Lena’s POV

I didn’t remember when I fell asleep. When I woke, my phone had already died.

I was about to sit up when I heard footsteps coming down the hall.

“Lena?” Caleb’s voice called softly. “You’re still up?”

He stepped into the room and turned on the lamp. Warm light spilled across the bed, and his eyes immediately filled with concern as he looked at me.

“You’ve just gotten pregnant,” he said gently. “Didn’t the doctor say you shouldn’t stay up late?”

“I just woke up,” I replied quickly, turning my head slightly and avoiding the kiss he leaned down to give me.

Caleb’s smile faltered for a moment. Then his brows drew together. “You’ve been crying?”

He leaned closer again.

That was when I caught the faint scent of perfume clinging to him.

I recognized it instantly. It was a perfume Caleb used to buy for me. Until today, when I discovered Ruby owned the exact same one.

I had never liked the smell, so I rarely wore it.

Which meant the scent on Caleb right now could only belong to Ruby.

He had just been with her.

The thought made my stomach twist. I turned my head and suddenly gagged.

“What’s wrong?” Caleb asked immediately, searching my face.

If I didn’t know the truth, I might have been moved by how worried Caleb looked right now. Just one gag, and my Don husband looked at me like something terrible had happened.

“Nothing,” I said quietly, avoiding his eyes. “Where did you go these past few days?”

His smile flickered again. “Didn’t I tell you? I flew to Italy. One of the deals went wrong over there, and the mafia head wanted to meet me in person.”

I studied his face carefully, searching for even the smallest crack.

But I found nothing.

I wanted to tell him that I knew everything. That I knew he hadn’t gone to Italy at all. That he had stayed right here in the same city, only twenty minutes away, celebrating his unborn child with another woman while I waited at home.

I had never realized Caleb was such a good liar.

Maybe my silence made him uncomfortable. Caleb straightened, loosening his tie. “I’m exhausted,” he said. “I’ll take a shower, then come join you in bed, alright?”

A moment later, I heard the bathroom door close and the sound of water running.

Then, after a few minutes, Caleb’s phone lit up on the bedside table.

I hesitated for only a second before reaching over and picking it up.

A message notification glowed on the screen. To read it, I had to unlock the phone.

Caleb showed to me once that he used our anniversary date as his passcode. I tried it first. Wrong.

Then his birthday. My birthday. None of them worked.

At last, I slowly typed in Ruby’s birthday. The phone unlocked with a soft click.

For years, I had trusted Caleb completely. I had never once thought about checking his phone. I had never noticed how many things he had quietly changed.

The screensaver was changed as well. Two hands intertwined. Ruby’s hand—wearing the same ring I had seen on her finger earlier today.

My fingers trembled slightly as I opened the message.

The newest one was from Ruby. “Miss you already. Can you come back now?"

Just above it was Caleb’s reply. “Had to come home first. Needed to make sure she didn’t get suspicious. I’ll come back as soon as she’s asleep.”

I kept scrolling through their conversation, my chest tight. Quietly, I used my own phone to record some of their text history.

Then I placed Caleb’s phone back exactly where it had been just as the shower water stopped running.

My heartbeat was racing now. I couldn’t believe I had never noticed anything before.

If Ruby hadn’t shown up today and told me everything, I would still be living inside Caleb’s carefully built lie—believing he was a caring husband who was simply too busy sometimes.

But he had never been too busy. At least not for the person he truly cared about.

When Caleb walked out of the bathroom, I was already lying back in bed.

A moment later, his phone rang. He picked it up and stepped a few paces away.

I couldn’t hear the words clearly, but his voice softened. He even laughed once or twice.

Every time I called Caleb, he couldn’t spare even a minute to talk to me. Those conversations always ended the same way. “Babe, I’m too busy to talk right now. Wait for me when I get home, alright?”

I used to feel so guilty, thinking maybe I’d interrupted Caleb in the middle of something important.

Now I realize I never did anything wrong. I simply never had Caleb’s love—nor his attention. Not even his time.

After a few minutes, Caleb returned to the bedside.

“Sorry,” he said, slipping his phone back into his pocket. “Something came up at the casino. I can’t stay home tonight.”

He gave me a quick look. “If anything happens, call the maid. Okay?”

I knew exactly where he was going.

Back to Ruby.

Before I realized it, my hand had already reached out, gripping the edge of his shirt. “Can you not go?” I asked quietly. “You just got back.”

Maybe a part of me still wanted more proof. Those texts… the things Ruby had said… Caleb and I had been married for years. Surely he hadn’t been faking everything… right?

Caleb only frowned, his irritation obvious. “Lena… after all these years of marriage, you know how much I care about you and our baby. And you know how important that casino is to the Stone family.”

