Chapter 3: The Ghost of a Mistake

~ Ivy ~

Ivy sat curled on her couch, her knees pulled tightly to her chest, and her eyes fixed on the rain tapping against the living room window like a thousand tiny questions she didn’t want to answer.

The pregnancy test sat in its box on the coffee table—three tests, all positive.

No matter how many times she checked, the answer didn’t change.

She was pregnant.

And the father was Aiden King.

A man who had told her, in no uncertain terms, to forget their night together ever happened.

Her stomach turned—not from morning sickness, though that had begun to creep in too—but from fear. What would Aiden say if he found out? Would he deny it? Would he disappear again? Or worse—would he try to take the baby from her just to prove a point?

And Ethan…

The very thought of him made her stomach twist harder. How could she ever look at him again? How could she sit across from him, knowing she’d made the kind of mistake you don’t come back from?

She hadn’t meant to fall apart. She hadn’t meant to shatter under pressure.

But she had.

And now she was picking up pieces with trembling hands.

Her phone buzzed again. For the fifth time in the past hour.

Blocked Number.

She didn’t answer.

It buzzed again. Then a text came in.

> We need to talk. It’s important. —A

Her breath caught.

Aiden.

She hadn’t seen or heard from him since he walked out of that hotel room like none of it mattered. How had he gotten her number?

Before she could even respond, another message arrived:

> Don’t ignore me. I know.

Her heart pounded.

Knew what? About the baby? Or something else?

She didn’t reply.

Instead, she walked to the bathroom, locked the door, and sank to the floor, staring at the test again. Something about Aiden’s message unsettled her.

There was a coldness to it. Like he wasn’t asking—he was warning.

The next morning, Ivy tried to resume normal life. She went to work, smiled through her shift at the gallery, and tried not to let the nausea show when Linda brought out tuna salad during lunch.

She was sorting new exhibit pieces when her name echoed across the gallery floor.

“Ivy.”

The voice froze her blood.

Aiden King.

She turned slowly, expecting a storm—but was met with the cold, composed face of a man who looked more like a shadow than a brother.

He was dressed in black—tailored suit, crisp shirt, and a coat that looked untouched by the weather outside. His eyes locked on hers like a predator.

“What are you doing here?” she whispered, glancing around nervously. “This is my workplace.”

“Relax,” he said calmly, stepping closer. “I’m not here to cause a scene.”

She lowered her voice, her tone sharp. “Then say what you came to say and leave.”

Aiden’s eyes flicked toward a quieter corner of the gallery. “Not here. Walk with me.”

“I’m working—”

“I know you’re pregnant.”

The words hit her like a slap. She felt the blood drain from her face.

He didn’t say it loud, but the weight of them felt like a scream.

“How—?” she began, but he cut her off.

“You left the hotel with a prescription bag in your hand. You checked into a clinic the next day.” His voice was matter-of-fact. “I have people who watch… certain things.”

“You’ve been watching me?” she hissed, stepping back.

“I’ve been protecting myself.”

“You mean spying.”

“Call it what you want. But it got us here.” He stepped in closer, his voice low. “Is it mine?”

Her mouth opened, then closed.

“No one else,” she finally said, her voice trembling. “Just you.”

He stared at her for a long moment. No flicker of surprise. No softness. Just calculation.

“Then we need to talk. Privately.”

“I don’t want anything from you, Aiden.”

He smiled faintly. “You might change your mind when you realize who else is involved.”

Her brows knit. “What does that mean?”

Aiden leaned in. “Ethan can never find out. And if you think he won’t… you’re more naive than I thought.”

She stared at him, her stomach twisting.

“Why?” she asked. “Why are you so afraid of him knowing?”

Aiden’s jaw tightened. “Because Ethan’s engagement to your cousin isn’t about love. It’s about control. And if he finds out you’re carrying a King heir—before he has one—he’ll burn everything to the ground to bury it.”

Ivy took a step back, shaken. “What are you saying? That he’d hurt me?”

“I’m saying he’d do worse,” Aiden replied. “He’d turn this into a war. One neither of us can win.”

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “So what? You want me to disappear? Pretend this baby doesn’t exist?”

“No,” he said. “I want to protect it. And you.”

There was something in his tone—unfamiliar. Not warmth, exactly, but something close to urgency.

“I don’t trust you,” she whispered.

“You shouldn’t,” he said. “But trust me more than you trust Ethan. Because the man you think you know… isn’t who he is anymore.”

That night, Ivy sat in bed, trying to piece everything together.

Aiden’s warning played on repeat.

Ethan can never know. He’ll destroy everything.

But Ethan was kind. Charming. Gentle. She couldn’t imagine him hurting anyone, let alone her. He had always been the golden twin—the one who smiled first, the one who remembered birthdays, the one who laughed with his whole chest.

But hadn’t she noticed lately how different he’d become?

Less patient. Quicker to anger. A little too focused on public image, the perfect couple persona, the rise of his name.

And what about Tessa?

Why would she accept a proposal so quickly? Did she know?

Ivy’s head ached. Her stomach churned—not from pregnancy, but from the fear that she’d stumbled into a web much darker than she ever realized.

Then came the knock.

It was close to midnight. No one should be here.

She crept toward the door and peeked through the peephole.

Her blood turned to ice.

Tessa.