CHAPTER FOUR - SUSPICION ARISES

Valerie woke before dawn, her fingers pressed lightly over her stomach as if she could feel the child growing inside her already. A faint glow touched the bedroom curtains. Her mind would not rest. Every moment since that night replayed itself like a bruise that refused to fade. Alejandro Rodriguez had touched her. He had lost his restraint with her. And she felt guilty every time she remembered how her breath had trembled when his hands moved across her skin.

She hated the fact that a part of her had wanted him.

She hated the fact that he was Isabella’s husband.

She hated the fact that she was carrying their child.

And worst of all, she hated how her body reacted the moment he entered any room.

She sat up slowly and exhaled, whispering to herself.

This is temporary.

This is for the money.

After birth, I leave and start a new life.

Her phone buzzed on the nightstand. A message from Ariana.

Open the door. I brought breakfast. Selena is with me.

Valerie dragged herself out of bed and walked to the living room. When she opened the door, both women pushed inside with the easy familiarity of people who had been around her for years. Selena wore a bright smile that never reached her eyes. Ariana’s expression was sharper. She always looked as though she were analyzing everything.

“We decided to check on our pregnant millionaire,” Ariana said, placing a food tray on the couch.

Valerie rolled her eyes.

“I am not a millionaire yet.”

“But soon,” Selena added. “And when that day comes, you better not forget us.”

Valerie laughed lightly and sat, but Ariana watched her closely, studying every shift in her expression.

“You do not look like you slept well,” Ariana said.

“It is pregnancy,” Valerie replied.

“It is something else,” Ariana muttered.

Valerie felt uneasy. Ariana always sensed too much. She always noticed small changes, tiny reactions, little secrets. Out of everyone who visited her, Ariana was the one who made her heart race. Ariana would protect Isabella without hesitation. She would burn the world before allowing anyone to hurt her friend.

And if Ariana ever found out what had happened between Valerie and Alejandro, everything would fall apart.

Selena snapped her fingers.

“Breakfast now. Drama later.”

But Ariana’s gaze stayed on Valerie, burning through her like sunlight on glass.

Alejandro stood at his office window, hands curled against the sill as he stared at the city below. He had been up since five, replaying the same moment that would not release him. Every detail of that night replayed in his mind with painful clarity. The taste of her breath. The warmth of her skin. The soft helpless sound she made when he pulled her against him.

He should not feel this.

He should not want her.

She was carrying his child.

She lived under his roof.

She trusted him.

Yet he wanted her again with a hunger that terrified him.

He pressed his forehead against the window glass and inhaled sharply.

This was his own mistake.

This was his own weakness.

And he knew it would destroy everything if he was not careful.

A knock interrupted his spiraling thoughts.

His assistant stepped inside.

“Sir, your wife says she will visit the hospital later today for the routine check. She asked me to remind you.”

“Thank you,” Alejandro said.

“And sir,” the assistant hesitated, “Miss Selena was waiting near your elevator earlier. She said she wanted a private discussion.”

Alejandro’s entire expression shut down.

“Send security next time she appears here uninvited.”

“Yes sir.”

When the assistant left, Alejandro closed his eyes. Selena was trouble. She always had been. And lately she behaved as if she were desperate for something. He could not understand why she lingered around him. She was Isabella’s friend, but lately her actions did not match loyalty.

He shook the thought away. He already had enough temptations without adding Selena’s schemes to the list.

Later that afternoon, Valerie walked slowly across Isabella’s private garden. She preferred the garden because it felt quiet and safe. The warm breeze brushed through the flowers and the sky looked endless and calm. She placed one hand over her stomach again without thinking.

A baby.

A child that was not hers.

A life she was meant to carry only temporarily.

She reminded herself of that daily.

Footsteps approached behind her.

Her heart jumped even before she turned.

Alejandro.

He stopped a few feet away, as if forcing himself to keep distance. He looked exhausted, like he had not slept well either. When their eyes met, both froze.

“Valerie,” he said quietly.

“Alejandro,” she replied, her voice unsteady.

Silence pressed between them.

