Chapter 4: The Truth Comes Out
490 Words
The morning was chaos.
My phone had 200 missed calls.
News alerts: `AIDEN CROSS EXPECTING TWINS`
`CONTRACT MARRIAGE TURNS REAL`
`CROSS GLOBAL STOCK JUMPS 8%`
I stared at the ceiling. Was this real?
A knock. "Zuri? It's me." Aiden's voice.
I opened the door. He looked wrecked. No suit. Hair messy.
Holding two cups of coffee.
"Morning, Mrs. Cross." He said softly.
"Morning, Mr. Cross." I took the coffee.
We sat on my bed. Not touching. But close.
"The board is furious." He said. "Claire leaked the contract."
My stomach dropped. "What?"
"They have photos. Of us signing it. 2 days ago." He sighed. "I’m sorry. I should’ve burned it."
I nodded. "What happens now?"
"Now we tell the truth." He turned to me. "That it started as business. And turned into this." He gestured between us. "And twins."
My hand went to my stomach. Still so small. But 2 lives.
"What if they don't believe us?" I whispered.
"Then we make them believe." He took my hand. "Press conference in 1 hour. You with me?"
I was terrified. But I nodded. "With you."
---
The press room was full. Cameras. Microphones. Shouting.
Aiden walked in first. Tux from last night, but no tie.
Then me. In jeans and a sweater. I refused the dress.
Flash. Flash. Flash.
"Mr. Cross! Is the marriage real?"
"Mrs. Cross! Were you paid?"
"What about the twins?"
Aiden stepped to the mic. Pulled me with him.
"Good morning." His voice was calm. "Yes, Zuri and I signed a contract 2 days ago."
Gasps.
"But contracts can change." He looked at me. "What started as business became family. And now we’re expecting twins."
More flashes.
A reporter stood up. "Ms. Nalongo, did you do this for money?"
I grabbed the mic. My hands shook.
"No. I did this because my mom needed surgery. And because..." I looked at Aiden. "Because 5 years ago I met a man at a club and I’ve never forgotten him."
Aiden squeezed my hand.
"And I’ve never forgotten her either." He said. "The contract is void as of this morning. We’re doing this for real. For Leo. For the twins. For us."
Silence.
Then clapping.
It wasn’t perfect. But it was ours.
---
Back at the mansion, Leo ran to us. "You’re on TV!"
Aiden picked him up. "How do you feel about being a big brother?"
Leo grinned. "Twice!"
We laughed. For the first time in days, it felt real.
That night, Aiden came to my room again.
No contract on the desk anymore. I’d ripped it up.
He lay next to me. "Scared?"
"Terrified." I admitted.
"Me too." He kissed my forehead. "But not of you."
I rolled over and faced him. "Aiden?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you. For choosing us."
He pulled me close. "Always."
Outside, the news was still playing.
`THE CROSS FAMILY`
For the first time, I didn’t hate that title.
Because this time... it was true.
- Writer
