Kieran had always held me like something precious. He'd never once looked at me with an expression this terrifying.
Tears streamed down my face as I tried to pull him back to reason.
"Kieran, you know me. I'm home all day, every day. I barely even leave the house."
"You know my entire social circle. My whole life revolves around you and no one else. How could there possibly be another man?"
Something in his expression wavered. He seemed to be turning it over in his mind.
Then a woman's voice cut in from the doorway.
"Is that so?"
"Then who's this walking into a hotel with a man?"
Kieran and I both looked up at the same time.
It was Paula James, his childhood friend.
She hurled a stack of photographs at my feet, her voice sharp and accusing.
"I was at that hotel two days ago for a business meeting, and I saw you going in with some man. I didn't know how to tell Kieran. I agonized over it for two days before finally coming here today."
"And now it turns out you're pregnant?"
Kieran let go of me. One by one, he picked the photos up off the floor.
His face darkened with every image. The hand gripping the photographs shook harder and harder.
A moment later, he flung the entire stack into my face.
"This is what you call innocent? Tell me who this man is!"
"You've really outdone yourself, Harper!"
His roar nearly shattered my eardrums. I scrambled to grab the scattered photos from the floor.
It was me. It was undeniably me, with another man, and the photos looked damning.
In one, he was handing me a gift. In another, he was shielding me from an oncoming car as we entered a hotel. In yet another, we were sitting in a restaurant and he was wiping the corner of my mouth.
I looked up at Kieran, whose face had gone ashen.
"Kieran, that's my brother. My actual brother. He just got back to the country two days ago!"
"I was going to bring you to meet him, but you've been so busy with work these past few days. I never got the chance to tell you."
Before Kieran could respond, Paula jumped in.
"Oh, please. You say he's your brother and we're just supposed to believe that? Everyone knows your family's been overseas for years. Why would your brother suddenly show up out of nowhere?"
"And even if Kieran was busy, are you telling me you couldn't even make a phone call?"
I froze. When I'd found out my brother was coming back on short notice, I had tried to call Kieran.
I'd called several times, and every single one was declined. I was afraid I'd be late to meet my brother, so I went alone.
I sank to the floor and looked up at Kieran.
"I did call you. I called you multiple times. You declined every one."
"It's true, Kieran. Everything I'm saying is true. There have to be call records on your phone. Just look."
The more I spoke, the deeper the crease between his brows grew.
He pulled out his phone and threw it down in front of me.
"See for yourself! Are there any call records? Harper, you're still making excuses even now!"
"We've been together seven years. How did I never see what a disgusting woman you really are?"
My hands wouldn't stop shaking as I scrolled frantically through the call log.
Nothing. Nothing. There was nothing there.
Seeing my reaction, Paula let out a cold scoff.
"Harper, you really don't know how good you've had it. Everyone in Ridgeport knows Kieran treats you like you hung the moon. You ask for the stars and he gives you the whole sky."
"And what do you do? You betray him like this, and you still have the nerve to sit here making excuses."
I drew a long, steadying breath and fixed my gaze on Kieran.
"Kieran, I'm going to say this one last time. I have never done anything to betray you. And this baby is yours."
