Barren Woman.

Asher's POV.

My gaze snapped to Alexandria in shock, my mind racing to catch up with reality. I wasn’t expecting her—no, this wasn’t a visit. She had caught me. She had walked in at the exact moment she shouldn’t have, and there was no getting out of this.

I muttered a curse under my breath, the bitter taste of betrayal coating my tongue—not for what I had done, but for the fact that I had been caught.

Sandra stood there, unmoving, eerily quiet. For minutes, she didn’t say a word, just stared at me and at Theresa, and at the tangled mess she had walked into. When she finally spoke, her voice was cool and controlled, like she wasn’t fazed by what she was seeing. But I knew better.

"Asher, you?"

Two simple words, but I heard everything she wasn’t saying. The disbelief, the hurt. The weight of it settled in the pit of my stomach.

I reached for my boxers under the blanket, hastily sliding them on as I buckled my belt. Beside me, Theresa let out a hiss of annoyance, clearly irritated that our moment had been interrupted.

Getting off the bed, I took slow steps toward Alexandria, still struggling to process what was happening. I had never imagined this scenario, not even in my worst nightmares.

Her eyes flickered to Theresa, who had also risen from the bed, the blanket draped loosely around her naked form. Unlike Alexandria, there was no shock on her face, no guilt—just boredom, as if this confrontation was nothing but an inconvenience.

"Alexandria, it’s not what you think," I said, my voice almost pleading. I reached out, trying to touch her, to ground her, but she stepped back before I could.

She blinked, her lips trembling slightly. "You’ve been cheating on me?"

Her voice cracked on the last word, and something inside me twisted at the sound. I hated it. I hated seeing her like this—miserable and broken. All because of me.

She shouldn’t have needed to ask. The answer was right in front of her. But I didn’t want to admit it. I didn’t want to deny it either.

Alexandria turned to Theresa, searching for something—an explanation, a sliver of humanity. But Theresa only tilted her head, her expression void of concern.

"He was here when I called you?" Alexandria asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Theresa smirked. "Yeah, he was. I meant to send him home sooner, but he wouldn’t leave. You disgust him."

Alexandria’s face fell, and I clenched my jaw. I wanted to shut Theresa up, to stop her from making things worse, but I also didn’t want to look like a fool.

"Theresa, how could you?" She whispered, the betrayal evident in her tear-filled eyes.

Theresa let out a laugh, shaking her head. "You couldn’t satisfy him, Alexandria. You heard him on the phone. He wants me, not you."

Before Alexandria could react, I turned to Theresa, my anger flaring.

"You were on the phone with her earlier? And you didn’t stop me from saying anything?" I asked, struggling to believe she had set me up like that.

Alexandria scoffed, her gaze locking onto mine. She must have realized I wasn’t remorseful for cheating—only for getting caught.

And maybe she was right.

Theresa crossed her arms. "She deserved to know. It’s been five months already."

My blood ran cold.

Damn it, Theresa.

Alexandria took a staggering step back, her body hitting the door. I wanted to reach for her, to stop her from falling, but what good would that do?

"Five months," Alexandria repeated, her voice hollow. "So that’s why. That’s why my marriage started falling apart."

Her eyes met mine again, filled with nothing but pain.

"Asher… Five months? How could you? I loved you!"

The tears finally spilled, running down her face in streams. She was breaking right in front of me, shattering like fragile glass, and I was the one holding the hammer.

Theresa rolled her eyes. "You loved him, but he doesn’t love you.”

"Theresa, shut up," I snarled, my patience snapping.

But she wasn’t done.

"He stopped loving you the moment you couldn’t satisfy him. He got tired of you, Alexandria," Theresa continued, her voice dripping with cruelty.

I wanted to silence her, but what was the point? The damage was already done.

Alexandria shook her head, tears still falling. "I gave you everything, Asher. My love, my trust, my money, my company. I gave you my heart! And this is how you repay me?"

I swallowed hard. I knew she would bring that up. She had given me everything—too much, even.

Theresa’s next words were unexpected, ruthless and merciless to Alexandria.

"There’s another thing you never gave him too, a child. You are barren, remember.”

My head snapped to Theresa, my anger flaring again. She was pushing too far.

"Theresa, just stop," I warned. "You’ll ruin my marriage."

Alexandria let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. "Your marriage?"

Theresa scoffed, tightening the blanket around her body. "You should be thinking about our baby right now, not your marriage."

Silence.

Alexandria’s breath hitched. "B-Baby?"

"Damn it," I muttered, running my hands through my hair.

Alexandria’s eyes darted between us, searching for confirmation, for denial—for anything. But neither of us spoke.

She turned to Theresa, her hands trembling as she grabbed her by the shoulders.

"What baby, Theresa?" she demanded, her voice breaking. "What are you talking about?"

Theresa sneered. "Are you that dumb, Alexandria? You didn’t notice anything for the past six months, and now you can’t process a single word?"

Her fingers tightened on Theresa’s shoulders. "Say it!" she screamed, her voice raw.

But before Theresa could, a loud groan tore through the room.

Alexandria shoved her, sending her tumbling to the floor, clutching her stomach.

"Asher! She pushed me! Our baby!" Theresa cried out.

My vision blurred with rage as I turned to Alexandria.

"The hell is wrong with you, you barren woman?!" I roared finally deciding not to care about saving our marriage.

Before I even thought about it, my hands shoved her back. Her body crashed against the door, and she crumpled to the floor, unmoving.

My breath caught in my throat.

Alexandria wasn’t moving.

I had knocked her unconscious.