The Door She Was Never Supposed to Open

The private hospital was unusually quiet at night.

Soft piano music floated through the VIP hallway while nurses walked past with lowered voices.

Evelyn Marrow stood outside Room 1708 holding a paper bag of medication.

Her fingers still trembled slightly from the chemotherapy consultation earlier that afternoon.

Stage two.

The doctor’s words still echoed in her ears.

“We need to begin treatment as soon as possible.”

She hadn’t even processed the diagnosis yet.

All she could think about was the baby.

And Caspian.

Maybe if he knew she was pregnant…

Maybe things would finally get better.

The elevator doors opened softly behind her.

A familiar laugh drifted down the hallway.

Evelyn froze instantly.

Because she knew that laugh.

Caspian rarely laughed around her anymore.

Not like that.

Not warm.

Not relaxed.

Her heartbeat slowly turned uneven.

Then she heard a woman speak softly.

“You’re overreacting. Someone might see us.”

Caspian answered lazily,

“This floor belongs to me tonight.”

Evelyn’s body went cold.

The voice came from the partially opened hospital room ahead.

Room 1712.

The paper bag slipped slightly in her hand.

No.

She walked forward before her mind could stop her.

Closer.

And then—

She saw them.

Selene Voss sat on the hospital bed wearing one of Caspian’s black coats over her shoulders.

And Caspian stood between her knees while touching her stomach gently.

Intimately.

Carefully.

Like the child inside mattered.

Evelyn forgot how to breathe.

Selene smiled softly.

“She kicked again.”

Caspian actually smiled back.

“Then our son already has a temper.”

Our son.

The words hit Evelyn so hard she nearly made a sound.

But neither of them noticed her.

Because Caspian lowered his head and kissed Selene slowly.

Patiently.

Like he’d done it a thousand times before.

Evelyn felt something collapse inside her chest.

Three years of marriage.

Three years of waiting for him to come home.

Three years of convincing herself he was simply “busy.”

Meanwhile—

He had another family.

Her hand instinctively moved to her own stomach.

Suddenly she felt stupid.

Humiliated.

Pathetic.

Selene leaned into Caspian’s chest.

“What about Evelyn?”

At the mention of her name, Evelyn stopped moving entirely.

Caspian’s expression immediately cooled.

“She doesn’t need to know.”

Selene looked uncertain.

“She’s your wife.”

“That’s exactly why she’ll stay quiet.”

Evelyn’s fingers tightened around the medicine bag so hard it crumpled.

Selene looked worried.

“What if Evelyn finds out?”

Caspian laughed quietly.

“She worships me too much to leave.”

That sentence shattered the last illusion she still had.

Evelyn stepped backward silently before they could notice her.

Her vision blurred immediately.

The hallway suddenly felt suffocating.

Her stomach hurt.

Her chest hurt.

Everything hurt.

But inside Room 1712—

Caspian was still comforting another woman while his pregnant wife stood outside trying not to fall apart.

Evelyn stumbled into the empty stairwell.

The moment the heavy door closed behind her, tears finally fell.

She covered her mouth desperately to stop herself from making noise.

Because even now—

Even now—

She was afraid of embarrassing him.

Her phone vibrated suddenly.

A message from Caspian.

【Working late tonight. Sleep first.】

Evelyn stared at the screen for several seconds.

Then laughed through tears.

Working late.

Another sharp pain twisted through her stomach.

Her hand trembled as she opened her contacts.

Her thumb hovered over one name she hadn’t touched in years.

Kael Arden.

The one person Caspian hated.

The one man powerful enough to destroy him.

Evelyn closed her eyes briefly.

Then finally pressed call.

The line connected almost immediately.

“…Evelyn?”

His voice was lower than she remembered.

Dangerous.

But the moment he spoke her name, it softened slightly.

Evelyn bit her lip hard enough to taste blood.

“Kael…”

Her voice cracked completely.

“Can I come back to you?”

Silence.

Then a chair scraped violently somewhere on his end.

Kael answered instantly.

“Who hurt you?”

The Slap That Killed Something Inside Her

Evelyn barely slept.

The entire night felt blurry.

Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Caspian standing between Selene’s knees in that hospital room.

That look on his face.

Gentle. Protective.

He had never looked at Evelyn that way.

Not even on their wedding day.

The sky outside slowly brightened.

Her apartment remained painfully quiet.

Too cold.

Evelyn sat on the edge of the bed with one hand resting on her stomach.

