My world imploded. The foundation of my seven years with Jaxon crumbled beneath my feet, leaving me suspended over a gaping abyss. A single tear escaped, tracing a hot path down my cold cheek. Then another, and another, until my vision blurred completely.
"Jaxon," I choked out, my voice trembling badly. "Explain this. Now."
His face contorted, a mixture of guilt, panic, and something else I couldn't quite decipher. He took a hesitant step towards me, then another, his arms reaching out. He pulled me into a tight embrace, burying his face in my hair. "Alexis, baby, I'm so sorry. I can explain everything."
His words were a balm, a temporary reprieve. But then he pulled back slightly, his eyes still avoiding mine. "It's… it's a business arrangement. A temporary one. For the Fuller Group. Kassie's father is a crucial investor."
My blood ran cold. A business arrangement? My eyes flickered to Kassie, who, behind Jaxon's back, was giving me a smug, knowing smirk. The kind that said, he's lying, and we both know it.
Then, as if on cue, Kassie's smirk vanished, replaced by a sudden, theatrical sob. She clutched her belly, collapsing onto a nearby chair. "Jaxon! Tell her! Tell her we're married! Tell her this baby isn't a mistake!" Her voice was shrill, cutting through the sterile clinic air.
The word "married" hit me like a physical blow. The air left my lungs. My knees buckled. I pushed Jaxon away, the force of my shove surprising even myself. He stumbled back, his eyes wide.
I stared at him, desperately searching his eyes for any sign of the man I loved, the man who had promised me forever. But his eyes were downcast, fixed on the floor, betraying nothing but shame. He looked utterly defeated, a puppet whose strings had been cut.
"Jaxon," I whispered, my voice raw with disbelief, "Are you married to her?" I pointed a trembling finger at Kassie, who was now sobbing dramatically.
He slowly met my gaze, his eyes filled with a bottomless remorse. He nodded once, a barely perceptible movement. My heart shattered into a million irreparable pieces.
"And us?" I demanded, my voice rising. "What about us? What about our baby? The one growing inside me right now?" I placed a hand over my own belly, feeling a fierce, protective surge of love for the tiny life within.
"You're going to abandon your own child for hers?" My voice was now a venomous hiss. "You're going to let them call your child a bastard while you play happy family with her?"
Kassie's sobs instantly intensified, cutting me off. "My baby isn't a bastard!" she shrieked, tears streaming down her face. "My baby has a father! A husband!" She looked at Jaxon with wide, tear-filled eyes, pleading for his protection.
Jaxon, ever the knight in shining armor for Kassie, instantly rushed to her side, pulling her close. His gaze, when it met mine, was no longer remorseful. It was distant, cold, and filled with a strange, almost hostile protectiveness of Kassie.
