Two Days Before The Wedding

Chapter 7: Reflections

Alexander

I’m a stupid, stupid man. And my heart is the most stupid part of me. Which is why I’ll swallow my pride and admit that Evangeline is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.

Even after all she did to me—connived with my wicked witch of an ex-fiance, got me drunk, and got into my bed—I still had to fight my urge to reach for her the moment I saw her today.

With those beautiful, playful eyes and that feisty tongue.

And the thought that she could be growing my child. f**k. It does things to me, makes me remember the best night I’ve ever had.

That said, I cannot allow myself to fall for that vile woman ever again. She used me, lied to me, made a mess of my name, disappeared for months only to reappear with a pregnancy. That is a level of deceit I’ll never fall for.

This is done.

Evangeline and I are done. We were the moment Chanel threw pictures of us, entangled in bed at me.

The echo of her footsteps still lingers in the room long after she stormed out. The door slams shut, the force of it rattling the walls, yet the silence that follows feels even louder.

I pace back and forth on unsteady steps, hands clenched into fists, jaw tight enough to crack teeth. My mind races with every word she threw at me, each one a dagger that managed to find its mark despite my defenses.

I’m the villain?

Me?

Fuck her.

And that pregnancy. The word spins in my head like a curse, taunting me with its possibilities and consequences. My anger has nowhere to go. I’m trapped between disbelief and fear.

Today hasn’t been exactly good—matter of fact, everyday in the last three months has been hell for me. But now, with Evageline’s pregnancy and members of my board closing in on their decision to fire me as CEO, my mind is a mess.

This is the last thing I need.

Carter leans casually against the bar, nursing a glass of water, his observing eyes tracking my movements.

"You're going to wear a hole in the floor," he says dryly, swirling the glass with lazy precision.

I ignore him and pace faster, my breaths coming in shallow bursts. Then suddenly, I stop, turning abruptly and facing him. “Let’s go for a drink,” I mutter.

Carter snorts, not even trying to hide his amusement. "Oh sure, because alcohol’s been such a great life coach for you lately. Maybe we can toast to your stellar decision-making skills. Especially the ones you made drunk.”

I shoot him a glare sharp enough to slice through him if it were possible. He sniggers with a shrug, seeming unfazed and playful as usual.

"What do you want me to say, Alex?" he adds, setting his glass down and straightening up. "She hit a nerve. I get it. But pacing like a caged animal isn’t going to change the fact that there’s a very real possibility you knocked her up."

"It’s not mine," I bark out, though the words lack conviction. Doubt creeps in. It’s uninvited and unwanted, yet it’s here, a miniscule voice in my head debunking my claims.

Carter raises an eyebrow. "Are you sure about that? Because you didn’t exactly deny sleeping with her."

I rub my temples, frustration clawing at me. "It’s not that simple. She… she lied before. She played me."

Carter prowls forward until he’s standing in front of me, his professional mask slipping back on. "Yeah, well, people lie. But this? This might not be one of those times. And even if it is, you need to handle it better than screaming like a maniac and throwing insults at her."

I huff out a bitter laugh. "Oh, you mean I should’ve hugged her and thrown a f*****g baby shower?"

Carter rolls his eyes as he says, “No. But maybe you could try acting like a grown-ass man instead of a wounded frat boy.”

I am wounded!

Maybe not a frat boy, but my ego was wounded by that girl.

I open my mouth but no words come. I swallow and allow the tense silence pass between us. I drop into the leather chair behind my desk, my head falling into my hands. The weight of the situation presses down harder now that my anger's burned out, leaving only exhaustion and an unwelcome feeling of regret.

Carter finally speaks, his tone softer. "Look, I know you’re pissed. I get why. But think about it this way: if the kid is yours, this could be good for you."

I lift my head slowly, narrowing my eyes. "Good for me? Are you insane?"

"Hear me out," he says, pulling up a chair and sitting across from me. "Your reputation has been in the gutter since the whole wedding fiasco. People see you as the guy who couldn’t keep his d**k in his pants two days before saying 'I do.' This? This could shift the narrative. You stepping up, taking responsibility, being a father… it paints you in a different light. Not just in the public eye, but with your family too."

I stare at him, the idea settling in like an itch I can’t scratch.

“You really are making sense, Carter, but you forget that this is the same woman who I cheated on my fiance with. What will people say?”

“People are gullible. Play your cards right and you’ll have them exactly where you want them.”

I huff out a breath and a chuckle follows. This is what Evangeline reduced my life to. I’ve always wanted to be an upright man, to stand by my morals, yet she came in and ruined all that for me.

Now, I have to play pretend, I have to lie in order to cover another lie.

"You want me to play happy families with a woman who hates me and a kid I’m not even sure is mine?"

Carter shrugs again. "You don’t have to play anything. Just be decent. Show people you’re more than your mistakes. And if the kid’s not yours, you walk away clean. But if it is… well, maybe it’s not the worst thing to happen to you."

I lean back, staring at the ceiling. The words swirl around, refusing to settle. A child. My child.

"I don’t know how to be a father," I admit quietly, the confession foreign on my tongue.

Carter stands, patting my shoulder with a rare, genuine gesture. "No one does at first. But maybe this is the thing that makes you figure it out."

“Carter,” I whisper.

“You’ve got this, hmm? Think about it and give me your answers tonight.” he tells me assuringly. “For now, I have that meeting we discussed. We’ll get through this, man.”

I nod, waving him dismissively as he leaves.

Then I sit with my thoughts. For long minutes after Carter leaves, I sit still, the silence filled with questions I don’t have answers to and possibilities I don’t want to think about.

Fuck me.