Romans de Zaia Black

HARPER:Four years laterI had built a life, a small one. It had no Alexander or the dramas that came with the Banks empire. I was free from a golden cage that was disguised as a marriage because no matter how gilded a cage was, it was still a cage. Now it was just me and my son. And a hotel room on the fifteenth floor with a view of the city skyline. Well, the room was nice, nicer than anything I could afford on my own, but I wasn’t paying for it. The culinary conference had covered my stay. Three days of cooking demonstrations, networking events and a chance to promote my small catering business. Ethan had caught a fever on the first night.“Mommy, I don’t want it!” Ethan whined. I sighed, holding the cup of medicine while my four year old flared at me from the bed like I had personally betrayed him. Which, to be fair, in his mind… I had. “It’s just medicine. Drink it and you’ll feel better.”“No!”He crossed his arms dramatically. His dark hair, Alexander’s hair, stuck up fro

HARPER:Nine months later“Harper!” My boss’s voice rang. I flinched. Nine months later and I was just a waitress with a belly the size of a watermelon and trying to make ends meet. “You are too slow,” he murmured. “Customers are waiting and you are waddling around like..”He stopped himself but the look on his face to convey what he actually meant. I swallowed hard. “I’ll be faster.”He sighed. “You know what? It doesn’t matter.” He shook his head. “You are fired.”I couldn’t breathe. Not now. Before I could even beg, he was already walking away. I had no other choice than to submit my apron and walk out of the restaurant, one foot after the other without looking back. And then the contraction hit, squeezing my stomach like a fist. I counted them. Twelve minutes apart. Oh my God. Then ten. Eight. Not yet, I told myself. Not here. But my body didn’t care about what I wanted. By the time I reached the bus stop, my dress was soaked through. A woman waiting on the bench looked u

HARPER:I didn’t cry when Alexander left. Which was shocking, honestly. I used to cry over everything. Sad movie? Cry. Burnt toast? Cry. Alexander ignoring me for three days? Cry, cry, cry like my life depended on it. But that day?Nothing. I just stood there. The marble floor was cold under my bare feet, I had kicked off my heels at some point. He had signed his name like he had signed for a package delivery. I laughed. “Three years,” I muttered. “Three whole years, Harper. Congratulations. You played yourself.”It didn’t take time to pack my bag. Everything I owned fit into two suitcases. Minimalist queen. Love that for me. This was it. I packed my bags and walked out. The hallway stretched before me and I thought about the first time I caught him with Rowena. I had come home early from a doctor’s appointment. The bedroom door was open. Neither of them heard me. Afterward, he bought me dinner. A fancy place with dim lights and soft music. He didn’t touch me much, didn’t s

HARPER:Alexander still hadn't come home. The thing that woke me up was a message from him. It was a voice note. At first, I thought it was just him apologizing for missing our anniversary. Instead, words I had not asked to hear muffled through my phone screen. “Rowena… fuck. You’re so good.”I bolted upright. The clock on the nightstand said 3:14AM. The room was dark.“Harder, Alex…I’m cumming…”My hand trembled around the phone. I meant to stop it. I meant to throw it across the room but I could only listen. Then his voice again. “Harper could never compare to you.”The recording ended. He had sent it by accident or maybe he had not. Maybe some part of him wanted me to hear. Wanted me to finally understand how foolish I was.I couldn't sleep back after the voice note. *****The door opened and Alexander walked in, loosening his tie like he had just come from a meeting and not spending the night inside another woman. Then Rowena stepped in behind him.The air caught in my lun

HARPER:The examination room smelled like antiseptic. I hated that smell. It made me feel like I was already dying. “The test is positive,” Dr. Ross said, lowering her clipboard. “Five weeks. Everything looks normal.” My hands trembled around the paper. Positive. The word blurred in front of my eyes. “I’m…I’m going to have a baby.”“You are.” Ross leaned back in her chair, arms crossed. The wrinkles in her white coat told me she hadn’t slept well. “So. Will you be divorcing your husband today?”I blinked. “I haven’t decided yet.”“Harper. It’s day thirty.”“I know how to count.”Her lips curved. “Then you also know you owe me a hundred dollars if you don’t leave him.”That was our deal. Thirty days. If he cheated again, I walked. No excuses. No forgiveness. No ‘but I love him.’My nails dug into my palms. “He hasn’t cheated.”Yet. The word sat on my tongue but I didn’t say it. Ross didn’t push. She never did. But the way her eyebrows narrowed told me all I needed to know… she wasn