Chapter 3

Episode 3

Lyra's POV

My fingers froze. The small object in my hand suddenly felt unbearably heavy. The two red lines in the indicator window stared back at me mercilessly, as though mocking my foolishness all this time.

“Oh, God... Could my husband have gotten another woman pregnant? But is that even possible?” I whispered to myself. My voice was almost drowned out by the roaring rush of blood pounding in my ears.

“Darling? Why are you standing there like a statue?”

Casian's sudden voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I flinched in surprise and quickly concealed the object behind my curled fingers. In the corner of the room near the kitchen, I caught a glimpse of Calvin sitting peacefully, enjoying a glass of warm milk with one of our household servants. The atmosphere in the house was so tranquil, completely at odds with the storm of hysteria raging inside my chest.

Casian casually walked toward me, rubbing the back of his neck, which was slightly damp with sweat after taking Calvin for a little run just moments earlier. The innocent smile on his face remained unchanged.

With my hands trembling violently, I held out the small object with two lines directly in front of his chest.

“Whose is this?” I asked in a hoarse, strained voice, struggling to suppress the sudden wave of nausea rising in my throat.

Casian furrowed his brows. His eyes narrowed as he stared at the object in my hand. Within seconds, his expression changed completely, shifting from relaxed to confused before turning into one of utter shock.

“What? I have no idea! What is that?” he exclaimed instinctively, his forehead deeply creased.

“This fell out of your shirt pocket, Casian!” I shrieked, the tears I had been holding back beginning to gather hotly in my eyes. “It's a pregnancy test! And there are two lines! What else do you have to say?!”

Casian took a step backward. He shook his head repeatedly, his expression filled with profound disappointment, as though I had just thrown filthy mud at him.

“Darling, I genuinely have no idea!” he snapped, his voice low but demanding, his breathing growing increasingly ragged. “Maybe some prankster deliberately slipped it into my pocket! Last night, I attended a dinner banquet with more than a dozen business partners and associates. I swear to God, I know absolutely nothing about this damn thing!”

Casian stared at me with eyes filled with hurt. He pointed at his own chest with his tense fingers.

“You doubt me? After ten years of marriage and building everything from nothing, how could you accuse me of getting another woman pregnant just because of some pregnancy test with an unknown origin? Fine, think whatever you want!”

Without waiting for my response, Casian turned around abruptly. His long strides carried him across the floor toward the master bedroom before he slammed the door shut.

The loud bang reverberated through the room, shattering what little courage I had left. My entire body trembled violently. My tongue felt numb, and I couldn't utter a single word. An overwhelming dizziness suddenly swept over me, making my vision blur for a moment.

I sank weakly onto the edge of the living room sofa. The tears I had been holding captive finally burst forth uncontrollably. A soft sob escaped my trembling lips.

What have I done? I lamented inwardly, overwhelmed with regret.

Throughout our ten years of marriage, Casian had been a flawless husband. He was the man who had sincerely accepted my chubby and unattractive figure, the man who had worked tirelessly day and night to provide for our little family, and the man who had always showered me with warmth and affection. How could I have accused him so cruelly based solely on an anonymous fabricated photo, a misunderstanding involving my sister-in-law, and a pregnancy test that some stranger, perhaps jealous of my husband's success, might have slipped into his pocket?

The fear of losing Casian suddenly consumed my entire being. The stress and guilt churning inside me made my chest feel unbearably tight. With unsteady steps and tears still streaming down my face and soaking my pajamas, I walked after him.

The moment the door opened and I saw Casian's displeased, twisted expression, I immediately rushed toward him. I wrapped my arms tightly around his waist from behind, pressing my tear-streaked face against my husband's broad chest.

“Casian... please forgive me. I'm sorry,” I whispered between sobs, pressing myself against him as though I were afraid he might disappear. “I was just too scared... I'm so afraid of losing you. I've gone crazy... I'm sorry for accusing you.”

Casian stood rigidly for a moment before finally releasing a long, heavy sigh. He lowered his hands, gently wrapped them around my shoulders, and returned my embrace with the warmth that had always been my refuge.

“It's all right, darling. Don't cry anymore,” he said softly, kissing the top of my head repeatedly. “I understand how you feel. You've probably been too exhausted and stressed lately. I'll ask Heru, my assistant, to check the CCTV footage from the restaurant where I attended last night's banquet and find out who the prankster was that dared to slip this damn pregnancy test into my shirt pocket.”

Hearing his promise and feeling his familiar tenderness once again, the tension in my chest gradually began to ease. I wiped away my tears, nodded helplessly, and promised myself that I would never again doubt the man I loved most.

By midday, the guilt still lingered, weighing heavily on my heart. To make up for doubting Casian's loyalty, I decided to visit the upscale shopping district in the city center.

Our tenth wedding anniversary was approaching. I planned to buy him a limited-edition gold wristwatch from a renowned luxury jewelry boutique—a surprise gift I had long wanted to give him using my own secretly saved personal funds.

The weather was quite pleasant that afternoon as my car slowly turned into the open parking area in front of a row of luxury stores. However, just as I was about to turn off the engine, my eyes accidentally caught sight of a man in a gray suit whom I knew very well, walking out of one of the prestigious jewelry stores.

Casian.

My movements froze behind the steering wheel. Hadn't he told me that morning he was going to attend an important meeting with an out-of-town investor? Why was he here?

The small suspicion I had once buried suddenly resurfaced when I noticed a slender woman walking right beside him. She was wearing an elegant pink dress, and her beautiful black wavy hair flowed loosely down her back. They were standing with their backs toward my car, making it impossible for me to see the woman's face clearly from a distance.

Driven by fear and burning curiosity, I decided not to approach them immediately. I got out of my car, slowly closed the distance, and secretly followed them from behind a row of pillars supporting the magnificent building.

Calm down, Lyra. Don't jump to conclusions again, I whispered inwardly, trying to steady my wildly racing heart. Maybe it's Kaila! Yes, Kaila Lovely Moona, my sister-in-law! Didn't Casian say that Kaila's boutique was somewhere around this district? They must have just finished browsing or taking care of some business matters.

I tried to smile, piecing together logical explanations in my mind to protect my husband's good name, just as I had always done.

However, my footsteps suddenly came to an abrupt halt behind a thick glass pillar.

The two of them had stopped in a relatively secluded VIP parking area.

Before getting into the car, the woman turned around to face Casian. Her face was now clearly illuminated by the scorching afternoon sunlight.

My blood suddenly ran cold. That face... that woman really was Kaila, the sister-in-law I had only met a year ago.

But the scene that unfolded before my eyes next shattered every last bit of my sanity into pieces.

Casian was not behaving like an older brother toward his younger sister. The man I called my husband slowly lowered himself onto one knee on the cold asphalt, then extended his hand with a trembling tenderness.

With a gaze filled with adoration and a happiness I had never seen in him before, Casian's fingers gently caressed Kaila's belly.

He didn't stop there. Casian rose to his feet, wrapped his arms tightly around Kaila's waist, and then planted an intensely intimate kiss on her lips—a passionate kiss beneath the bright afternoon sunlight.

My entire world crumbled in an instant. The two red lines on the pregnancy test that morning... the pink stain on his shirt collar... the photo in the hotel corridor... the name Lovely on his phone...

Every piece of his lies suddenly fell into place, crashing against my chest and leaving nothing behind.

“Could it be that Kaila isn't Casian's sister at all? Could it be that Kaila is actually...”