Chapter 2
Aliya's POV
I stood frozen in the doorway, my brain refusing to process what my eyes were seeing. My husband—my Evan—was naked on top of another woman, their bodies joined in the most intimate way possible. The sound of their pleasure had turned to shocked silence.
"Oh my God," I whispered, my voice barely audible. My legs threatened to give out beneath me.
Evan scrambled off the woman, his face draining of color as he grabbed for the bathrobe hanging by the bed. "Aliya! Why are you here so early?" His voice cracked with panic.
I couldn't form words. My mouth opened and closed, but nothing came out. The room spun around me as bile rose in my throat.
"I don't understand..." I finally whispered, my voice sounding foreign to my own ears. "Is this...real? Tell me I'm hallucinating."
The woman on the bed—young, beautiful, with flowing blonde hair—clutched the sheets to her chest, her eyes darting everywhere but at me.
Evan stepped toward me, tying his robe with trembling hands. "I didn't want you to find out..."
"You didn't want me to find out?" My voice rose with each word. "So you were planning to hide this forever?"
My gaze dropped to the scattered items on the floor—ovulation test strips, fertility supplements, the special lubricant our doctor had recommended. I bent down to pick them up, my hands shaking so badly I could barely grasp them.
"You know what today is," I said, my voice breaking. "You knew exactly what today means for us!"
Evan took another step toward me. "Aliya, I can explain—"
"Don't!" I backed away, my body recoiling from his proximity as if he were toxic. "Don't touch me. Don't come near me."
I glanced at the woman still sitting in our bed—our marriage bed. "Who are you?"
She pulled the sheet higher, her voice barely audible. "I'm Lily White."
I laughed, a bitter sound that hurt my throat. "Of course you are. White as snow." I turned back to Evan. "So what was the plan? Finish with her and then come to me? Is that how it works?"
Evan's face paled even further. "No, it's not like that. I was going to shower first—"
"Shower?" I nearly screamed the word, my hands clenching into fists. "So you really were planning to sleep with her and then come to me?" Tears burned my eyes. "What am I to you, Evan? Just a breeding mare?"
My mind flashed to the countless nights we'd spent trying to conceive. The doctor appointments. The hope that turned to disappointment month after month. "Do you have any idea how hard this has been for me? And all this time, you've been..."
"Aliya, I haven't been unfaithful," Evan said desperately. "I still love you—"
"What the hell do you call this?" I gestured wildly at the rumpled bed. "A workout session?"
Evan took a deep breath. "I was under pressure from my family—"
"What pressure could possibly justify betraying our marriage vows?"
He looked down, his voice dropping. "The Bradley family needs an heir. We've been trying for years with no success..."
From the bed, Lily spoke up. "I have a contract with Evan. It's a paid surrogacy arrangement."
I stared at her, the pieces slowly clicking together in my mind. "So you're a professional? Is that supposed to make me feel better?"
Evan moved closer, his voice low and urgent. "We tried IVF first, with her as the surrogate, but after several failed attempts..."
"So you decided to try the old-fashioned way?" I finished for him, disgust rising in my throat. "How noble of you both."
"It wasn't an easy decision," Evan insisted, running his hand through his disheveled hair. "I struggled with it—"
"But you made it anyway," I cut him off. "Without consulting me. Without considering how I would feel."
My hand moved unconsciously to my flat stomach. "And today—the day we announce our marriage to the public—what was your plan exactly? Impregnate your surrogate and then come try with your wife, too?"
The silence that followed was answer enough. My stomach churned violently.
I pressed my hand against my mouth and turned away, unable to look at either of them any longer. "I think I'm going to be sick."
"Aliya, wait," Evan grabbed for my arm. "Let me explain everything—"
I yanked myself free with surprising strength. "Don't touch me! Don't let anyone see us together!"
I stumbled out the door, my vision blurred with tears. The hallway tilted around me as I half-ran, half-staggered away.
Behind me, I heard Evan call out, "You've got it all wrong! I only love you!"
But he didn't follow—couldn't follow—dressed only in a bathrobe. Small mercies.
I ran blindly through the corridor until I found a public restroom. Thankfully empty, I locked myself in a stall and sank to the floor, finally allowing the sobs to overtake me.
How could he do this? After nine years together? I thought we were a team, partners working toward the same dream.
Evan in our high school cafeteria, nervously asking me to prom. Evan cheering in the audience at my first award ceremony. Evan on one knee at Lunar Bay, the entire dock lit with candles.
All lies? Had it all been lies?
"I thought you were the one person who would never betray me," I whispered to my reflection when I finally emerged from the stall, splashing cold water on my face.
My phone buzzed incessantly in my purse—notification after notification. Evan's calls. Evan's texts. I couldn't bear to read them.
Then a different call came through. Assuming it was Evan using another number, I answered, ready to unleash my fury.
"Mrs. Clayton-Bradley?" a professional female voice asked.
I recognized my doctor's assistant. "Yes, this is Aliya," I managed to say, trying to keep my voice steady.
"Congratulations! Your test results came back. You're pregnant! About two weeks along, according to your hormone levels."
The world seemed to stop spinning. My free hand clutched the edge of the sink.
"What...when..." I couldn't form a coherent thought.
"The blood test you took last week confirmed it. Dr. Henderson sent his best regards."
My hand drifted to my stomach, this time with new awareness. Pregnant. After two years of trying, I was finally pregnant. With Evan's child. The timing couldn't have been more cruel.
A knock on the bathroom door startled me. "Aliya? The press conference starts in twenty minutes. We need to get you ready." Jenny's voice was filled with concern.
I stared at my tear-streaked face in the mirror. In the span of one hour, my world had completely unraveled. My husband had betrayed me in the worst possible way. I was carrying his child—a miracle we'd been praying for. And I was about to face a room full of reporters who expected to hear about our perfect marriage.
And the worst part was that I didn't know which disaster to address first.