The baby was still so small.

The doctor had told her stress could be dangerous now.

She almost laughed at that.

Stress?

Her husband had another woman pregnant.

And she was dying.

At this point, stress was the least of her problems.

Her phone buzzed around nine in the morning.

Caspian.

Evelyn stared at the screen for a few seconds before answering.

His voice sounded calm.

“Why didn’t you sleep?”

Like last night never happened.

Like he hadn’t destroyed her entire world in a single sentence.

She swallowed slowly.

“You came home late.”

“I told you I was working.”

Evelyn closed her eyes.

Working.

There was a short silence before Caspian spoke again.

“You sound strange.”

For a second, she almost asked him directly.

Who is Selene?

Is the baby yours?

How long have you been cheating?

But somehow—

She already knew the answers.

And hearing him lie again would only hurt more.

“I’m tired,” she said quietly.

Caspian sighed softly.

“I’ll come home tonight.”

Not because he missed her.

Because he wanted to make sure she hadn’t found out.

Evelyn finally understood that now.

After hanging up, she sat motionless for several minutes.

Then her phone vibrated again.

A message this time.

Unknown number.

【Miss Marrow. I think we should talk.】

Attached was a café address.

Evelyn already knew who it was before opening the second message.

【About Caspian.】

—

The café smelled strongly of coffee and vanilla.

Selene Voss was already sitting by the window when Evelyn arrived.

White dress.

Soft smile.

She looked harmless.

That was probably why men liked her.

Selene stood immediately.

“Thank you for coming.”

Evelyn remained standing.

“What do you want?”

Selene lowered her eyes carefully.

“I didn’t want you finding out like this.”

Evelyn almost laughed.

Finding out?

Like she was discussing bad weather.

Not humiliation.

Selene touched her stomach lightly.

The movement made Evelyn’s chest tighten instantly.

“I know you hate me,” Selene whispered.

“But I really love him.”

There it was.

The classic line.

Evelyn’s voice turned cold.

“So you knowingly slept with a married man.”

Selene’s eyes reddened immediately.

“It wasn’t supposed to happen.”

“Funny how affairs never are.”

The waitress nearby awkwardly looked away.

Selene bit her lip.

“You don’t understand what Caspian is like when he cares about someone.”

Evelyn froze slightly.

Because that sentence hurt more than it should have.

Selene continued softly,

“He stayed with me during my divorce.”

“He held me when I cried.”

“He took care of me when I got sick.”

Every sentence felt like another knife.

Because Caspian never did those things for Evelyn.

Not once.

Selene suddenly pulled out an ultrasound photo.

“He talks to the baby every night.”

Evelyn felt sick instantly.

She looked away.

But then Selene noticed the medical folder beside Evelyn’s chair.

Part of the document slipped out slightly.

Cancer Treatment Plan.

Selene’s expression changed.

“You’re sick?”

Evelyn immediately grabbed the papers.

“That’s none of your business.”

But Selene had already seen enough.

Stage two lymphoma.

Chemotherapy recommendation.

Pregnancy complications.

For one brief second—

Actual shock crossed Selene’s face.

Then something else appeared.

Relief.

Because a dying wife was convenient.

Very convenient.

Selene lowered her voice carefully.

“Does Caspian know?”

Evelyn stared at her coldly.

“No.”

Selene nodded slowly.

Then she said the cruelest thing possible.

“Maybe… you should tell him soon.”

“Before it’s too late.”

Like she was already planning Evelyn’s funeral.

Evelyn suddenly stood up.

“I’m done here.”

But Selene grabbed her wrist suddenly.

“You should leave him.”

Evelyn’s patience finally snapped.

She yanked her arm away hard.

“Don’t touch me.”

Selene stumbled backward dramatically.

Right on cue.

Because the café door opened at that exact moment.

Caspian walked in.

His eyes immediately landed on Selene.

“Selene!”

She looked up with trembling eyes.

“I just wanted to talk—”

Caspian rushed over instantly.

And then he saw Evelyn standing there.

The tension.

The documents.

Selene’s tears.

His expression darkened immediately.

“What did you do?”

Evelyn stared at him in disbelief.

“What did I do?”

Selene quickly shook her head.

“It’s okay, Caspian—”

But her fake trembling only made him angrier.

“You came here to humiliate her?”

Evelyn laughed bitterly.

“You think she’s the victim?”

Caspian’s voice turned icy.

“She’s pregnant.”

The words hit Evelyn like a slap.

