My world imploded. The foundation of my seven years with Jaxon crumbled beneath my feet, leaving me suspended over a gaping abyss. A single tear escaped, tracing a hot path down my cold cheek. Then another, and another, until my vision blurred completely.

"Jaxon," I choked out, my voice trembling badly. "Explain this. Now."

His face contorted, a mixture of guilt, panic, and something else I couldn't quite decipher. He took a hesitant step towards me, then another, his arms reaching out. He pulled me into a tight embrace, burying his face in my hair. "Alexis, baby, I'm so sorry. I can explain everything."

His words were a balm, a temporary reprieve. But then he pulled back slightly, his eyes still avoiding mine. "It's… it's a business arrangement. A temporary one. For the Fuller Group. Kassie's father is a crucial investor."

My blood ran cold. A business arrangement? My eyes flickered to Kassie, who, behind Jaxon's back, was giving me a smug, knowing smirk. The kind that said, he's lying, and we both know it.

Then, as if on cue, Kassie's smirk vanished, replaced by a sudden, theatrical sob. She clutched her belly, collapsing onto a nearby chair. "Jaxon! Tell her! Tell her we're married! Tell her this baby isn't a mistake!" Her voice was shrill, cutting through the sterile clinic air.

The word "married" hit me like a physical blow. The air left my lungs. My knees buckled. I pushed Jaxon away, the force of my shove surprising even myself. He stumbled back, his eyes wide.

I stared at him, desperately searching his eyes for any sign of the man I loved, the man who had promised me forever. But his eyes were downcast, fixed on the floor, betraying nothing but shame. He looked utterly defeated, a puppet whose strings had been cut.

"Jaxon," I whispered, my voice raw with disbelief, "Are you married to her?" I pointed a trembling finger at Kassie, who was now sobbing dramatically.

He slowly met my gaze, his eyes filled with a bottomless remorse. He nodded once, a barely perceptible movement. My heart shattered into a million irreparable pieces.

"And us?" I demanded, my voice rising. "What about us? What about our baby? The one growing inside me right now?" I placed a hand over my own belly, feeling a fierce, protective surge of love for the tiny life within.

"You're going to abandon your own child for hers?" My voice was now a venomous hiss. "You're going to let them call your child a bastard while you play happy family with her?"

Kassie's sobs instantly intensified, cutting me off. "My baby isn't a bastard!" she shrieked, tears streaming down her face. "My baby has a father! A husband!" She looked at Jaxon with wide, tear-filled eyes, pleading for his protection.

Jaxon, ever the knight in shining armor for Kassie, instantly rushed to her side, pulling her close. His gaze, when it met mine, was no longer remorseful. It was distant, cold, and filled with a strange, almost hostile protectiveness of Kassie.

The sharp crack echoed in the sterile clinic. My head snapped to the side, the sudden impact rattling my teeth. A searing pain bloomed on my cheek, followed by the metallic tang of blood filling my mouth. I stumbled, tasting copper and bile.

Jaxon stood over me, his hand still raised, his eyes cold and contemptuous. He looked at me as if I was something dirty, something to be discarded. Then, he slowly lowered his hand, as if nothing had happened, as if he hadn't just struck the woman carrying his child.

"Look what you've done," he hissed, his voice laced with ice and disgust. "You're stressing out Kassie. Can't you see how fragile she is?"

Fragile. My mind registered the word, a cruel irony. I was the one bleeding, the one whose world had just imploded, and I was being accused of fragility. The man I loved was gone, replaced by this cruel stranger.

I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth with the back of my hand, my fingers trembling slightly. The coppery taste confirmed the bite inside my cheek. It wasn't the first time he'd lost control when Kassie was involved. It always ended with Kassie playing the victim, and him defending her, no matter the cost.

"What did you expect, Jaxon?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper, yet laced with a chilling sarcasm. "Did you expect me to congratulate you? To throw you a party for abandoning me and our child for another woman? For another family?" My voice rose, a raw, primal scream threatening to burst from my chest. "You married her! You had a baby with her while promising me forever!"

His jaw tightened, a flicker of guilt, a ghost of the old Jaxon, passing through his eyes. But it vanished as quickly as it came.

"Alexis, listen to me," he said, his voice surprisingly calm, almost soothing. It was the calm before the storm, the calm of a predator. "Kassie is… she's very delicate. And her family is important to the Fuller Group. This marriage, it's temporary."

Temporary. The word sliced through me like a dull blade. "Temporary?" I echoed, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. "What, is the baby temporary too? The wedding ring? The vows?"

