The next morning, Kiara stepped out of her room, heading to the living room with the papers from the day before. She had questions, especially about the childbearing clause mentioned in them. There was no way she was carrying his child. From the conversation she had overheard between him and Lucien, he was clearly on a mission. And she was on one too, revenge. Her husband's betrayal still hurt deeply. She wasn't going to carry anyone's child.
She wasn't marrying him because she wanted to be a mother. The whole marriage arrangement was just a means to an end, she gets what she wants, he gets what he wants, and afterward, they both go their separate ways.
As she stepped into the room, she heard the clinking of cutlery and turned toward the dining room. She hadn't even known there were maids in the mansion until that morning when one came to call her for breakfast.
Last night, it had been Lucien who came to ask what she would like to eat, but she had asked him to leave. She wasn't going to eat anything offered by them.
Now, as she walked into the dining room, Antonio was seated, having breakfast, with Lucien standing just inches away from him. Noticing her presence, Antonio paused and glanced up briefly.
"Is everything okay? Why are you still in your clothes from yesterday?"
Ignoring the question, she dropped the papers on the desk, her arms folded tightly across her chest.
"What is the meaning of this?" She huffed. "You expect me to not just be your woman, but to carry your child too?"
He quietly set his cutlery down and turned to meet her eyes.
"What do couples do when they get married?" He asked. "Have children, right? That's exactly what we're going to do."
Lucien cleared his throat. Kiara glanced at him, then back at Antonio.
"Lucien, leave the room." Antonio ordered. Lucien quickly scurried out.
Antonio rose from his chair. Now, their breaths were inches apart. She couldn't hold his gaze for long, his presence was too intimidating.
That voice of his carried so much authority, it made you obey without even realizing it.
"If you don't want to, I won't force you." He said, tilting his head toward the table. "Those are the divorce papers. You can go ahead and sign. Once you're done, make sure you leave the house before I return."
He's sending me away?
Where do I even go? My father doesn't want me. Anderson is still out there, hunting me. I need a place to stay until I figure things out. His plan failed, that only means he'll be coming for me.
"The baby?" She asked, and he paused. "Will the baby be taken away from me?"
A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, but he quickly masked it. He liked how she asked, out of fear.
"Who's going to take care of the baby when you leave?" He asked, though it sounded more like a statement.
Kiara understood, he didn't want her to leave. If there was no marriage between them after one year, he would probably ask her to stay on as the baby's nanny. After all, she was still the mother.
Or so she thought. But she was wrong.
"It's just a year. No invading of privacy. And the baby is still mine." She added. The word baby stung as it left her lips.
She still didn't know what happened to her baby the night she gave birth. The doctors only confirmed the baby didn't survive, but none of them ever explained why. No cause. No closure.
"It's there in the papers. If you're still willing to sign, go ahead. If you're not, leave them, and be sure to leave before I return."
With that, he turned toward the stairs, but stopped halfway and looked back at her.
He could've sworn he saw a tear fall from her eye. And for some reason, it hurt him.
"Why is he so cruel? Is it because he saved me? I blame myself for going to that club that night. If they hadn't killed my baby, I'd still have hope.
They killed her child? He didn't just cheat on her? What is she talking about? Antonio wondered silently.
He watched as she signed the papers and left them on the dining table. She didn't hesitate. When she reached for the divorce documents, she signed those too, without thinking.
This wasn't the time to be weak.
She had already made plans in case she ever got pregnant by him. The baby she lost… she would replace it with his child. At least it wouldn't hurt so much when she remembered what was taken from her.
It had always been her dream to raise a child. Now that he wasn't going to take this one away from her, she would use the child to get what she needed from him.
Just as she turned toward the stairs, her stomach growled. She was hungry, but still didn't want to eat anything in that mansion.
As she ascended the stairs, she came face to face with him again, he was already on his way out. They were the only ones allowed to use that staircase. Whoever was going somewhere had a purpose.
"I'm off to work. I don't want to come back and find you in those clothes." He said, his voice sharp, more of a command than a request.
She didn't get to tell him she's not with any clothes because he didn't stop and just strut off.
Once in her room, she sat on the bed, painstakingly going through the papers she had just signed.
As she read through it, her jaw dropped. She never expected an alimony from him, he didn't seem like someone who would give her a part of his wealth.
She rose, still in shock. What she had received was perhaps a half of his wealth. It would have been enough for him to expand the company just like he had discussed with her.
She scurried out of the room, hoping to meet him outside. Getting to the door, she met another maid.
"Where's your boss?"
"He's going for a meeting, but he will be back soon." She Informed, following her gaze. "Please come with me, he's asked me to make sure you change out of this."
"I'll have to get new clothes. Call him, I need to go out and get mine."
"There will be no need for that. Please, come with me." The maid urged, motioning for her to follow downstairs.
They walked into a room, and the maid pulled back the curtains, letting sunlight flood the space.
"You just need to pick from here, and we'll move them to your room." She said, opening the wardrobe.
Kiara's eyes widened, and the papers she had been holding slipped from her hands and scattered on the floor. She was from a wealthy home, but she had never seen anything like this before.
Even Anderson hadn't given her anything this expensive.
"Who is he?" She whispered, stunned.
Just then, the buzz of her phone snapped her back to reality.
She pulled it from her pocket, eyes locked on the unknown number flashing on the screen. Her heart pounded loudly in her chest.
She didn't need to save the number to know who it was.
Her father.
But why is he calling? She wondered.