Chapter Six: The Voice That Shouldn’t Be Here

(Ariana’s POV)

The door closed behind Lucas and Alex, and with it, the fragile peace I had fought so hard to protect shattered again.

My cousin stood in the middle of the room, her face stern. “This house is not a battlefield,” she said firmly. “Both of you—out.”

Neither man argued. Their eyes remained locked in a silent war, heavy with years of unresolved hatred. Lucas stormed out first, his footsteps filled with rage. Alex followed moments later, throwing me one last look filled with confusion and regret.

Silence flooded the room.

I collapsed onto the couch, my body trembling. The wound I had tried to heal had been ripped open—raw, bleeding, and unbearable.

My cousin sat beside me and held my hands. “Ariana, I’m so sorry.”

But sorry could not heal this.

That night, sleep avoided me. My mind replayed the scene—Lucas’s fury, Alex’s shock, the way my heart felt like it had been torn apart. Tears soaked my pillow as I whispered, “God, when will this pain end?”

⸻

The next morning, my body felt weak and heavy. I sat at the dining table, staring into my tea without tasting it.

A knock came at the door.

My heart skipped.

My cousin glanced at me. “Do you want me to check?”

I nodded.

Moments later, she returned. “It’s Alex.”

My chest tightened.

“Let him in,” I said quietly.

Alex entered slowly, his face filled with remorse. “Ariana,” he said softly, “I’m really sorry about yesterday.”

I folded my arms and waited.

“I didn’t know you were Lucas’s wife,” he continued. “If I had known, I would never have come near you—not because of him, but because I never wanted to hurt you.”

My throat tightened.

“Lucas and I have a long history,” he added. “Business rivalry that turned personal.”

“Personal how?” I asked.

“He betrayed me,” Alex said. “Stole contracts. Sabotaged my projects. Almost ruined my company.”

I swallowed hard. “He’s my husband.”

Alex nodded. “I know. And I won’t lie—my hatred for him is real. But I never knew you were connected to him.”

He looked at me seriously. “Any man who treats a woman the way Lucas treated you… is ungrateful.”

Something inside me broke.

“I trusted him with everything,” I whispered. “My heart. My future. Even my late father’s properties.”

“I’m so sorry,” Alex said.

Silence stretched between us.

Then I asked, “What was Lucas about to say about you before my cousin sent him out?”

Alex hesitated. “There’s more to my history with him than business. But I need time to explain everything.”

“I’m tired of secrets,” I said.

“I promise,” he replied softly. “I’ll tell you everything.”

⸻

Later that afternoon, we sat quietly in the living room, talking about school days, broken dreams, and how life rarely turns out the way we imagine.

Then his phone rang.

The sound cut through the room like a blade.

He glanced at the screen, and I accidentally saw the caller ID:

My Love.

My heart skipped.

He noticed my expression and quickly turned the phone away.

“Sorry,” he said. “I need to take this.”

Before he could leave the room, the call connected—and the voice came through on loudspeaker.

“Alex,” the woman said calmly, “where are you?”

My breath caught.

“I’m with Ariana,” Alex replied.

There was a pause.

“Okay,” the woman said. “I just wanted to know your location.”

That was all.

But my heart was racing.

As I listened to her voice, something inside me froze.

That voice…

“Alex,” I whispered, my eyes widening.

He muted the phone. “What is it?”

“That voice,” I said shakily. “It sounds… familiar.”

He frowned. “Familiar how?”

“I don’t know,” I said, pressing my hand to my chest. “But I’ve heard that voice before.”

He unmuted the phone.

“Yes,” he said. “I’ll call you later.”

And the call ended.

The room felt colder.

“Alex,” I said slowly, “can I see her picture?”

He looked confused. “Why?”

“Please,” I whispered.

He hesitated, then unlocked his phone and handed it to me.

The moment I saw the picture, my world collapsed.

It was Vanessa.

My breath caught.

“This…” I whispered, my voice trembling, “is this not Vanessa?”

Alex froze.

“What?” he said sharply, taking the phone back. “What are you talking about?”

“This woman,” I said, “this is the same woman who destroyed my marriage.”

His eyes widened. “What?”

“She’s my husband’s mistress,” I said. “The woman he cheated on me with.”

Alex staggered backward and sat heavily on the chair.

“No,” he whispered. “No… this can’t be.”

“She’s pregnant,” I added quietly. “And she claims the child belongs to Lucas.”

His eyes shot up. “What?”

“She told you the child is yours,” I said. “Didn’t she?”

He froze.

“Yes,” he whispered. “She told me she was pregnant with my child.”

The room spun.

“So she’s dating you,” I said slowly, “and she’s pregnant, and she says the baby is yours… but she’s also sleeping with my husband?”

“Yes,” he said hoarsely.

Silence swallowed the room.

“She lied to me,” Alex whispered.

“And she destroyed me,” I replied.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then his phone rang again.

My Love.

He stared at the screen, shaken.

“I need to answer,” he said.

“Hello?” he said.

“Alex,” Vanessa said calmly, “I just wanted to be sure where you are.”

“I told you,” he said. “I’m with Ariana.”

“I know,” she replied. “I just wanted to hear your voice.”

And she hung up.

My heart pounded.

“She knows,” I whispered. “She knows I’m here with you.”

“Yes,” Alex said.

“But she doesn’t know that I know who she is,” I added.

He looked at me. “Not yet.”

“Alex,” I whispered, “she’s been playing both of us.”

He clenched his fists. “Yes.”

Silence fell again.

“I need to confront her,” Alex said finally.

“And I need answers,” I replied.

He looked at me, his eyes filled with urgency. “Ariana… I don’t understand how all of this is connected.”

“I don’t either,” I said. “But she’s at the center of it.”

He stood up and paced. “She told me she was divorced. She told me she was free.”

“She’s not,” I said bitterly. “She’s been sleeping with my husband.”

Alex stopped pacing and looked at me. “This means everything she told me could be a lie.”

“Yes,” I said softly. “And everything Lucas told me could be a lie too.”

The room felt heavy with truth.

“Ariana,” Alex said, “I won’t rest until I know how you and Vanessa are connected—and why she’s in our lives.”

I nodded, tears filling my eyes.

As he prepared to leave, he paused at the door.

“Whatever the truth is,” he said, “I will find it.”

I watched him walk away, my heart pounding with fear and anticipation.

Vanessa had entered my life through a voice.

But the truth had only begun to surface.

And now, Alex was desperate to uncover how the woman he loved—My Love—was the same woman who destroyed my marriage.

I knew one thing for certain—

The next chapter would not be about love.

It would be about confrontation.

And confrontation would expose secrets no one was ready to face.

To be continued in Chapter Seven…