All Chapters of The abandoned wife and her secret son: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Aria POVJulian walked out of the bathroom. I quickly turned my head away from his phone. He picked it up and left the bedroom without asking what I had been trying to tell him before he showered.As the door clicked shut behind him, I pressed my face into the pillow. Even through the closed door, I could hear his voice—soft, gentle, intimate. A tone he had never once used with me.Four years. I had been trapped in this loveless marriage for four years, waiting for him to see me. To love me back. I had given up so much—my pride, my independence, pieces of myself I’d never get back.I touched my stomach, my hand trembling slightly. What would happen to this baby if he found out?He didn’t love me. His heart belonged to someone else—to Selene, my stepsister. And what would she do if she discovered I was pregnant? I knew exactly what she was capable of.The memory came unbidden.Barely a month after my mother slipped into a coma, my father brought them home;my stepmother and Selene. I re

Aria -POVJulian hadn’t come home after the incident.I expected him the first night. I waited with the light on, listening for the sound of his car in the driveway. He didn’t come.The second night, his side of the bed stayed cold and untouched. By the third night, waiting felt foolish, but I still did it—sitting up against the headboard, my phone in my lap, checking for messages that never came.On the fourth night, I waited until 11 PM before finally giving up and turning off the light.The house felt emptier without him. The silence pressed in from every corner. No footsteps on the stairs. No sound of his briefcase hitting the kitchen counter. No calls. No text messages. Nothing.On the fifth night, I gave up pretending. I went downstairs, turned on the TV, and clicked on one of my favorite movies on Netflix. I poured myself a bowl of popcorn and settled into the couch, determined to stop waiting for someone who clearly wasn’t coming back.As I watched, my phone buzzed beside me.

Aria POVWe’re having dinner at my parents’ house tonight.”Julian’s voice cut through the silence of our bedroom. I looked up from the book I wasn’t really reading.“Tonight?” I asked.“Yes. Be ready by six.” He adjusted his tie in the mirror without looking at me. “And wear something appropriate.”I nodded, even though he wasn’t watching.By 5:45, I was dressed in a navy blue dress, hair pulled back, minimal makeup. Julian was already waiting by the car, impatient.The drive was suffocatingly silent. Julian spent most of it on his phone while I watched the city lights blur past my window.The Cross family mansion loomed ahead—elegant stone and manicured gardens. Old money that didn’t need to announce itself.The front doors opened before we reached them.“Aria!”Eleanor Cross swept out first, pulling me into a warm embrace before even greeting her son. She smelled like expensive perfume and felt genuinely happy to see me.“You look lovely, dear. Come, come inside.”She linked her ar

Aria POVThe drive to Vanessa’s place felt endless.The city lights blurred past my window as exhaustion settled deep into my bones. My head rested against the cool glass.“I still can’t wrap my head around it,” Vanessa snapped from the backseat beside me, breaking the silence. “Did you see the way she was practically draped over him? Like some cheap—”“Nessa, it’s okay,” I said quietly.She looked at me, her anger immediately softening to concern. “Alright. But are you okay? You look so pale.”“I’m just tired,” I said gently, though even speaking felt like effort.Matthew glanced back at us from the driver’s seat, his eyes kind and worried. “Aria, you’re going to be fine.”I managed a small nod.“Find a good place for us to eat,” Vanessa said, her tone gentler now. “She’s eating for two now.”“I know the perfect spot,” Matthew said, his eyes back on the road. “There’s a new restaurant downtown. Cozy, quiet. Good food.”We got to the restaurant, ordered food, and ate.I was so tired,

Aria POVI don’t know how long I stayed on that floor.Time stopped meaning anything. The study was dark—had it always been dark? Or had the sun set while I laid here? I couldn’t remember.My body felt heavy, pressed into the cold hardwood. My limbs were sprawled out where I’d collapsed. One arm stretched toward the scattered papers. The other rested on my stomach.The tears had dried on my cheeks, leaving my skin tight and sticky. My throat burned from crying, from screaming his name, from begging. My eyes felt swollen, gritty. When I blinked, it hurt.I kept my hand on my stomach, moving in slow circles. Over and over. It was the only thing that felt real anymore. The only thing keeping me from completely falling apart.The scan had said six weeks. I remembered the doctor smiling, pointing at the tiny flicker on the screen. “Six weeks along. Everything looks good.” I’d hidden that report in my drawer so carefully. So why did Julian’s report say nine? How could the same test show two