Chapter 3

Evan Carter's POV

"Evan, you're in Riverton?" Maya sounded rattled. "Please, let me explain. This isn't what you think…"

"Then what is it?" I cut her off, my voice thick with emotion. "Maya, you married someone else. So what does that make me?"

What did that make the last three years of our marriage?

"Evan, I'm sorry. I…"

"Enough! I don't want to hear it!"

The last words came out as a shout.

"Maya, I want a divorce."

Ignoring the pain in my knee, I forced myself to my feet and took a cab straight to the airport.

By the time I was sitting in the departure lounge, I'd finally managed to calm down. I opened the divorce papers my attorney had already prepared and read through them again.

I was about to head through security when Maya suddenly appeared with several people in tow.

Before I could react, they grabbed me and pulled me away from the checkpoint. "Evan, that's enough. You're coming with me."

I struggled against them. "I'm not going anywhere with you. We're getting divorced. And I'm reporting you for bigamy…"

Before I could finish, one of the bodyguards clamped a hand over my mouth. Maya stared at me, a storm of emotions flickering across her face.

Then she gave the order to take me away.

They restrained my hands and feet and drove me to a secluded mansion in the hills.

Once we were inside, Maya knelt in front of me and cleaned the scrape on my knee, tears streaming down her face. "Evan, you're the one I love. You always have been. But I didn't have a choice.

"Tomorrow, I'm officially taking over Cullen Group. Nothing can go wrong before the announcement, so I'm asking you to stay here for a few days. When we get home, I'll make it up to you. I'll buy you whatever you want."

She was trying to win me over the same way she always did—with tears, apologies, and more promises.

Once, that would've been enough to make me forgive her.

Not anymore.

I pulled my hand away and gave a bitter laugh.

"Don't bother. Someone like me could never hope to be good enough for the great Cullen heiress."

Maya's expression darkened. Without another word, she got up and walked out.

A moment later, I heard the lock click from the other side. I sat alone on the couch until morning, staring into the darkness.

The next morning, I made up an excuse to distract one of the bodyguards and swiped the phone he'd left on the coffee table. "I need to report a crime. I'm being held here against my will."

The police arrived quickly, and with officers at the door, the bodyguards had no choice but to let me go.

I went with the officers straight to Maya's press conference.

The venue was packed. Maya stood onstage in an elegant black dress, smiling calmly as cameras flashed around her.

The second she saw me, her smile froze.

One of the officers approached the stage. "Ms. Cullen, your husband has filed a complaint alleging unlawful confinement and bigamy. We need you to come with us."

The room erupted. Maya paused for only a moment before answering with remarkable composure. "There's been a mistake. My husband's name is Adrian Whitmore. As for him, we have no relationship whatsoever."

I pushed through the crowd and slapped our marriage certificate down in front of her. "We got married three years ago. Here's the proof."

Maya picked up the certificate and looked it over before letting out a quiet sigh. "Evan, this isn't real."

My blood ran cold.

"My family would never have approved of us getting married. But I knew you wouldn't let me go, so I had a fake certificate made to keep you happy."

For a second, all I could hear was a deafening ringing in my ears. My mind went completely blank.

The day we'd gotten our marriage certificate, I'd been so happy I couldn't sleep.

I'd spent half the night taking it out and looking at it over and over again.

I'd even sworn to myself that one day, when we could afford it, I would give Maya the wedding she deserved.

In the end, she did get her dream wedding—just not with me, because I had never been her husband.

One of the officers checked the official records right there. Two minutes later, he turned to me. "Mr. Carter, according to our records, you and Ms. Cullen have never been legally married. That means there are no grounds for a bigamy complaint."

I closed my eyes. The ringing in my ears wouldn't stop.

Maya spoke quietly with the officers about something I couldn't hear, and the matter was quickly dropped.

When I opened my eyes again, Adrian was walking toward me with several people behind him.

His gaze swept over me, cold and condescending, as though he were sizing up something beneath him. "So you're Evan Carter?"

I didn't even get the chance to answer. His fist slammed into my face. "Who do you think you are, going after my wife?"

Pain exploded across my cheek.

Adrian's bodyguards surged forward. Blows came from every direction as they forced me to the floor. I curled up and covered my head with my arms, trying to protect myself.

"Stop! That's enough!" Maya's voice cut through the chaos.

She pushed her way through the crowd and pulled me to my feet.

I immediately shook her off. She stumbled backward with a startled cry and fell to the floor.

Adrian shoved me aside and rushed to her, dropping to his knees and wrapping an arm around her. His hand went protectively to her stomach. "Honey, are you hurt? Is your stomach okay? I'm taking you to the hospital. I'm not letting anything happen to you or our baby."

Baby?

My breath caught.

Maya was pregnant.

I staggered backward until my back hit the wall. "Why?"

The word came out hoarse.

For a moment, a flicker of conflict appeared in Maya's eyes.

Then it vanished, and her expression became calm again. "Evan, Adrian needs an heir. I have to give him a child."