My heart stopped

RAINA

I stepped out of that room, slamming the door shut behind me.

My chest was rising and falling so fast I thought I’d pass out. I looked down at my wrist, half expecting the green light on my heart monitor to flash… but it didn’t.

“This doesn’t make sense,” I whispered, pressing my fingers against the device.

After everything that had just happened, my heart should’ve been in full meltdown mode.

I let out a low hiss, dragging a hand down my face. “What an arrogant bastard.”

I pulled my jacket tighter around me and started walking out of the field, ignoring the noise from the crowd.

I opened the Uber app with shaking hands and ordered a ride. The ride pulled up, and I slid into the backseat. When the car stopped in front of my apartment, I paid quickly and got out.

I took the stairs two at a time, fumbling with my keys until I pushed open the door. “Zane?” I called softly, my voice echoing through the dim living room.

“Zane?” I called again, stepping farther into the apartment.

My heart skipped a beat when I heard voices by the dining room. I took a few careful steps forward until I reached the corner of the hallway. The voices grew clearer.

The moment I turned the corner, I halted.

Zane sat at the head of the dining table, his parents on either side of him, glasses of wine in their hands.

And right beside him, was the woman from the field, smiling, her hand resting on his arm.

My throat went dry.

“Good evening,” I said quietly, my voice barely steady. “Mr. and Mrs. Carter.”

No one answered.

Not even his mother, who had once hugged me every time I came home with Zane. Not even his father, who used to call me daughter.

I looked at Zane then, my heart pounding painfully inside my chest. His expression was cold. The same as it had been at the field.

“What’s going on?” I asked softly. “Why is she here?”

He set his glass down slowly, then he stood, sliding his chair back without looking at me.

“Go to my room,” he said flatly.

I blinked. “What?”

“Go to my room, Raina,” he repeated, his voice sharper now. “Take your things and leave.”

For a moment, I thought I misheard him. His mother looked away. His father didn’t move.

“Zane…” I whispered, my voice cracking. “You’re joking, right?”

He exhaled, rubbing the bridge of his nose like I was testing his patience. “I’m done, Raina. You need to leave.”

I just stood there, staring at him, unable to process the words.

I felt my hands start to shake. “You’re… done?” I managed to say. “Just like that?”

His fists clenched. “I told you I’d talk to you when we got home. This is me talking.”

My heart twisted painfully inside my chest, and for a second, I forgot how to breathe. My watch buzzed faintly, but even it seemed too stunned to make a sound.

“Zane, please,” I whispered. “We can talk about this. Whatever this is…”

“There’s nothing to talk about.”

The woman beside him smiled, and something inside me snapped. I wanted to scream, to throw something, to demand an explanation. But all that came out was a quiet, broken whisper.

“Why?”

He finally met my eyes. “Because I don’t love you anymore.”

My knees went weak, and I gripped the back of a chair just to stay standing.

His mother stood up. “Raina, dear, please don’t make this harder. You’ve been through a lot already. It’s best you leave quietly.”

She shifted slightly, setting her glass down before looking at me with a kind of forced smile. “Elara is pregnant.”

My heart stopped.

“She’s expecting,” she continued, glancing proudly at the woman beside Zane. “And we’re happy about it. Finally, a grandchild is on the way.”

Zane didn’t look at me. His fingers drummed against the table before he muttered, “It just happened, Raina. Don’t make a scene.”

I stared at him, unable to process anything.

His mother sighed softly, shaking her head. “You’re a sweet girl, Raina, but you’ve been so sick. You can barely handle stress. My son needs someone strong beside him. We can’t allow him to marry you, not like this.”

The monitor on my wrist began to beep faster, louder.

“No…” I whispered, pressing my trembling hand against my chest. Tears blurred my vision as I looked at Zane. “I’m like this because of you,” I gasped. “If I hadn’t given you part of me… I’d be fine. I’d still be me.”

The beeping grew erratic. I could barely stay standing. “Please,” I whispered again, clutching at my ribs. “Don’t do this. Not after everything…”

Zane stood up suddenly, his chair scraping hard against the floor. “Raina, stop!” he barked. “Just leave! Don’t die in my house!”

I froze, staring at him through tears that wouldn’t stop falling. Then I heard a voice coming from the kitchen.

“No. She’s not going anywhere.”

Everyone turned.

Out from the kitchen stepped a tall figure, holding a bottle of water in one hand. When the light hit his face, my heart stopped.

Elias.

What the hell was he doing here?

My mind spun… I couldn’t understand how he even found this place, how he knew where I lived.

He stopped beside me, bent slightly, and offered me the bottle. “Drink,” he said quietly. “Slowly.”

I hesitated, my breathing still shaky, but something in his tone made me obey. The moment the water touched my lips, my heart rate slowed just a little.

Then Elias straightened, turning toward the table. His gaze landed on Zane’s parents. “Mum. Dad. Raina can’t go anywhere,” he said calmly.

“She’s also pregnant for me. We’ve been dating secretly for a while now.”

The bottle in my hand slipped. My entire body went numb.

I looked between them… Elias, Zane, and his parents… my heart pounded again.

Did he just call them Mum and Dad?

And what does he mean by “I’m pregnant”?