Chapter 2 Tears stung her eyes

Alesia woke up to the soft sound of rain tapping against her window. She hadn't slept much, her mind racing through every possible outcome. She hadn't even bothered to unpack her suitcase the night before. The cold, sterile walls of her childhood room felt more like a prison than a safe haven.

The weight of Kaelan's words still pressed against her chest. Ziva. His ex. The woman who would bear his child. The woman who had come into their lives without invitation, taking everything she had built with him.

But wasn't it true? She couldn't give him what he wanted. She couldn't give him an heir. She'd failed him in the most important way.

Tears stung her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away, forcing herself to sit up. Crying wasn't going to change anything. Crying wasn't going to get her the answers she needed.

She needed a plan.

Alesia got dressed in silence, pulling on a pair of dark jeans and a fitted sweater. The rain made her feel like she was moving through a dream-her life a series of blurry, unfinished thoughts. She thought about calling her best friend, Lia, but she knew what she would say. Lia would urge her to fight for her marriage, to stay and be the dutiful wife.

The thought of staying in that life, pretending everything was fine when it clearly wasn't, made her skin crawl.

She needed to get out. She needed to think.

By mid-afternoon, Alesia found herself walking down the quiet, cobblestone streets of the city. The rain had slowed to a drizzle, and the sound of distant traffic was the only thing that filled the air. It wasn't the comfort she needed, but it was the closest thing she could find to peace.

The dilemma weighed heavily on her mind: to stay and endure a life of humiliation, sharing her husband with another woman-or to leave, to walk away from everything she had ever known.

She found herself at a small café, one of the few places she could come to when she needed solitude. The familiar scent of freshly brewed coffee and warm pastries filled the air, but Alesia couldn't taste any of it. She sat by the window, her fingers drumming absently on the table as she stared out at the street.

Her phone buzzed, interrupting her thoughts.

Kaelan: When are you coming home?

She didn't answer. What could she say to him now? He was already making plans with Ziva, and she was just an afterthought. An obstacle to be cleared for his future.

Her phone buzzed again.

Kaelan: We need to talk. I'm sorry for how I've been acting. Can we have a real conversation tonight?

Alesia clenched her jaw, anger flaring in her chest. She wasn't sure whether the anger was for him, for what he'd done to her, or for herself-for being so blind to the truth for so long. But she knew one thing: She couldn't continue living in a lie.

As she stared at the screen, a figure walked past her window, and her breath caught in her throat.

It was Ziva.

She was laughing with a man-someone Alesia didn't recognize-and for a brief moment, she considered running out to confront her. To demand answers. To make Ziva feel the pain she had caused. But the impulse quickly faded. Confrontation wasn't going to change anything.

Instead, Alesia took a deep breath, standing from her seat and walking to the counter. The barista handed her a coffee, and she paid, her mind racing as she slipped the cup into her hand.

It was time to make a decision.

That evening, Alesia returned to the penthouse, her heart pounding in her chest. Kaelan was home, just as he said he would be. He was sitting on the couch, his hands steepled in front of him, his face tense.

"I'm here," Alesia said, her voice steady despite the chaos inside her.

Kaelan looked up at her, and for the first time in days, his expression softened, just a little. "I'm glad you came back."

"Are you?" Alesia asked, her voice cold now. "Because from where I'm standing, everything you've said and done has been about you. About what you need. I'm not even a person to you anymore, Kaelan. I'm just a means to an end."

He winced, but she could see the guilt in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, his voice low. "I never meant to hurt you."

"Then why are you doing this?" Alesia asked, her throat tight. "Why are you pushing me aside for Ziva? Why are you willing to throw away everything we built just to get what you want?"

"I didn't want it to be this way," Kaelan said, running a hand through his hair. "I didn't want to hurt you. But... you know how important family is to me. My parents-especially my father-he's been pushing me for years to have a child, to carry on the name. Ziva..." He stopped, glancing at her briefly. "Ziva is someone I can trust. She's agreed to this, Alesia."

"So, what? You want me to just accept it? To be okay with sharing you?" Her voice cracked, the pain finally breaking through.

"No," Kaelan said quickly, standing up and walking toward her. "I never wanted this for you. But I thought maybe it was something you could get used to. I thought that maybe you would-"

Alesia shook her head, cutting him off. "Get used to it?" She laughed bitterly, stepping back. "You think I can just get used to being your second choice?"

"I don't want you to feel like that."

"Then why are you doing this? Why are you marrying her?" Alesia's voice rose, her chest tightening with frustration. "Why can't you wait? Why couldn't we try other options? Why couldn't we fight this together?"

"I've tried. But this is the only way. Ziva is ready. She wants a child, and I want a family. I thought this was what I had to do."

Alesia stared at him, feeling a cold emptiness creep into her chest. The man she had married, the man she thought she knew, was standing here in front of her, choosing another woman over her. And no matter how much she wished it weren't true, no matter how much she wanted to believe his apologies, she knew what she had to do.

She had to make a choice.

The decision didn't come easily. It never did.

Alesia spent the rest of the night pacing the penthouse, her mind racing through every possibility. The future felt like a vast, empty void, and no matter which path she chose, she knew it would hurt.

But she couldn't stay in a marriage built on lies and broken promises. She couldn't be the woman who waited silently in the shadows, pretending it didn't matter that Kaelan had moved on.

By morning, Alesia had made up her mind.

She would leave.

And she would rebuild herself.