Because so was she.

But apparently that didn’t matter.

Evelyn looked straight at him.

“So am I.”

The entire café went silent.

Caspian froze.

Even Selene looked shocked.

Evelyn hadn’t planned to say it.

But now she was too angry to care.

Caspian stared at her stomach slowly.

“What?”

“I’m pregnant.”

For a second, genuine confusion crossed his face.

Then calculation.

Then irritation.

Not happiness.

Never happiness.

“When were you going to tell me?”

Evelyn almost laughed at the hypocrisy.

“When were you?”

Caspian’s jaw tightened immediately.

Selene suddenly grabbed his sleeve weakly.

“I feel dizzy…”

And instantly—

His attention left Evelyn again.

Just like always.

Caspian held Selene carefully before turning back toward Evelyn with cold eyes.

“Apologize.”

Evelyn thought she misheard him.

“What?”

“You scared her.”

Evelyn stared at him like a stranger.

“You cheated on me.”

“You got another woman pregnant.”

“And you want me to apologize?”

The old Evelyn would’ve stayed quiet.

But something inside her had already cracked last night.

“No.”

Caspian’s face darkened completely.

“Evelyn.”

“No.”

Selene whispered softly,

“Please stop fighting because of me…”

That fake innocent voice finally destroyed Evelyn’s remaining restraint.

She looked directly at Selene.

“You think you won because he picked you?”

“You only got the version of him that was already rotten.”

The next second—

SLAP.

The sound echoed across the café.

Evelyn’s head snapped sideways.

Everything went silent.

Even the waitress froze.

Slowly, Evelyn touched her burning cheek.

Caspian’s hand was still half-raised.

His breathing sounded uneven.

But not regretful.

“Apologize to Selene,” he said coldly.

And in that moment—

Something inside Evelyn finally died.

Not love.

That had died yesterday.

This was worse.

He Gave Her My Baby’s Room

By the time Evelyn got home, the left side of her face was still burning.

The elevator doors opened slowly onto the penthouse floor.

Exactly like always.

Except tonight, something felt different the second she stepped inside.

Voices.

A woman laughing softly.

Evelyn froze near the doorway.

Then she saw a pair of unfamiliar heels beside the entrance.

White. Designer.

Definitely not hers.

Her fingers slowly tightened around her purse.

No.

But deep down—

She already knew.

The living room lights were warm and bright when she walked in.

And there they were.

Caspian sat on the sofa while Selene leaned comfortably against his shoulder wearing one of Evelyn’s cashmere blankets.

Like she belonged there.

Like she was already the lady of the house.

For a second, nobody spoke.

Then Selene quickly sat up with fake panic.

“Evelyn—”

“I can explain—”

Caspian didn’t even look guilty.

That hurt more somehow.

He simply loosened his tie and spoke calmly.

“You’re home early. I thought after that slap, you’d at least have the decency to check whether you broke anything.””

Early.

As if she had interrupted something normal.

Evelyn stared at him.

“This is my house.”

Selene lowered her eyes immediately.

“I told him this was inappropriate…”

Liar.

If she really believed that, she wouldn’t be sitting here wrapped in Evelyn’s blanket.

Caspian finally stood.

“Selene’s staying here temporarily.”

The words were so absurd Evelyn almost thought she imagined them.

“What?”

“She’s not in good condition after the divorce.”

Evelyn laughed softly in disbelief.

“You brought your pregnant mistress into our home?”

Caspian’s expression instantly hardened.

“Watch your tone.”

There it was again.

Not shame.

Not regret.

Control.

Always control.

Evelyn looked at Selene.

“Get out.”

Selene flinched slightly and instinctively held her stomach.

Caspian immediately stepped in front of her.

Protective.

Again.

“She’s not leaving tonight.”

Evelyn’s chest tightened painfully.

The chemotherapy consultation.

The affair.

The slap.

Everything from the past twenty-four hours piled onto her at once.

And somehow this hurt the most.

Because this house used to feel safe.

Back when she was stupid enough to think Caspian loved her.

She looked at him carefully.

“So that’s it?”

“You’re not even hiding it anymore?”

Caspian rubbed his temple impatiently.

“You’re overreacting.”

Evelyn genuinely stared at him in shock.

“Overreacting?”

“She just needs somewhere quiet for a few weeks.”

A few weeks.

Like bringing another woman home while his wife was pregnant was a completely reasonable request.

Selene suddenly spoke softly.