Warm.

Heavy.

Dangerous.

Then Alejandro moved closer, just one step, but it felt like he crossed a forbidden line.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Fine.”

“You do not look fine.”

“I did not ask for your concern.”

He exhaled. “You think I do not know that?”

She tried to walk past him, but his hand brushed her arm lightly. The touch sent a shock through her entire body. She pulled away as if burned.

“Do not touch me,” she whispered.

Alejandro shut his eyes for a second, fighting for control.

“You need to rest. Stress is not good for the baby.”

“The baby will be fine,” Valerie snapped. “I am doing everything properly. I am eating well and taking the vitamins. You do not need to check on me every hour.”

Alejandro opened his eyes and they carried a raw mixture of guilt and longing.

“I am not checking every hour,” he said. “I am checking because I care. Because I should care.”

“You care because Isabella expects the perfect child,” Valerie replied quietly.

“No,” Alejandro said. His voice thickened. “It is not only that.”

Valerie felt her heart stutter.

She needed to walk away.

She needed to stop staring at him.

She needed to stop remembering the way he held her that night.

Instead she whispered, “Alejandro, do not start something you cannot finish.”

He moved closer again, unable to stop himself.

“Do you think I want this?” he murmured.

Valerie swallowed hard.

“You chose to kiss me.”

“I lost control,” he said. “But I cannot stop thinking about you.”

Her breath shook.

Her knees felt weak.

Her entire body hummed with fear and want.

“Alejandro,” she whispered, “please stop.”

His hand lifted as if to touch her face, then he forced it down.

“I am trying,” he said. “You have no idea how hard I am trying.”

For a moment they simply stared at each other. The world around them faded. The flowers swayed gently. The breeze pressed softly against their bodies. Everything felt too intimate. Too close. Too dangerous.

Then footsteps echoed from the patio.

Ariana.

She walked toward them slowly, her eyes moving between their faces. Something dark flashed in her gaze. Something sharp. Something suspicious.

Valerie stepped away from Alejandro at once, as if burned.

Ariana smiled, but it did not reach her eyes.

“What a beautiful sight. Both of you alone in the garden. How sweet.”

Alejandro straightened his posture.

“Isabella should not stress. Valerie needed fresh air.”

“Of course,” Ariana replied lightly. “Fresh air. That must be why both of you look like you were caught stealing something.”

Valerie’s palms turned sweaty.

Alejandro kept his voice steady.

“We were discussing the medical appointments.”

Ariana nodded slowly.

“Good. Because anything else would be messy. And Isabella hates messy things.”

Her eyes lingered on Valerie for a moment too long.

Valerie felt her stomach twist.

Ariana knew something.

She sensed something.

And Ariana never let go once she smelled a secret.

“We should go inside,” Ariana said calmly. “Isabella is looking for you.”

Alejandro walked away first.

Valerie followed him with her eyes just once, then forced herself to breathe.

Ariana stepped closer when he was out of hearing range.

“You are acting strange, Valerie,” she said softly.

“I am pregnant,” Valerie replied.

Ariana smiled faintly.

“Yes. Which means your emotions are sensitive. But you are also hiding something. And I will find out what it is.”

Valerie felt her heart sink.

Ariana gently patted her shoulder.

“Do not worry. I only protect the people I love.”

Then she walked away, leaving Valerie frozen in fear.

Because she knew Ariana meant every word.

And Ariana only loved one person in this house.

Isabella.

---

Later that evening, in the quiet of her room, Valerie lay curled on her bed. Her mind replayed everything in tormenting detail. Alejandro’s gaze. His voice. His confession. Ariana’s suspicion.

This was slipping out of control.

She needed to distance herself.

She needed to create space.

She needed to finish this surrogacy safely and leave with her one million dollars.

But the moment she closed her eyes, the memory of Alejandro’s touch returned with painful clarity.

She pressed a pillow against her face and whispered into the fabric.

“This cannot continue. It cannot.”

But her body did not listen.

Her heart did not listen.

And the world around her was shifting into something dangerous.

Something she could no longer control.