The Report

ARIA’S POV

“Hello, Aria, what’s up?”

“I can’t reach him.” I paced back and forth across the living room, dragging my fingers through my hair for what felt like the hundredth time. “Zara, it’s almost midnight and he’s not picking my calls.”

The silence of the penthouse pressed in on me, heavy and suffocating. Every ticking second made my chest tighter.

I knew getting involved with another Weston was a mistake. What I didn’t know was that Xavier would turn out to be another version of his brother.

It all felt too familiar. Way too close to the life I had just escaped.

It’s like I married Dean all over again. Xavier doesn’t care about me. He doesn’t even share a room with me. I figured the only reason I'm here is to give him children so he can inherit his father’s wealth.

Thinking about it made something inside me twist painfully.

If I hadn’t told my best friend everything, if I had kept it all bottled up like the contract demanded… I was certain I would have lost my mind by now.

But what Xavier doesn't know wouldn’t hurt him.

“Aria, calm down,” Zara said gently. “Maybe he’s just working late.”

“It’s midnight, Zara,” I snapped, stopping in my tracks. “He’s a workaholic, yes, but he never stays out this late without saying anything to me.”

She chuckled softly. “Now you sound like his wife.”

“I am his wife,” I blurted.

The words slipped out before I could stop them.

My heart skipped.

There was a long pause on the other end.

“Aria, did you just…”

“No. No, that’s not what I meant,” I rushed out, shaking my head even though she couldn’t see me.

Before she could press further, the sound of a car pulling into the garage cut through the silence.

My breath caught.

“Zara, I’ll call you later.”

I hung up immediately and rushed toward the door.

The moment it opened, the faint smell of alcohol hit me.

My brows furrowed.

Has he been drinking?

Xavier stepped out of the car, his expression unreadable, his movements steady but kind of shaky.

He didn’t even look at me. He just walked past me like I wasn’t standing there.

That hurt more than him coming home late without a call.

Still, I followed him inside.

“Xavier,” I called, trying to keep my voice steady. “I’ve been calling you for hours. Where have you been?”

He shrugged off his jacket and tossed it onto the couch carelessly before turning to me.

He knows I hate it when he leaves his things lying around the house.

“What have I told you about your phone, Aria?”

I glanced at the jacket behind him, irritation flickering through me despite everything. “Please pick that up.”

He frowned slightly but walked back and grabbed it.

At least he listened.

“Now answer me,” he said, his tone sharper. “Where was your phone when I was calling you?”

“I was doing laundry when you called,” I replied quietly. “I’m sorry.”

“Laundry?” His brows drew together. “Aria, we have maids for that.”

“I know. But I can’t just sit around doing nothing all day.”

He stared at me for a moment, something unreadable passing through his eyes, then turned and walked down the hallway.

I followed closely behind him.

“Xavier, you haven’t answered my question. Where were you?”

“If you hadn’t hung up on me earlier,” he said without looking back, “you would’ve known I was at my father’s house for dinner.”

I blinked.

What the hell is wrong with him tonight?

He's an asshole and a control freak, yes. But he never talks to me like this.

“Can I have your assistant’s number?” I asked suddenly.

He stopped so abruptly I almost walked into him.

“Can you repeat that?” he said slowly.

I exhaled loudly. “I was worried, Xavier. I just want to be able to reach someone else if I can’t get to you.”

He turned fully this time, crossing his arms.

“And the first person you thought of is my assistant?”

“Xavier, he's the only one that knows we're married. I can't just…”

“If he gets your number,” he cut in coldly, “he’s fired. And if you go to him to ask for it, he’s fired.”

I stared at him in disbelief. “What is wrong with you?”

He didn’t answer. He just walked into his room without saying a word.

I followed him anyway, my frustration bubbling over. “Did I do something?”

He turned slowly, his gaze locked onto mine.

“Isabella is pregnant.”

The words hit me, but they didn’t land the way he expected.

My frown came instantly. “I don’t give a fuck about what’s going on in that bitch’s life.”

“It’s Dean’s child,” he added.

For a moment, all we did was stare at each other.

Then I burst out laughing.

I couldn’t help it.

The sound came out sharp, almost hysterical.

I must have done something right in my past life. Because how could life turn around this fast?

“You think this is funny?” Xavier asked, his voice tightening. “Do you know what this means if she has that child?”

I pressed a hand against my chest, trying to steady myself.

“Xavier…” I shook my head, still breathless from laughing. “That’s not possible.”

His expression hardened. “What do you mean it’s not possible? He brought Isabella to the family house and announced it in front of everyone.”

I quickly grabbed my phone from my back pocket and scrolled through it, pulling up the report.

The same report that had shattered me… and then set me free.

I walked up to him and handed it over.

“Read it.”

His eyes moved across the screen, and I watched the exact moment it registered.

The shift in his body.

The realization in his eyes.

“Does this mean…” he started, his voice lower now, “he can’t have children?”

I held his gaze, my expression steady.

“That man can’t have a child even if he had a vagina.”

His eyes widened. “So he lied to our father? Aria, are you sure about this?”

I didn’t hesitate.

“Dean is not the father of that child.”

A bitter smile tugged at my lips.

“Isabella cheated on him.”