Her chest tightened.
She sank to the ground, wrapping her arms around herself, tears finally falling.
Her world was crumbling—and the man who caused the storm was about to marry into the very family that had betrayed her.
But this time, she wasn't going to stay broken.
This time, she was going to fight.
Not for him.
For herself.
And for the child inside her.