Filed to story: When His Wife Can’t Forgive
The specialist let out a deep sigh, compassion etched in her features.
“Have you told your husband everything?” she asked softly.
Alicia’s chest tightened, pain spreading like fire through her heart. Caden had already endured more than most could bear. He had faced Gareth’s betrayal and watched years of his work fall into Dorian’s grasp. Now, he was haunted by the image of her with another man, the details still unclear but searing in his mind. And now, learning he was to be a father only to have that hope cruelly dashed – it was too much. Could he bear it if she told him the truth?
Alicia’s heart ached at the thought. She couldn’t bring herself to hurt him further, yet this was too grave a matter for her to keep to herself. She had to tell Caden.
“Just not yet,” she whispered, clinging to the last sliver of hope.
“I’ll keep taking the medication until the very last moment before I tell him.”
What if, against all odds, a miracle happened?
The specialist handed over her usual prescription and gave her an injection before leaving. Alicia bit her lip, enduring the sting in silence.
When she returned to the apartment, the ultrasound results clutched tightly in her hand, she paused at the door, gathering her courage. Taking a deep breath, she stepped inside.
She expected Caden to be asleep, but the light from the study spilled into the hallway.
He was in the middle of a meeting. At times like this, she would never disturb him. The bed in the bedroom was still unmade, and he hadn’t even changed out of his pajamas, a sign of how urgent the situation was. He hadn’t even taken a moment to eat.
Too drained to cook, Alicia ordered food from his favorite restaurant, hoping it would offer some comfort.
Half an hour later, Caden emerged from the study, his brow creased with worry.
“Why did you leave the hospital?” he asked, his voice low but tense.
Alicia managed a soft smile.
“I left on my own, so don’t hold it against your bodyguards.”
Caden sighed, too weary to even think about reprimanding anyone. The exhaustion of the day weighed on him as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close.
“Just let me rest for a moment,” he murmured, leaning into her.
Alicia’s hand moved gently through his hair, a wave of sympathy washing over her as she felt the tension in him. She opened her mouth to speak but hesitated. Even with his eyes closed, Caden sensed her unease.
“What is it? You have something on your mind?” he asked, his voice rough with fatigue.
Alicia’s throat tightened. She took a shallow breath and asked softly, “Caden, do you like children?”
A hint of amusement touched his lips as he opened his eyes halfway.
“Why, Alicia? Are you feeling pressured to start a family all of a sudden?” His voice carried a teasing warmth.
“Why the rush to have a child?”
He had always thought Alicia, with her career-driven spirit, would wait until she was thirty to think about having children.
Avoiding his gaze, Alicia felt the urge to speak up.
She swallowed hard and began, “Caden, I need to tell you…” But the sharp ring of a phone cut through the moment. Alicia fell silent, holding her breath as Caden checked the screen. His expression shifted subtly, a shadow crossing his features.
“It’s Blake,” he said, watching her reaction closely.
Alicia searched his face for a clue to what this meant but found none. Caden stepped back, releasing her from his embrace, and took the call. The room seemed to shrink around them, charged with an unspoken intensity.
“Caden, I need to see you. We need to talk about what happened last night.” Blake’s voice came through the line, strained and urgent.
Caden’s voice was ice-cold as he replied, “There’s nothing left to discuss. It’s done.”
His controlled, measured tone was unsettling, sending a chill through Alicia’s heart. Blake’s voice crackled through the phone, urgent and pleading.
“What do you mean it’s done? This is about Alicia’s reputation, Caden. She’s your fianc?e now, not just anyone. If you don’t clear this up, it’s as if you’re admitting it’s true. Are you really going to let it go, like those Moss family schemers who set us up?”
Caden didn’t answer. Instead, he slammed the phone onto the coffee table before lighting a cigarette. Alicia watched him in silence, the bitter ache in her chest intensifying.
He didn’t trust her, not fully. The tension in his posture, the bulging veins on the back of his hand-all of it spoke of a struggle he couldn’t voice. It was slow torture, pressing down on her like a weight.
Not getting a response from Caden, Blake hung up in frustration.
Minutes passed, thick with tension. Caden took a long drag, exhaling smoke that lingered in the air between them. Alicia finally spoke, her voice fragile.
“I told you I’d get checked. Why don’t you believe me enough to go through with it?”
Caden’s eyes met hers, dark and searching.
“Do you remember what happened last night?”
She didn’t. The gaps in her memory were like an abyss, but she knew her body, knew that nothing had happened. Still, she could hear the uncertainty in her own voice.
“Come with me after you eat,” she said, her voice barely steady.
“Let’s go to the hospital. I’ll prove it to you.”
