8
1450 Words
(Alex’s POV)
Sleep refused to come that night.
I lay awake, staring into the darkness, replaying everything that had happened. It felt unreal—like I was trapped inside a nightmare I couldn’t wake from. Ariana’s words echoed in my mind, and the more I thought about them, the more they began to feel like prophecy.
Vanessa with a secret phone.
Late-night calls.
Documents.
Whispers.
Lies.
Something was wrong.
Deeply wrong.
My heart felt heavy, as though I was living in danger without knowing exactly where it was coming from. For the first time in my life, fear lived in my chest—not fear of another man, not fear of poverty, not fear of loss—but fear of the woman sleeping beside me.
Could Lucas have sent her to me?
Was this all planned from the beginning?
The thought terrified me.
By morning, I had made a decision.
I couldn’t keep living in fear.
I needed to be calm.
Wise.
Careful.
And above all… strong.
If the truth was hiding, I would find it.
⸻
I woke Vanessa with a gentle kiss, just like I always did since she got pregnant. Then I handed her a glass of coffee, warm and sweet, the way she liked it.
“Good morning, baby,” I said softly.
She smiled sleepily and pulled me into a hug. “You spoil me,” she whispered.
Her smile was warm. Her touch was tender. Anyone watching would see a loving couple—a caring man and a glowing pregnant woman.
But inside me, something was breaking.
She went into the bathroom to bathe.
That was my chance.
I grabbed her phone quickly and scanned through it. Calls, messages, social media—nothing strange. Nothing suspicious. Nothing dangerous.
I almost laughed.
“So all your secrets are hiding in the second phone,” I whispered.
I quickly returned her phone to its place before she came out.
Moments later, she walked out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel.
And for a moment… I forgot everything.
Her body glowed with natural beauty. Her light skin shone softly, smooth and radiant like morning sunlight on silk. The towel clung gently to her curves, outlining her shape in a way that could weaken any man’s heart.
Her shoulders were soft.
Her waist curved inward gracefully.
Her hips widened beautifully, carrying the gentle sign of pregnancy.
Her belly, round and full, held life—and somehow made her even more radiant.
Her face was fresh, clean, glowing without effort. Her lips were soft. Her eyes sparkled. Her hair fell loosely around her shoulders.
She looked perfect.
Too perfect.
And that made it hurt more.
Because despite her beauty, despite her pregnancy, despite everything that once made me desire her deeply… all I could feel was distance.
All I could see was deception.
I turned away and went downstairs to prepare breakfast.
She joined me shortly, now dressed in a fitted outfit that hugged her body gently—simple, classy, and undeniably attractive. Anyone would think she was stepping out to impress someone.
We ate together. She laughed. I smiled. She talked. I listened.
But my mind was elsewhere.
After breakfast, she picked up her bag.
“I’m going shopping,” she said. “We need some things for the house.”
“Alright,” I replied calmly. “Take care.”
She leaned in and kissed my cheek, then walked out.
I watched her drive away.
Then the house fell silent.
My heart began to race.
This was my moment.
⸻
I went straight to the room where she had taken the call the other night.
I searched everywhere.
Under the bed.
Inside the wardrobe.
Behind the curtains.
In the drawers.
In her bags.
Nothing.
I sat on the edge of the bed, frustrated.
“Where would you hide it, Vanessa?” I whispered.
I closed my eyes briefly, trying to think like her.
Then something came to my mind.
Check the flower.
I opened my eyes and looked at the flowerpot by the window—the one she always insisted on keeping clean and untouched.
I stood up slowly and walked toward it.
My heart beat loudly in my ears.
I reached into the pot.
My fingers touched something hard.
My breath caught.
I pulled it out.
The phone.
My knees almost gave way.
“So this is where you’ve been hiding,” I whispered.
My hands trembled as I turned it on.
The screen lit up.
Locked.
Of course.
I tried a few passwords.
Her birthday.