His voice hardened slightly. “This isn’t the time to ask me for something childish. What’s gotten into you? You’ve never tried to stop me when I had urgent business.”

Before he could notice anything strange, I forced a small smile and let go of his shirt. “It’s just the hormones,” I said lightly. “You go ahead and do your thing.”

Caleb studied me for a few seconds then he turned away. “You should know what’s more important, Lena.”

Yes. What was more important right now was Ruby—waiting for him at the home he shared with her.

“Go to sleep. Don’t wait up.”

The door closed behind Caleb.

The moment I heard his car left, I got out of bed and went straight to the garage.

Everything felt unreal as I sat behind the wheel, typing the address I had seen earlier in Caleb’s messages with Ruby.

It was the address of their house. The destination was even closer than I expected. Just a ten-minute drive.

I arrived just as Caleb’s car pulled in.

I watched him step out and walk toward the gate.

A moment later, the door opened. Ruby ran out and threw her arms around him.

Under the soft glow of the streetlamp, they kissed.

Lena’s POV

I had thought I was already past the shock, that I had accepted the truth about Caleb and our marriage.

But the moment I saw them together, my heart still seemed to stop for a second.

This Caleb… was not the man I knew.

The Caleb in front of me had always been gentle, calm, almost patient.

But the way he held Ruby now… the way he kissed her… it was passionate, wild—completely unrestrained and filled with love.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

I listened to the soft ticking of the car clock, mixed with the sound of my own breathing.

A tear slipped down my face. I didn’t even realize it until it landed on the back of my hand.

I had thought I was strong enough, strong enough to walk away and leave everything behind.

But it still hurt like hell.

“Lena, hold it together.” I whispered, “You have to be strong. For yourself. For the baby growing inside you.”

The baby might carry Caleb’s blood, but it was me who fought so hard to have this child.

I couldn’t let anything happen to my baby.

I took a deep breath, forcing my emotions to settle. Slowly, the tightness in my chest eased.

After a minute, I started the engine again.

Just in time to see Caleb with his arm around Ruby, guiding her back into the house.

I pressed down hard on the gas pedal and drove in the opposite direction.

…

Life really does have a twisted sense of humor.

The next morning, I stepped into the hospital for my monthly checkup. I was heading toward my doctor’s office when I turned the corner—and froze.

Ruby was sitting on a bench in the hallway. Caleb was kneeling in front of her, holding a bottle of water and a small container of food.

I could have walked away, but curiosity got the better of me. After yesterday, it felt like I had never truly known my husband. Now I found myself wondering what he was like when he was with the woman he truly loved. So I stopped, standing quietly in the opposite hallway, watching them.

“I really can’t drink any more water, babe,” Ruby pouted.

Caleb stayed kneeling, his voice soft and coaxing. “What did the doctor just say? You have to stay hydrated. Just drink a little more.”

He lifted the bottle toward her again. “Tell you what,” he added gently. “If you finish this bottle, I’ll go get that diamond necklace for you today. The one you liked. What do you say?”

Ruby’s entire face lit up. “Really?!” she gasped. “But didn’t you say it was out of stock?”

Caleb smiled at her, calm and confident. “Who do you think I am?”

“You’re spoiling me too much,” Ruby laughed, throwing her arms around him and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

People passing by slowed as they walked past them. I could see the smiles, the quiet envy in their expressions.

They thought they were looking at a perfect husband taking care of his pregnant wife.

A moment later, Caleb’s assistant, Jake, walked out from another hallway with one of Caleb’s close friends.

I stiffened.

For a long moment, I just stared.

I had always believed whatever was happening between Caleb and Ruby was a secret.

But the way Jake greeted Ruby… the way they spoke to her so naturally…

They knew. They had known all along.

Jake even addressed Ruby as Donna.

My heart dropped.

Did everyone around Caleb know?

My fingers tightened around my purse.

If they all knew, then they had all been helping him lie to me. All watching me smile, watching me believe in a life that was never real.

I had been nothing more than a joke to them. A woman happily living inside a lie.

Suddenly, my stomach felt heavy.

I drew in a slow breath, forcing myself to stay steady. My hand moved instinctively to my belly.

“I’m going to hold on,” I whispered softly. “Don’t worry, baby. I won’t let anyone hurt you. Not even myself.”

When I looked up again, my eyes met Ruby’s.

Slowly, deliberately, she leaned toward Caleb and pressed another kiss to his lips.

Her expression was smug, confident—surrounded by people who were all on her side. Meanwhile, I stood in the shadow of the hallway, watching it all unfold like a stranger.

Ruby looked straight at me and mouthed two words. “You lost.”

I turned and walked away.