Caden’s brow furrowed as he spoke, his voice cold and measured.
“You really don’t remember anything? Are you absolutely certain that Blake didn’t touch you?”
Alicia met his gaze, unwavering but silent. Caden’s tone hardened, the question cutting through the silence.
“And if the doctor says you two were together last night, what then? Do you want me to go after Blake? Do you want me to kill him?”
Alicia shook her head, unable to speak as a lump formed in her throat.
“Blake was drugged, and he’s been infatuated with you for years. Why would he stop himself?” Caden pressed, the scene from the hotel room replaying mercilessly in his mind. Blake had been completely naked, and all the signs pointed to something having happened.
Caden’s thoughts twisted into a loop of pain and anger. His fists tightened until the creaking of his knuckles seemed to echo in the room.
“The marks on your body – they were his doing. Do you really think Blake is the kind of man to stop at just that?”
Alicia’s lips quivered, her breath catching as she fought to steady herself.
Caden looked away, the shadows casting a cold, hard line across his features. His voice dropped to a chilling whisper.
“Why, Alicia? Why did it have to be him?”
A sharp pain pierced Alicia’s heart, the weight of his words crushing her from within.
Alicia’s voice trembled, barely above a whisper.
“You’re asking me, Caden? Is this really a question you should be asking me?”
Caden’s dark eyes met hers, unreadable, holding a mix of exhaustion and something she couldn’t quite name-anger, perhaps, or doubt.
“You’re always so careful, Alicia. How did you fall for such a crude trap?” he asked, each word landing like a blow.
Alicia’s heart ached as if pierced. She had thought his disbelief in her was painful enough, but realizing he doubted her to this extent cut even deeper.
“How did I fall for such a crude trap…” Alicia repeated, tears welling up until they overflowed, spilling down her cheeks as she let out a bitter, hollow laugh.
With trembling fingers, she took out her phone and opened the chat logs from that night. Caden’s eyes followed the screen as she held it out. The messages were there, plain as day-records he hadn’t seen on his own device.
A flicker of realization crossed his face as his phone had been taken away before meeting Dorian. The pieces came together, and Yolanda’s calculated move became clearer.
Alicia saw his serious expression and felt a fresh wave of pain wash over her. Was he thinking that she had fabricated the evidence?
Her voice cracked, raw and broken.
“I’ve guarded myself against everyone, but I trusted you the most. No one else knew I was called Lucky, so when I got that message, I went there without hesitation.”
Tears stung her eyes as she spoke, her throat tight with grief.
“I was wrong,” she whispered.
She pressed her hand to her forehead, trying to hide the tears streaming down her face.
“Back then, when Joshua tricked me with that message, I thought I had learned my lesson. I never imagined I’d make the same mistake again after all these years… I was wrong.”
Why did she keep repeating the same mistakes? Why could she never get what she longed for? She couldn’t win her father’s approval or love. She couldn’t hold on to her mother, the only one who truly loved her. After a failed marriage, she had been wary of Caden’s affection, reminding herself to tread carefully and not lose herself. But Caden had been too good to her, so good that she had given him her heart, accepted his proposal, and dared to dream of a life with him. Now, those dreams had turned into the sharpest blade, slicing through the deepest part of her heart.
Caden stubbed out his cigarette and pulled her into his arms.
“Alicia, this matter is over,” he said, his voice devoid of emotion. He understood now how it had happened. That was enough for him. This chapter needed to end there.
Listening to his detached voice, Alicia felt as though she was finally seeing him for who he truly was. They had never faced a challenge like this before. Caden was always in control, always the victor, showing her only his strongest, most confident side. But now, whether she had been tainted by another man hung in the balance, testing his limits. To him, pretending nothing had happened was the greatest mercy he could offer.
“Caden, let’s take a break,” Alicia said suddenly.
Caden’s pupils contracted at her words.
He could read the turmoil in her voice – disappointment, anger, sadness, and a dozen other emotions swirling beneath the surface. In the past, he would have cared, would have tried to comfort her, to show that he understood. But now, he felt just as drained.
“Alright,” he replied, his voice calm, almost detached.
“I’ll be busy in the coming weeks. You should take care and rest.”
Alicia’s lips curved into a faint, cold smile. A knock at the door interrupted the silence. The food she had ordered had arrived. Without a word, Alicia opened the lunchboxes for Caden, though she felt no appetite herself.
“Leave it,” Caden said as he passed by, his tone dismissive.
“I’m not hungry.” He walked to the bedroom, his figure radiating an unapproachable chill. He took a quick shower and stood in front of the mirror, methodically shaving.