I made my way down the hallway slowly, each step heavier than the last, the stale aftertaste of untouched champagne still lingering bitterly on my tongue. I wasn’t even sure what I was looking for anymore—just water, maybe something simple to steady myself.
I turned toward the kitchen without thinking, but I stopped abruptly before I reached it.
They were there, half-hidden in the low glow of the wall sconces.
Dominic had Liliana pressed firmly against the wall. One hand tangled in her hair, the other at her waist, and his mouth was on hers with a force that didn’t belong to anything careful or accidental. This wasn’t the brief, performative kiss from earlier. This was something deeper—urgent, practiced, familiar.
I let out a small sound before I could stop myself, a sharp breath breaking the silence.
Dominic jerked back immediately.
His eyes flicked to me, then to Liliana, then back again. For a split second, panic flashed across his face. But it vanished just as quickly, replaced by the calm, controlled expression he always wore when he was choosing a lie.
“Sofia,” he exhaled, already straightening his jacket as though nothing had happened. “I… I thought she was you.”
I stared at him, the words not landing at first. I was in a loose grey shirt and sweatpants, barely standing upright, while Liliana still shimmered in that emerald gown like she belonged in another world entirely.
“You thought she was me,” I repeated slowly, voice completely drained of emotion.
“It’s dark,” he said quickly, stepping away from her as if distance could erase what I had just seen. “And you two look identical. You know how difficult it can be sometimes. The shape, the outline… it’s easy to confuse you.”
Behind him, Liliana adjusted her dress, smoothing it down with calm, deliberate movements. There was no embarrassment on her face. Only satisfaction, quiet and certain.
“I’m so sorry, Sofia,” she said softly, her tone sweet enough to feel rehearsed. “I tried to stop him, really. But he was just… overwhelmed. He misses you so much, you know.”
I looked at both of them for a long moment. The air between us felt thick, almost suffocating, like breathing their words would poison me.
“Right,” I said at last, turning away. “That happens.”
I started walking again, intending to leave it behind me. I just wanted my room. I just wanted silence. I wanted sleep—anything that would carry me through until I could finally escape this place.
“Stop.”
Dominic’s voice snapped through the hallway.
I paused but didn’t turn around.
“That’s it?” he said, louder now, footsteps approaching behind me. “You’re just going to walk away and say ‘that happens’?”
Slowly, I turned to face him.
“What exactly do you want from me, Dominic?” I asked. “Do you want me to scream? Break something? Collapse on the floor?”
His jaw tightened. “I want you to care,” he said sharply. “You saw your husband kissing another woman—even if it was a misunderstanding—and you’re acting like it means nothing. Do you even still love me?”
I studied him then, really looked at him. The man I had once believed in completely. The man I had lost a child for.
“I’m tired,” I said quietly. “That’s all. I’m just so tired.”
His expression hardened.
“Tired?” he repeated. “Or guilty?”
My brows furrowed. “What are you talking about?”
“Liliana told me things,” he said with a faint, bitter smile, gesturing loosely toward her. “About you disappearing sometimes. About other men. Is that why you’re so indifferent? Because you’ve already been doing the same thing?”
My stomach dropped. “That’s insane. I am not cheating on you. I was in the hospital losing our baby.”
“Don’t hide behind that,” he snapped. “You’ve been distant for months.”
My voice started to rise before I could stop it. “You and I both know what’s really happening here. Don’t twist this. I see how you look at her. I see what you’ve done with her. The jewelry. The nursery. Everything.”
Dominic scoffed. “You’re being hysterical.”
Liliana stepped closer then, her voice soft and coaxing. “Sofia, please,” she said gently, reaching for my arm. “You’re not thinking clearly. Dominic loves you. I’m only here because I care about both of you.”
“Don’t touch me!” I shouted.
I shoved her away.
It wasn’t meant to hurt her. It was just instinct—panic, desperation, the need to get her away from me.
But we were standing too close to the top of the staircase.
Liliana stumbled backward, her heel catching on the edge of the carpet. She reached out blindly, grabbing my wrist as she tried to steady herself.
“No—!” I gasped.
She pulled me with her.
And then everything fell apart at once.
The world tilted violently. Light, shadow, floor, ceiling—none of it stayed in place. The stairs rushed up to meet us.
Impact came in brutal waves.
Thud. Crack. Another impact.
Pain exploded through my body—my shoulder, my ribs, my head—each collision ripping the breath out of me as we tumbled down the staircase in a chaotic tangle of limbs and sound.
Then everything went black.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The sound was steady, mechanical, irritating.
When I opened my eyes, the world was white.
A hospital ceiling. The smell of disinfectant. A dull, crushing pain radiating through my body.
I tried to move and immediately regretted it. My arm was in a cast. My ribs screamed in protest.
The chair beside my bed was empty. No flowers. No visitors. No Dominic.
Voices drifted in from the hallway.
“Is she awake?” Dominic’s voice cut through first—strained, almost frantic. I had never heard him sound like that.
“She’s stable, Mr. Ashford,” a doctor answered calmly. “The fall was severe, but she’s recovering.”
“And the baby?” Dominic asked quickly.
My entire body froze.
The baby?
I wasn’t pregnant anymore. I knew that. So what was he talking about?
“The fetus is doing well,” the doctor replied. “Strong heartbeat. It’s quite remarkable, given the trauma. But she will need strict bed rest.”
My breath caught.
She?
I wasn’t the one who was pregnant.
Ignoring the pain tearing through me, I forced myself out of bed. Every step felt like glass under my skin as I moved toward the slightly open door.
Across the hall, another room sat wide open.
Liliana lay inside the bed, pale but composed, almost serene—like someone carefully arranged for sympathy.
Dominic was sitting beside her, holding her hand against his lips as if it was something sacred.
“Thank God,” he whispered, voice breaking slightly. “I thought I lost you. I thought I lost our baby.”
“I’m alright,” Liliana murmured, brushing his hair back gently. “We’re alright. Don’t blame yourself. Sofia… she didn’t mean it. She’s just jealous.”
Dominic lifted his head sharply, his expression darkening. “She nearly killed my heir,” he said lowly, his voice carrying a protective fury I had never been on the receiving end of. “I’m done pretending, Liliana. I’m ending this with her. Soon, you’ll take your place. Just wait—I’ll fix everything. I just need to deal with my grandfather first.”
Then he leaned in and kissed her.
Soft. Certain. Devoted.
I stood there, fingers gripping the doorframe so tightly it hurt, the thin hospital gown doing nothing to warm the cold that had settled inside me.
And suddenly, everything became painfully clear.
I stepped back and quietly closed the door.
Then I returned to my bed.
I sat down, motionless, as the pain in my body faded into something insignificant compared to what I now understood.
There was nothing left for me in that life anymore.
