7. Set-up

Kiara froze, and everything around her came to a stop. 

Dazed, her eyes lingered on the trio, seemingly one of the most perfect family moments she’d always fantasized about. 

She’d imagined Killian, countless times, sitting their daughter on his lap. She’d imagined being present at the scene, laughing together at something funny their daughter said.

But her fantasy never came true. 

Ever since Lily was born, Killian was rarely present, and he was mostly never present during her sick episodes. He’d never sat her on his lap before.

Grief clutched at Kiara’s heart, snapping her back to the present. That was when her stepmother’s words settled in. 

Sophia… her stepsister?

How could that be? If this lady was the same Sophia her stepmother had always mentioned to her, then Kiara didn’t know how to react. 

It’s no wonder she felt as if she’d seen her somewhere before. The little girl her stepmother had always shown her in photos looked exactly like her.

But how… why?

Kiara collected herself. This was too much to be just a coincidence. 

“Did you know that Killian was my husband, Sophia?” Her voice shook as she spoke. Kiara dreaded her response no matter what it might be. “Before hooking up with him, did you know we were married?”

Sophia was quiet. 

Instead of answering her question, she exchanged glances with Killian. Then Killian signaled with his eyes as if communicating silently. 

Sophia suddenly stood up with the boy and turned for the stairs.

Kiara wasn’t having that. She wasn’t going to accept silence as her only answer. So she blocked her path. “Stop being quiet and answer my question! You knew Killian was my husband, didn’t you?”

“What’s the meaning of this, Kiara?” Her stepmother stepped in and stood in their middle. “M-My daughter would never do that! Maybe it was all an accident! Calm down, will you?”

An accident…?

Kiara chuckled. 

Killian was too perfect to falter for a moment. He’d always been calculative and considered each of his decisions. 

This wasn’t an accident… It was a set-up. And Kiara had a strong feeling that her stepmother knew it way before now, because the woman didn’t appear a bit shocked but defensive of her daughter. 

“You’ve always said that I’m like your blood daughter. You always knew Killian was with her, and her studying abroad was just a cover-up!”

Kiara had always felt that her stepmother’s love wasn’t genuine. She could sense the woman’s hostility sometimes no matter how hard she masked it with a gentle smile. 

The woman claimed to love her, but she was always like an obstacle, restricting her from communicating with her father or spending time with him. 

Her stepmother’s expression dimmed and she pointed at her. “You! How dare you accuse me, your own mother?”

“You’re not!” Kiara screamed, her body shaking from anger, her heart’s ache intensifying. “You’ll never be my mother, Sara!”

Her stepmother glared at her, eyes filled with hatred. “You ungrateful child! After all I’ve done for you! Do you expect me to discard my own daughter and take your side? Sophia has finally returned to me after many years, shouldn’t you be happy?”

How was Kiara supposed to be happy when Sophia’s return turned her whole world upside down?

She’d also been anticipating her stepsister’s return, but now, she wished she had never prayed for that.

“I never asked you to take my side.” She balled her fists. “But I expected you to differentiate right from wrong.”

“You!”

“That’s enough.” Killian stood up, his cold gaze pinned on her. He stepped forward and grabbed her arm. “Let’s go home.”

Home?

How dare he ask her to follow him home after all this? Wasn’t he shameless?

Kiara snatched her arm, her heart burning with hatred as she glared back. “Make me.”

As if her words weren’t an insult but an instruction, Killian grabbed her again. He didn’t let her go this time despite her struggling. 

“Let go of me!” Kiara screamed. She thrashed and kicked, beating his back as he flung her on his shoulder. 

Killian neither flinched nor paused for a moment. Despite her loud protests, he left the building with her and threw her inside his car in the parking lot. Then he zoomed out of the mansion. 

Kiara didn’t stop protesting throughout the ride. If he hadn’t locked the car’s door, she would have jumped out in the middle of the road.

She didn’t want to return to that Villa.

She no longer wanted to stay in the same space as him. Seeing him would only remind her of how much he’d broken her. 

But Killian didn’t give her the chance to escape when he pulled the car over in the Villa. He picked her up and headed inside, straight to the master bedroom. 

“I’ve warned you to stop causing a scene!” He threw her on the bed. “Are you so fond of making headlines now?”

Kiara screamed. 

She tossed the pillow at him. She attacked him with everything her hand could reach! “My request is simple! Let’s divorce and get the hell out of my life!”

Killian pinned her down, his eyes blazing with fury. “In your dreams!” 

The rest of her protests died in her throat as he crushed his lips against hers, barely letting her breathe. But then, his rough movements gradually turned into gentle touches. 

If Killian had forced himself on her, Kiara would have been able to protest. If he’d been harsh on her, she would have been able to scream out for help. 

But unlike the previous times they’d been intimate, he was gentler this time, more considerate as if she were a delicate vessel.

In the end, he held her in his arms, his breathing shallow but steady as he stroked her bare back. “Divorce is never an option, Kiara… you’re going nowhere.”

Kiara trembled, fresh tears rolling from her eyes. 

Why did his words sound intimate, and at the same time intimidating?

Killian would lose nothing by divorcing her. Why was he so against it?