“I can stay in a hotel—”

“No,” Caspian answered immediately.

Too naturally.

The room went silent again.

Then Evelyn noticed something strange.

Several workers were walking upstairs carrying boxes.

She frowned slightly.

“What are they doing?”

Caspian glanced upstairs casually.

“Preparing the nursery.”

Nursery.

Her entire body froze.

Because there was only one nursery in this house.

The room she spent months designing.

The room she secretly decorated for her baby.

The room with the tiny hand-painted stars on the ceiling.

The room where she cried happily the day she found out she was pregnant.

Slowly, Evelyn looked at him.

“…What nursery?”

Caspian didn’t answer immediately.

Which was answer enough.

Evelyn walked upstairs before either of them could stop her.

Fast.

Heartbeat pounding violently.

No no no—

The nursery door was open.

Inside, workers were removing the pale blue curtains Evelyn had picked herself.

The stuffed rabbit her mother bought was tossed carelessly into a box.

The handmade moon lamp she spent hours choosing was gone.

And the name card she hid inside the drawer—

Baby Valecrest.

—lay crumpled on the floor.

Evelyn stopped breathing.

One worker awkwardly looked at her.

“Mr. Valecrest said the room needed redesigning.”

Redesigning.

Because apparently her baby no longer mattered.

She walked slowly into the room.

Her hands trembled violently.

Everything was disappearing.

The stars.

The blankets.

The tiny crib.

All erased.

Behind her, Caspian finally entered the room.

“She needs a quieter environment.”

Evelyn turned around slowly.

“This room was for my child.”

Caspian’s expression barely changed.

“Our child won’t need it for a while.”

Our child.

He said it like an obligation.

Not love.

Evelyn stared at him.

“And hers does?”

Selene appeared quietly behind him, eyes already red.

“Please don’t fight because of me…”

Evelyn suddenly snapped.

“STOP pretending to be innocent!”

Selene instantly looked frightened.

Caspian’s face darkened immediately.

“That’s enough.”

“No,” Evelyn said shakily.

“No, I’m done being quiet.”

Her eyes burned with tears.

“You brought her into my home.”

“You sleep with her.”

“You protect her.”

“And now you’re taking my baby’s room away for HER child?”

Caspian’s patience finally disappeared.

“The baby is her ex-husband’s.”

Evelyn laughed bitterly.

“Do you even hear yourself?”

Silence.

Then she said the one thing she had been holding in since the hospital.

“I saw you.”

Caspian froze slightly.

Evelyn’s voice cracked.

“At the hospital.”

For the first time all night—

Real tension appeared on his face.

Selene’s expression changed too.

So now they knew.

Now they realized she had seen everything.

The touching.

The kissing.

The lies.

Caspian exhaled slowly.

Then immediately switched strategies.

“It’s not what you think.”

Evelyn almost laughed again.

Of course.

The classic line.

He stepped closer carefully.

“Selene was emotional after the divorce.”

“She needed support.”

“And the kissing?”

Silence.

Caspian’s jaw tightened slightly.

“She’s vulnerable right now.”

Evelyn stared at him in disbelief.

That wasn’t even a denial.

Selene lowered her head softly.

“The baby’s father abandoned us…”

Us.

Interesting choice of words.

Evelyn suddenly felt exhausted.

Not angry anymore.

Just done.

Caspian noticed it too.

And for some reason—

That finally unsettled him.

He reached for her wrist gently.

“Don’t make this bigger than it is.”

Evelyn looked down at his hand touching her.

The same hand that slapped her earlier.

Slowly, she pulled away.

“You already made it big enough.”

Then she walked past him.

Back into their bedroom.

No—

His bedroom.

Because suddenly none of this belonged to her anymore.

Behind her, she could hear Selene speaking softly downstairs.

And Caspian comforting her again.

Always her.

Evelyn shut the bedroom door quietly before finally collapsing onto the floor.

Her body shook violently.

Not from crying.

From numbness.

After several minutes, she slowly pulled out her phone.

One unread message.

Kael Arden.

【Say the word and I’ll come get you.】

Evelyn stared at the screen for a very long time.

Then another sound echoed downstairs.

Selene laughing.

Inside her house.

Inside her marriage.

Inside her life.

Something inside Evelyn finally hardened.

She opened her drawer slowly.

Pulled out a blank sheet of paper.

And began writing.

DIVORCE AGREEMENT.

Her hands no longer trembled.

Because this time—

She was really leaving.