Chapter Two

Naila.

“Mistress?” I repeated the word.

The word didn’t belong to me. It felt dirty, heavy and wrong.

Girlfriend, lover, the woman he was seeing were some of the words I had imagined he would use to describe me, but I was wrong. 

Those were the terms I had clung to in my mind, shaping them into something softer, something that resembled love.

But mistress?

A woman kept, a woman used.

Nausea surged violently in my stomach.

I shoved his hand away and stumbled back, putting distance between us as if his touch burned.

“Toby, is that truly all I am to you?” My voice trembled despite my effort to steady it. “A mistress?”

He exhaled sharply, irritation flashing across his face.

“You are clearly upset,” he said in a clipped tone. “Sit down, I will get you something to drink.”

As if that would fix this.

As if a glass of juice could soften the blow he had just dealt me.

“I am not”

But he was already moving, already dismissing me as he turned and walked out of the room like none of this mattered.

I stood frozen for a moment, my heart pounding violently in my chest, before sinking numbly onto the edge of the bed.

Mistress.

The word echoed over and over in my head, each repetition cutting deeper than the last.

Six months, six months of stolen moments, whispered words, heated nights that had felt like more.

Had I imagined all of it?

Had I been the only one feeling anything real?

My hands trembled as I pressed them into my lap, trying to steady myself. I should tell him now about the baby.

But the words refused to come. How could I after he just called me his mistress? 

Because how could I tell a man who had just reduced me to nothing that I was carrying his child?

Footsteps echoed down the hallway and my body stiffened. 

Something felt off.

When Toby re entered the room, the air shifted instantly.

The warmth from before was completely gone.

His expression was hard and closed off. His eyes cold in a way I had never seen before.

A chill crept down my spine.

“Toby?” I whispered.

He didn’t answer right away.

Instead, he held up a stack of crumpled papers in his hand.

“These were in your bag Naila.”

I blinked, confusion cutting through my lingering hurt. “What?”

His jaw tightened.

“Don’t insult my intelligence, Naila.”

My stomach dropped.

“I don’t understand” I tried speak but he cut me off

“You stole from me.”

The words hit like a physical blow.

“What?” I gasped, shaking my head immediately. “No no, that’s not possible. I would never do that”

“They were in your bag Naila,” he said coldly. “That’s all the explanation I need.”

My chest tightened painfully as panic surged through me.

“I hae never seen those papers before Toby!” I insisted, my voice rising. “You have to believe me!”

His lips curled slightly, but there was no humor in it.

“Believe you?” The disbelief in his tone sliced through me.

“I trusted you,” he continued, his voice low and dangerous. “I brought you and trusted you into my home, into my life. And this is how you repay me?”

Tears burned my eyes, blurring my vision.

“This is a mistake,” I whispered desperately. “Someone must have put them there”

“Someone put them there, that's a good one.” He says sarcastically 

The finality in his voice crushed whatever hope I had left.

Silence fell between us.

I searched his face, looking for something, anything that resembled the man I thought I knew.

But he was gone.

The man who looked at me like I meant nothing to him, like he had not been inside me a few minutes ago.

“I want you out of my house Naila,” he said flatly, his voice cold

“What?”

“You have thirty minutes to collect your things before I call security.” He added

The words didn’t feel real, none of this felt real, it was like I was in a bad dream. 

“Toby, please” My voice broke as I took a step toward him. “You have to listen to me. I didn’t do this, I would never betray you, not like this”

“You have Twenty eight minutes now,” he interrupted, glancing at his watch.

And in that moment, I understood that whatever I said, he did not belive me, it 

 didn’t matter what I said to him, he had already made up his mind.

And nothing I did would change it.

My fingers curled into fists at my sides as I fought to stay upright.

“How could you think I would do something like that?” I whispered.

He didn’t answer me, he didn't even hesitate and the silence told me everything. 

A broken sound escaped my throat before I could stop it.

I turned away quickly, unable to let him see me fall apart any further, I didn’t pack, I couldn't do it. I didn't grab my things. None of it mattered right now I had bigger problems. 

I barely made it to the elevator before the tears spilled over, they came fast and relentless.

Silent sobs tore through me as the doors slid shut, sealing me away from him.

From everything I thought we had.

By the time I reached the lobby, I could hardly see through the blur of tears.

The doorman stepped forward, concern etched on his face. “Miss, are you alright? Should I call you a cab?”

I shook my head quickly, unable to trust my voice.

If I spoke, I would break completely, so I just kept walking out into the night. 

The warm evening air hit my face, but it did nothing to soothe the storm raging inside me.

Each step felt heavier than the last, my body moving on autopilot while my mind replayed everything over and over again.

Mistress and thief. The two words he had technically called me tonight. 

My hand drifted unconsciously to my stomach and that’s when it hit me.

A fresh wave of devastation crashed over me, stealing what little breath I had left.

I hadn’t told him, I didn't tell him I was pregnant with his baby.