Wrong.
Her mother’s birthday.
Wrong.
Our anniversary.
Wrong.
My chest tightened.
Then I remembered.
Vanessa always used simple passwords.
I tried the last four digits of her number.
The phone unlocked.
My heart stopped.
⸻
I opened the messages.
The first name I saw was Lucas.
My hands shook as I opened the conversation.
And what I saw there…
Destroyed everything.
Lucas: Ariana is still weak. This is the right time.
Vanessa: I agree. She’s emotionally broken. She won’t resist.
Lucas: Make sure she signs. No excuses.
Vanessa: I’ll handle her. She trusts me.
My blood ran cold.
So this was about Ariana.
I scrolled.
Lucas: Once she signs, everything will belong to us.
Vanessa: Yes. Her father’s properties, accounts, all of it.
Lucas: We won’t need to look back after that.
Vanessa: Exactly. She’ll be left with nothing.
My chest felt tight.
They weren’t just betraying her.
They were destroying her.
I kept reading.
Lucas: Be careful. She’s getting suspicious.
Vanessa: Don’t worry. I’ll manipulate her emotions.
Lucas: Use guilt if you have to.
Vanessa: I already am.
My hands trembled.
These were not lovers.
They were criminals.
I scrolled again.
Lucas: Once the documents are signed, we disappear.
Vanessa: Yes. We’ll start over far from here.
Lucas: And she’ll never recover.
Vanessa: That’s the plan.
My heart broke.
Ariana wasn’t just being betrayed.
She was being hunted.
I dropped onto the bed, my body shaking.
“So this is what you’ve been planning,” I whispered.
The woman I loved.
The woman I trusted.
The woman I planned a future with.
She wasn’t just lying.
She was plotting.
Against another woman’s life.
Against another woman’s future.
Against Ariana.
⸻
I sat there for several minutes, frozen, my heart pounding.
What do I do now?
Do I confront her?
Do I warn Ariana?
Do I expose them?
No.
Not yet.
If I confronted her now, she would destroy everything.
If I warned Ariana now, Vanessa would sense it.
I needed proof.
Real proof.
I took screenshots of every message.
Then I sent them to my email and deleted the sent copies from the phone.
I locked the phone again.
I returned it to the flowerpot.
Exactly where I found it.
My heart felt like it was bleeding, but my face remained calm.
Because from this moment forward…
I was no longer just watching.
I was preparing.
⸻
The front door opened.
Vanessa had returned.
I quickly went downstairs and sat on the couch, pretending to watch television.
She walked in smiling.
“I’m back,” she said cheerfully.
“Welcome,” I replied calmly.
She came closer and hugged me.
Her body felt warm.
Her scent was familiar.
But now… it felt dangerous.
“How was your shopping?” I asked.
“Good,” she replied. “I got most of what we need.”
She went into the kitchen.
I watched her walk away.
This woman could smile while planning destruction.
She could touch me while betraying someone else.
She could lie without blinking.
That night, she cooked dinner.
We ate together.
She talked about the baby.
I listened.
But inside me, a storm was raging.
Later, in bed, she turned toward me.
“Alex,” she said softly, “do you trust me?”
The question cut deep.
“Yes,” I replied.
She smiled and kissed me.
And in that moment…
I knew I was sleeping beside a woman capable of ruining another person’s life.
⸻
When she fell asleep, I lay awake, staring at the ceiling.
My heart pounded.
My mind raced.
My life had changed.
Lucas and Vanessa are working together.
They are planning something terrible.
They are coming for Ariana.
And I am the only one who knows.
I clenched my fists.
“They won’t succeed,” I whispered.
“Not while I’m here.”
But deep inside…
A darker question formed.
What if Ariana is already in danger… and I’m too late?
I closed my eyes, my chest heavy with fear and determination.
Because whatever was written in that phone…
Was only the beginning.
And the next move…
Would decide everything.
- Writer
