Twins for cold hearted CEO

THE WIFE HE NEVER SAW

The bedroom door shut with a quiet click.

Elaina pressed her back against it like it was the only thing holding her up. The ultrasound photo was crushed to her chest. She could still hear him laughing downstairs with his friends.

Just my wife on paper.

A mistake.

Each word was a knife. And he kept twisting it.

Her legs gave out.

She slid to the floor, her back scraping down the door, and the sob finally broke free. It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t soft. It ripped out of her throat like she was dying , because something inside her was.

“I love you so much, Damian,” she choked into her hands. The ultrasound photo blurred under her tears. “I knew you loved someone else. I knew. So why does it still hurt like this?”

She pressed her forehead to her knees. Her whole body shook.

“Why did I think… why did I think babies would make you see me?”

The hope she’d carried out of the hospital an hour ago was gone. Dead. Replaced by something cold and empty.

Her hand dropped to her stomach. Flat. Innocent.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered to them. To the two heartbeats she’d already failed. “Mommy’s so sorry. But from today… I’m done fooling myself. You will grow up without him. I’ll make sure you never beg a man to love you. Never.”

A knock shook the door behind her head.

She flinched. Swiped at her face, but the tears wouldn’t stop. They just kept coming, hot and endless.

She crawled to the dressing table. Her knees ached. She didn’t care.

She opened the locked drawer with trembling fingers. Inside, hidden under the scarves she never wore, was a phone. Black. Plain. The only thing in this house that was truly hers.

She powered it on. The screen burned her eyes.

_47 Missed Calls — Cassian R._

Her big brother. The one who’d warned her three years ago: _“He doesn't remember you Ella. He will never love you, Ella! Stop fooling yourself with your little wish and promises!”_

She’d called him a fool. She’d chosen Damian.

She pressed call.

One ring.

“Elaina?” His voice cracked on her name. Like he’d been holding his breath for three years. “Elaina… is it really you?”

Hearing her name — her real name — broke her all over again.

A fresh sob tore out of her. She bit her lip to muffle it, tasting blood. She stared at her reflection in the mirror.

“It’s me,” she whispered. Her voice was ruined. Raw. But under the sobs was something new. Something steel. “I’m done, Cass. I’m coming home.”

Damian banged on the door again. “Ellie! Open up! What the hell are you doing in there?”

She didn’t look at the door. She couldn’t. If she saw him now, she’d break.

She spoke only to her brother. To the only person who loved her more than anyone else.

“Tell Dad and Mom I’m done hiding,” she said. Her voice shook, but the words didn’t. “I will be back home. But I have something to finish first.”

“Elaina, are you okay? You don’t sound like you,” Cassian said, his voice turning to ice. “Did he do something to you? So help me God, if he touched you...”

“I’m sorry, Cass,” she cut in, fresh tears spilling. “I’m so sorry. I should have listened to you. To Mom and Dad. You were right. You were all right.”

She couldn’t breathe. “I have to go. I’ll call you.”

She ended the call before he could beg her to stay on the line. She slipped the ultrasound report under the blanket. Then she stood.

She wiped her eyes and went to the door. Yanked it open.

Damian stood there, sleeves rolled up, scowl etched deep. His eyes dropped to hers — swollen, red.

His confusion flickered into something almost like shock. “What the hell— Ellie, have you been crying? What did the doctor say? Is everything okay?”

For three years, Elaina had looked up at him like he was the sun. Hopeful. Begging. Starving for a glance. For one second, when he asked about the doctor, her broken heart leapt. _He cares. He’s concerned about me._

A sad smile touched her lips. It didn’t reach her eyes. “Nope, I wasn’t crying,” she lied. Her voice was perfectly steady. “Something got in my eyes. And the doctor said it was low blood sugar. That’s why I fainted. No big deal.”

Damian exhaled, rubbing his jaw. “I thought you got pregnant from the other night. You have to take care of yourself. I don't want my grandma to think I don't look after you.”

The world went silent.

He wasn’t worried for her. He was scared of her being pregnant. The last piece of Ellie Ray died right there.

He studied her for a second. “Are you really okay?”

“Yeah. Just need some rest,” she lied.

“Good,” he said. “Rest, then. Grandma’s birthday is tomorrow. Don’t embarrass me.”

“I won’t,” she whispered. “I’ll go out later to get her a gift.”

“Don’t wait up for me today,” Damian said, grabbing his car keys from the bedstand. “I got something to fix at the company. Might be late.”

_Vanessa_, her mind supplied. _You’re fixing Vanessa._

Elaina gave him a quick nod. A warm smile. The same smile she’d worn for three years. The smile that fooled everyone, including herself.

“Okay,” she said softly.

He left.

She stood there until his car engine faded. Until the house was silent again.

Then the smile dropped.

She walked to the bed and pulled the ultrasound report from under the blanket. She held it against her chest, right over her heart.

_Don’t worry, Damian,_ she thought, her tears finally, blessedly, dry. _Tomorrow I will set you free from this arranged marriage. You will be able to live with someone you love._

_And my babies? They will never know what it feels like to beg for love from a man who thinks they’re a mistake._