Ruby had it all wrong. A relationship was never supposed to be a game of winning or losing.

Yes, I had been betrayed and lied to.

Fine. I could deal with that.

Ruby thought Caleb was the grand prize.

But in my eyes now, he was nothing more than a liar and a manipulator.

A man who could deceive one woman so easily just to protect the one he claimed to love was not a good man.

And Caleb, he might be devoted to Ruby now, but he still kept her hidden whenever it suited him. He hadn’t even given her the title she believed she deserved.

What kind of man was that?

Once I truly thought it through, the sadness I felt about our marriage slowly faded.

There was no reason to mourn a relationship that had never been real.

When I returned home, I called a divorce lawyer and asked him to draft the papers.

Because I wanted nothing from Caleb—and nothing from him for the baby either—the terms were simple.

I printed the documents this afternoon, signed them, and mailed them out.

The delivery date would be three days from now. The same day I planned to leave New York for good.

Caleb might have enormous influence in this city, but outside of it, there were countless places I could go.

Even if he wanted to find me, it would take time.

And I doubted Caleb would bother spending that time on me anymore. Ruby’s baby would be born soon. He would be too busy playing the devoted father—and crowning Ruby as his new Donna.

Lena’s POV

“Lena, what’s wrong? I’ve called you three times and didn’t hear back.” My sister Avery’s voice sounded behind me just as I stepped into the mansion.

So much had happened over the past few days that I must not have paid attention to my phone.

But Avery lived in another city, yet she had flown all the way here just because I missed three of her calls.

I turned. Seeing her standing there, worry written all over her face, made something twist painfully in my chest.

I wanted to tell her everything. After our mother passed away, Avery was the one who raised me.

But how could I tell her? That her little sister had become nothing more than a pawn in some twisted love game? That the husband she had reluctantly accepted was nothing but a cheating man?

Before I married Caleb, Avery had been strongly against it. She said Caleb and I came from two completely different worlds. Even people who were alike struggled to stay together—let alone the two of us.

And now it felt like she had been right all along.

And I felt like I had failed her. I couldn’t—wouldn’t dare—to say any of it.

Avery noticed the look on my face immediately. She stepped closer and gently brushed a stray strand of hair behind my ear.

“Did something happen?” she asked softly. “Where’s Caleb? I thought today was your monthly checkup. Shouldn’t he be here with you?”

I shook my head and forced a small smile. “He’s been really busy with the casino lately,” I said. “I can handle it by myself.”

Avery frowned. “What kind of man is he if he can’t even care about his own family? Even if he’s busy…”

She muttered. “Sometimes I wonder if letting you marry Caleb was the right choice. Being with a man like him means living without any real stability or security. And now he even dares to leave you to handle the pregnancy alone?”

I quickly wrapped my arms around her in a hug. “Since you are here now, how about you making my favorite pie, sis?” I said lightly. “I’ve been craving it so much lately.”

I couldn’t let her continue down that path. I was afraid I might break in front of her.

But I couldn’t.

Because doing that would ruin my chance to leave quietly—and it could put Avery in danger as well.

I knew Avery’s temper. If she found out about Ruby and Caleb, she would storm straight to him without a second thought, demanding answers from a man as dangerous as Caleb.

So the less she knew, the safer she would be.

…

Caleb didn’t come home for another two days.

During those two days, he called me only once. He said he had to fly to another city for urgent business. He told me to take care of myself. He said he loved me and couldn’t wait to come home.

For all I knew, he could have been lying beside Ruby when he made that call.

But I was glad he didn’t come back. I didn’t have the energy to deal with him or his lies anymore. And I certainly didn’t want to stand in front of him pretending everything was fine.

My mood stayed calm. Everything felt steady.

And just when I thought things would stay quiet until the day I left— Ruby called me.

She was already sitting in the restaurant when I arrived that afternoon, casually ordering a salad. When she saw me walk in, she raised an eyebrow.

“I thought you wouldn’t come.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” I replied calmly. “I’m not the one sneaking behind someone’s back to cuddle with her husband.”

“You—” Ruby’s expression tightened for a second. “Caleb and I were together first. If it weren’t for… well, never mind. Just know this—I’m far more qualified to stand beside Caleb than you ever were.”

“If that’s true,” I said with a faint smile, “then why come to me? Why not just cry at his feet and ask him to give you the Donna title?”

I could see the anger rising in her eyes.

Maybe she had expected me to break down by now. Maybe she thought I would cry, or beg, or look heartbroken so she could feel like she had truly won.

But I gave her none of that. Instead, I looked completely indifferent. And that was something Ruby couldn’t tolerate.

Ruby’s smile turned cold. She suddenly stood up. Before I could react, she grabbed the glass from the table and threw the ice water straight at me.