He stepped closer, his hand reaching for mine. I flinched away. "No, hear me out," he pleaded, his voice softer now. "I'm with her because she needs me. She has no one else. But you, Alexis… you're strong. I know you are."

His grip on my arm tightened, pulling me closer. "Just give me a year. After Kassie gives birth, I'll finalize things. Then we can get married. I promise you, in one year's time, we will have the wedding we always dreamed of." He looked at me with an intensity that, in a different life, might have been convincing. But not now. Not after everything.

I said nothing, my gaze fixed on some distant point beyond his shoulder. My mind was a blank.

"Jaxon, darling?" Kassie's sweet, impatient voice cut through the air. She was standing by the door of the examination room, her hands on her hips. "The doctor said I need rest. And I'm starving. Are you coming or not?"

Jaxon stiffened. His eyes flickered from me to Kassie, a clear choice laid out before him. Without a word, he released my arm, turning abruptly and walking towards Kassie. He didn't look back.

I watched him go, watched him take Kassie's hand, watched him disappear down the corridor. In that moment, I understood the stark difference between love and cold, calculated neglect. I understood that I was not chosen. I was merely an inconvenient truth.

I walked home in a daze, the city lights blurring through my unshed tears. Our penthouse apartment, once a haven, now felt like a cold, empty tomb. The silence screamed Jaxon' s absence, amplifying every echo of his betrayal.

I showered, letting the hot water wash over me, trying to cleanse away the dirt and degradation. I dried my hair methodically, then collapsed onto the bed, too exhausted to even properly get dressed. My mind was a chaotic mess, replaying every cruel word, every dismissive glance.

Just as the exhaustion threatened to drag me into a restless sleep, the front door creaked open. My heart leaped.

Jaxon.

He walked in, his shoulders slumped, his tie loosened. He looked tired, his eyes heavy-lidded. "Alexis?" His voice was soft, laced with a feigned concern. "Are you alright? You haven't answered my calls."

I didn't answer. I just stared at the ceiling, feeling nothing but a profound emptiness.

He came to the bed, sitting gently beside me. He didn't touch me. He just picked up the towel from the floor, and began to softly dry my hair. The familiar rhythm of his fingers, once a source of comfort, now felt like a cruel violation.

"Are you still angry?" he asked, his voice a low rumble. "I told you, it's just a temporary arrangement. A year, Alexis. And then it's just us."

I closed my eyes. He knew exactly how to twist the knife, how to prey on my lingering hope, my desperate need for his love. He was gaslighting me, making me question my own sanity.

He leaned closer, his breath warm against my ear. "Just be patient, my love. For us."

"What if I refuse?" I asked, my voice flat, devoid of emotion. "What if I can't just 'be patient'?"

His hand stilled. His face hardened, the kindness in his eyes replaced by a cold, steely resolve. "This isn't a request, Alexis," he said, his voice low and firm. "It's how things have to be." He paused, then softened his tone, a practiced shift. "Kassie has no one else to rely on. We have to be understanding."

He stood up and began packing a small duffel bag. A sick feeling churned in my stomach. "I'll be gone for a few days," he said without looking at me. "If you need anything, call me." He walked out, leaving me alone once more.

The tears came then, hot and stinging, blurring the edges of my vision. He knew. He knew I was pregnant, alone, and heartbroken, yet he chose to leave. He chose Kassie. I felt worthless, a forgotten shadow in his grand plan.

Days bled into weeks. Jaxon' s calls became rarer, his messages shorter, sent late at night, a superficial check-in. I stopped replying. Eventually, they stopped coming altogether. The silence was deafening, a constant reminder of my abandonment.

I was three months pregnant when it happened. I had decided to go for another check-up, just to hear the doctor's reassuring words again, to feel connected to the tiny life inside me. I was walking out of the clinic, a tiny ultrasound picture clutched in my hand, when I literally bumped into her. Ella Fuller. Jaxon's older sister.

Her eyes, cold and sharp like Jaxon's, widened in shock as she recognized me. Then they dropped to my hand, to the ultrasound. Her face twisted into a sneer.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded, tearing the picture from my hand. Her eyes scanned the image, then narrowed dangerously. "And what is this? Another man's bastard, Alexis? How dare you try to trap my brother with this?"

I recoiled, my blood boiling. "It's Jaxon's baby!" I snapped, snatching the picture back. "How could you even think-"

"Don't lie to me!" Ella cut me off, her voice rising. "My brother is married! And his wife is also pregnant! With his child! You think we're fools? You think you can just show up with some random baby and claim it's a Fuller?" Her eyes blazed with contempt. "You're pathetic, Alexis. A lying, manipulative schemer." I could feel the stares of passersby, their whispers like daggers.