Chapter 3 The Secret He Turned Against Me

Ryan arrived in a perfectly tailored suit, radiating the kind of cold authority that made people instinctively step back.

"Vanessa's termination was made by the company. If anyone has a problem with it, you can take it up with me."

Everyone knew Ryan spoke for my brother.

The second his gaze swept the room, the same coworkers who had been screaming insults moments earlier suddenly lowered their heads and went silent.

Only then did Ryan step toward me. "Ms. Whitmore, do you need to go to the hospital?"

I shook my head.

I just wanted to leave.

Before we could do so, Vanessa's pitiful voice rang out behind us. "Mr. Lowe, you work directly with the CEO. Why would you personally come all the way here for some branch office issue?"

She bit her lip dramatically. "Unless Avery means something to you."

Then, she turned to the crowd. "Actually, I've seen them together before. They were alone, grabbing coffee and looking way too at ease with each other."

She sighed. "I didn't say anything because we're coworkers, and I didn't want to ruin Avery and Dylan's marriage."

The room exploded.

Whispers of my supposed infidelity erupted in the office.

The looks people gave Ryan and me were pure disgust.

Dylan's face darkened with rage. He yanked his arm free from Vanessa and stormed toward me.

"Avery, you disgusting whore!" He pointed at Ryan. "So that's why you've been acting so smug? You dare flaunt your side piece right in front of me!"

At this point, I felt almost numb.

Ryan's expression turned thunderous. His voice cracked through the room. "Get your facts straight. Ms. Whitmore is the CEO's sister. I'm here because those are the CEO's orders."

Dylan froze before slowly turning toward me. "Avery... is that true?"

Before I could answer, Vanessa let out a mocking laugh. "Oh, please, Mr. Lowe. We're not fools. Look at her. She dresses worse than the cleaning staff."

She folded her arms and added, "She practically screams broke. You expect us to believe she's the CEO's sister? You definitely made that up to protect her."

Dylan immediately looked relieved.

Then, he gave me a once-over full of contempt. "She didn't even know proper etiquette the last time I took her to a fine dining restaurant."

He scoffed. "How could she be this embarrassing if she were actually rich?"

Pain stabbed straight through my chest.

I had dressed simply on purpose.

I knew Dylan was insecure.

Before we even got there, I quietly asked the restaurant manager not to reveal my identity. I even pretended not to recognize the place to keep Dylan comfortable.

Now, all those small efforts to protect his pride have turned into reasons to humiliate me.

I looked at the coldness in his eyes. Then, I noticed how he instinctively kept stepping in front of Vanessa.

Something inside me finally died.

My voice was steady. "Dylan, I want a divorce."

He blinked before exploding right then and there. "Really? You think threatening me with divorce is going to work?"

He stepped forward and grabbed my arm. "Not happening. Now come home and stop humiliating yourself."

Before he could drag me anywhere, Ryan shoved him back hard. "Mr. Mercer, this is a workplace, not your living room. Control yourself."

I rubbed my wrist, exhausted. "Ryan, let's just go—"

"No!" Dylan lunged forward and knocked over the box of my things.

Everything spilled onto the floor. Then, a paper drifted down—it was a pregnancy test report.

Dylan's eyes locked onto it. His pupils widened; his face lost its anger, replaced first by shock, then by wild hope.

He snatched it off the floor and grabbed my wrist. "Avery... you're pregnant?"

Vanessa's expression quickly shifted as her eyes filled with panic and turned red. She yanked the paper out of his grip. "Dylan, don't be foolish!"

She jabbed at the date. "That day, I saw her with Ryan in a cafe! They were sitting close. Talking privately."

Her voice rose. "Why do you think he's protecting her so hard today? That baby is his, isn't it?"

I stared at her in disbelief. "That meeting was about work!"

But Dylan shoved my hand away violently. "Work? You can't even lie properly! The doctor told you that you'd likely never conceive again after your miscarriage."

He threw the paper at me. His voice dropped, full of disgust. "So who exactly are you trying to fool? Are you expecting me to raise another man's kid?"

The words sliced through me.

There was a snowstorm that winter. Dylan told me he was working late and couldn't pick me up.

I was trying to save money, so I walked home alone through the freezing snow, pregnant and exhausted.

One wrong step was all it took.

I slipped and lost our baby.

When Dylan arrived at the hospital, he immediately blamed me for failing to protect the child, and I believed his accusation.

I held that tiny urn all night, apologizing to our baby.

After that, I secretly began trying again. I endured thousands of injections and hundreds of bottles of medication just to surprise him. But now, he didn't believe me for a second.

The stress became too much.

A sharp pain tore through my lower abdomen, and I grabbed Ryan's sleeve.

His face went pale with panic. He immediately bent down to support me. "I'm taking you to the hospital. Right now."

The second Dylan saw that, he snapped. He swung at Ryan. "This is all your fault!"

The two of them crashed into each other, causing chairs to overturn and desks to slam to the side.

I rushed forward to stop them, but Vanessa grabbed my hair from behind with force. Then slapped me across the face. "You little slut! Still trying to protect your side piece?"

Her nails raked across my cheek.

Hot pain lanced down my face, and tears sprang to my eyes. In my desperation, I screamed, "I am the CEO's sister!"

I glared at all of them. "If any of you touch me again, you'll regret it for the rest of your lives!"