The Billionaire's Forsaken Wife

Chapter 14

I stared at my suitcase lying on the floor. The loud thud echoed in the quiet bedroom.

I looked up at Zyran, his broad chest rose and fell rapidly. The veins in his neck were tight, his jaw was tightening and he was grinding his teeth loudly.

"You are going to unpack this bag," Zyran repeated, his voice dangerously low. "You will sleep in this bed and you will smile for the cameras. I will not let you walk out that door and make me look like a fool."

My fists clenched turning my knuckles white, my fear vanished and was replaced by pure courage. I pushed him right in the center of his chest.

"Don't you dare give me orders!" I yelled, pushing him again. He didn't even move an inch, but his eyes widened slightly at my reaction. "You think you can trap me here? You just accused me of slicing Mina's face open! You told me to go to the guest house because you couldn't stand the sight of me!"

"That was before I saw this!" Zyran shouted back, waving his phone in my face. The picture of Maverick carrying me glared brightly on the screen. "Maverick Sterling, Roosevelt! Of all the men in this city, you ran into the arms of my biggest rival! Do you know what the press is saying? They are saying you are sleeping with him!"

"I am not sleeping with anyone!" I screamed. Tears of sheer frustration burned my eyes. "I was in pain, Zyran! I was standing in the dark alley when I fainted! He caught me before I hit the ground!"

Zyran's face froze. The anger in his dark eyes flickered for a second, replaced by a quick flash of worry.

"You fainted?" he asked, his voice softening. His eyes started scanning my body, He stepped closer. "Why didn't you call me? Why did he put you in his car?"

"Because I didn't want the cameras to see me!" I cried, wrapping my arms around myself. I held my stomach tightly under my clothes. I was losing our baby, I thought, the heartbreak tearing through me. And you were on stage, holding her hand.

"He doesn't even know me, Zyran!" I continued, keeping my voice steady. "He didn't ask questions regarding anything, he saw a woman collapsing in an alley, and out of goodwill, he drove me to a private clinic. That is all."

Zyran stared at me, searching my eyes for a twitch. He saw the dark circles under my eyes and the pale color of my skin.

He slowly lowered his phone. The heavy tension in his shoulders dropped, he reached out, his large, warm hand gently cupping my cheek.

"You went to a clinic?" he whispered, his thumb brushing away a stray tear, he hung his head staring at the floor. "Roosevelt... why didn't you tell me you were sick?"

I jerked my face away from his touch.

"Because you were busy," I said coldly. "You were busy announcing Mina to the world. And tonight, you were busy holding her bloody hand and calling me a monster."

Zyran flinched as if I had hit him, he dropped his hand to his side. He opened his mouth to speak, to defend her again, but the words didn't come. He looked torn, standing right in front of me but lost between his duty to her and his undeniable pull toward me.

"I have to protect her, Roosevelt," Zyran finally said quietly. "She has no one else, but you are my wife. I am not letting Maverick Sterling or anyone else take you away from me. You are staying here."

He turned around and walked to his large closet. He pulled off his blood-stained shirt and threw it into the corner, he didn't look back at me.

"Get into bed," he commanded softly. "We will deal with the mess tomorrow."

I looked at my suitcase on the floor. I knew I couldn't fight him physically. He had guards outside, he had the power. If I ran tonight, he would drag me back and lock the doors. I had to be smart. I had to wait for the perfect moment to leave for Milan.

I left my suitcase on the floor. I walked to the bathroom, changed into a simple silk nightgown, and climbed into the far edge of the king-sized bed.

A few minutes later, Zyran joined me in bed.

The room was pitch black. The silence between us was so heavy it was hard to breathe. I lay on my side, facing the window with my back to him. I wrapped my hands protectively over my flat stomach.

Suddenly, I felt the mattress shift.

Zyran moved closer. I felt the heat of his broad chest pressing against my back. His strong arm slipped over my waist, pulling me firmly against his body. He buried his face in my neck, inhaling the scent of my hair deeply.

He held me tight, like a man grasping his last breath of air. He was a f*****g hypocrite, he accused me of terrible things, yet he couldn't bear to sleep without touching me.

I didn't push him away. I just closed my eyes and let a single, silent tear soak into my pillow.

The next morning, the bright sun woke me.

I rolled over, the other side of the bed was empty.

I sat up slowly, taking deep breaths to calm my stomach. I got out of bed, washed my face, and changed into a simple beige dress.

I walked downstairs. The mansion was unusually quiet.

I found Zyran in the grand dining room. He sat at the head of the long table, dressed in a sharp navy-blue suit. He drank black coffee and read a stack of business papers. He looked completely composed. The angry, jealous husband from last night was gone behind his billionaire CEO mask.

"Urgggh" i scoffed, "Whatever".

When he heard my footsteps, he looked up. His dark eyes locked onto me.

"Sit down and eat," Zyran said, pointing to the empty chair next to him. "You look pale and you need food."

I didn't argue. I sat down, a maid quickly brought me a plate of warm toast and fruit.

"My team has drafted a statement," Zyran said, sliding a piece of paper across the table to me. "We are going to tell the press that you felt dizzy at the Gala, and Maverick Sterling kindly assisted you to your car. We will thank him publicly. It will kill the cheating rumors instantly."

I looked at the paper, It was a perfect lie. It cleaned up his image and erased what really happened.

"And what about Mina?" I asked quietly, picking up a piece of toast. "What is the team going to say about her sliced face?"

Zyran's jaw tightened. "She is resting at the hospital. We are telling the press it was an accident with a broken glass at her penthouse. We are keeping your name completely out of it."

"How generous of you," I muttered bitterly.

Before Zyran could respond, the doors of the living room flew open with a loud bang.

I jumped in my seat. Zyran stood up quickly, dropping his coffee cup.

Beatrice and Clara stormed into the room, looking furious. Beatrice's face was red with rage, while Clara glared at me like I was trash on the floor.

"Mother? Clara?" Zyran asked, stepping around the table. "What are you doing here so early?"

"What are we doing here?" Beatrice shrieked, her voice echoing off the high ceilings. "We just came from the hospital, Zyran! We saw poor Mina! Her beautiful face is ruined!"

Clara pointed a sharp, shaking finger at me. "And we know exactly who did it! The doctors told us you were the only one in the hallway with her, Roosevelt!"

I stood up slowly, my heart pounding. "I didn't touch her, she did it to herself to frame me."

"Liar!" Beatrice screamed, stepping closer to me. She didn't even look at Zyran. Her hateful eyes were fixed on me. "You were always jealous of her! You knew Zyran loved her, so you tried to ruin her face! And then what did you do?"

Beatrice pulled a folded newspaper from her handbag and tossed it onto the dining table. The front page showed a picture of Maverick carrying me in the dark alley.

"You ran straight into the arms of another man!" Beatrice yelled, her chest heaving rapidly. "You humiliated my son in front of the entire world! You are a violent, cheating tramp!"

"Mother, that is enough," Zyran said. He stepped forward, trying to stand between us, but he wasn't quick enough.

"No, it is not enough!" Beatrice snarled.

Before I could even blink, Beatrice lunged forward. She raised her hand high in the air and swung it down with all her strength.

The sound of her hand striking my cheek echoed through the dining room.