46
Kaida
As I pulled into the driveway of my apartment, my mind was still reeling from my encounter with Alara. The smugness in her voice, the way she flaunted her happiness with Kaelen–it had been too much to bear. I wanted nothing more than to forget everything, to lock myself in my apartment and pretend the world didn’t exist for a while.
But as I stepped out of the car, I froze.
Kaelen stood by the door, his tall frame leaning against the wall as if he’d been waiting for me. My heart sank into my stomach, and for a moment, I couldn’t breathe. What was he doing here? How did he even know where I lived?
He looked up when he saw me, his eyes locking onto mine. There was a strange intensity in his gaze, something I couldn’t quite place. I set my jaw, determined not to let him rattle me any more than he already had. I had cried enough over this man.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, my voice sharper than I intended.
Kaelen pushed off the wall and took a step toward me. “I needed to talk to you, Kaida.”
I crossed my arms, feeling the defensive wall build up inside me. “How did you find out where I live?”
“I reached out to Dahlia,” he admitted, his voice calm. “I asked her to direct me here. She seemed… hesitant, but she eventually gave me the address.”
I felt a wave of anger flare up inside me, but I quickly tamped it down. Dahlia didn’t mean any harm. She probably thought it was harmless, but Kaelen showing up here was the last thing I needed right now.
I let out a bitter laugh. “Well, here you are. So, what do you want, Kaelen? Why are you here? I thought you were supposed to be on your perfect honeymoon with your fated mate.”
He winced slightly at the bitterness in my voice but didn’t back down. “Kaida, I need to know the truth.”
My heart started to race, and I instinctively wrapped my arms around my baby bump, trying to shield myself from what I knew was coming. “The truth? About what?”
His eyes dropped to my stomach, lingering there for a long moment before he finally spoke again. “The baby… Are you pregnant with my child?”
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+25 Points I swallowed hard, my throat tightening with emotion. I knew this conversation was inevitable, but I had hoped it would be later–much, much later. There was no escaping it now, though. Kaelen had already seen the bump. He already knew.
“Yes,” I said quietly, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me. “I’m pregnant with your twins.”
His eyes widened in disbelief, and for a moment, he just stared at me, like he couldn’t quite process what I had just said. “Twins?”
I nodded, feeling a flicker of something I couldn’t name–a mixture of anger, sadness, and the tiniest sliver of relief. At least now it was out in the open. No more hiding. No more secrets.
Kaelen took a step closer, his eyes never leaving my bump. “Kaida, I didn’t know-”
“Of course, you didn’t know,” I snapped, cutting him off. “You left before I even had the chance to tell you. You served me divorce papers before I could say a word. So don’t act surprised now, Kaelen.”
His face tightened, guilt flashing in his eyes. “I… I didn’t think-”
“No, you didn’t think,” I shot back, my anger boiling over. “You didn’t think about me, or the life we had together, or what I might be going through. You just moved on. You found your fated mate, and that was all that mattered to you.”
Kaelen ran a hand through his hair, his expression conflicted. “Kaida, I never meant to hurt you-”
“Well, you did,” I interrupted, my voice breaking despite my best efforts to stay strong. “You hurt me more than anyone ever has. You broke me, Kaelen. And now, you show up out of nowhere, demanding answers like you have any right to them?”
He flinched at my words, but I didn’t care. I had held all of this in for too long, and I wasn’t going to let him waltz back into my life and act like everything was fine. It wasn’t fine. Nothing was fine.
“I want to be a part of their lives,” he said quietly, his voice filled with sincerity. “They’re my children, Kaida.”
I shook my head, my chest tightening with frustration and fear. “You don’t get to just decide that, Kaelen. You don’t get to come back after all this time and claim a place in their lives- claim a place in my life.”
“Kaida-”
“No,” I cut him off, my voice rising. “You don’t understand. I don’t want you in my life
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anymore. I’m moving on, Kaelen. I’m trying to build a future for myself and for these babies without you. I don’t need you coming in and ruining everything all over again.”
Kaelen’s face fell, and for the first time, I saw the pain in his eyes. But I couldn’t let that sway me. I couldn’t let myself feel sorry for him. He had made his choices, and I had made mine.
“I know I’ve made mistakes,” he said, his voice rough. “But I want to make things right.”
I shook my head, backing away from him, my heart pounding. “You can’t make this right. You’ve already done too much damage.”
For a long moment, we stood there in silence, the weight of everything that had passed between us hanging in the air like a heavy cloud. I could see the conflict in his eyes, the regret, the confusion. But it didn’t change anything. It didn’t make what had happened any less painful.
Finally, I spoke again, my voice soft but firm. “I’m moving on, Kaelen. I don’t want you in my life anymore. And I don’t want you near these babies.”
His eyes widened in shock, and I could see the hurt written across his face, but I forced myself to stay strong. I had to protect myself. I had to protect my children.
“Kaida…” he started, but I shook my head.
“No,” I said, my voice steady. “You made your choice when you left me. You chose her, Kaelen. And I won’t be second best to anyone–not for you, and not for anyone else.”
His mouth opened, but no words came out. He looked as if he wanted to argue, but there was nothing left to say. He had already done the damage. There was no coming back from
this.
I turned away from him, unlocking my door and stepping inside without looking back. I could feel his presence behind me, lingering, but I didn’t stop. I closed the door softly, shutting him out for good.
As I leaned against the door, I let out a long, shaky breath, trying to calm the storm of emotions swirling inside me. I had done it. I had stood my ground. But it didn’t feel like a victory. It felt like the end of something–a final, painful goodbye to the life I had once imagined for myself.
I slid down to the floor, wrapping my arms around my baby bump as the tears began to fall again. I didn’t know what the future held, but one thing was clear: I couldn’t let Kaelen back into my life, no matter how much it hurt. I had to protect myself and my twins.
No matter what.
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
