He Chose Her, I Chose Freedom

overed Kaylene was pregnant with his child, a calculated move to secure

ld, turning our mutual decision to wait into a weapon against me. When I

t emerged, revealing he had used stolen money to marry into my family, Keaton chose to

choosing to shield the woman carrying his child-a

g to Ireland to start a new l

er learning the truth, hunted me down. He found

s eyes filled with a possessive fire

pte

ir

meticulously built. It wasn't mine. It was Kaylene' s. My adopted sister, cradling Keaton' s child.

celain doll with wide, innocent eyes. Her han

red, her voice a reedy plea

woman I' d welcomed into my home, my f

t betrayal; it was an insult. A calculated

ce was as sharp as broken glass. "

"It wasn't supposed to happen this

on loved no one but hi

tears welling in her eyes, making them seem e

cheap. Especia

ing through her manufactured innocence. "You truly be

e needed an heir, Blair. He s

festering wound of our childless marriage, now weap

gerously low. "We chose not to have ch

elly. "He said you were too focused on the comp

eer, unadulterated g

my patience worn thin.

with fresh tears. "But wher

my problem.

fore you opened your legs for my husband," I re

trical. "How can

s simply st

yed my trust, Kaylene," I said, r

I'm carrying his child, Blair. Your husband

y voice was dev

n, his eyes scanning the scene. He saw Kaylene' s tear-streaked face, her hand pr

e?" he asked, his to

on. "Your little sec

ightened, his eyes narrowing slightly. He walked over to Kaylene, placing a

low, persuasive rumble, "let'

e was nothing ra

aid, my voice steady despite the tre

s hand dropped from Kaylene' s shoulder. His face,

concept was foreign to him. "Don't

just stabbed

sneered. "You f

Keaton ignored her, his eyes fixed on me. His expressi

his voice dropping to a near whisper, b

y overwhelming, suffocating. I stood my ground,

peated, a challe

across my mahogany desk. Papers, pens, my antique inkwell-everything went crashing to the floor wit

in moments of extreme frustration or when his control slipped. It was rare

emanded, his voice rising. "After everyt

e opportunity, Keaton," I reminded him, my

y. He turned to Kaylene, his e

nting a finger at her. "G

face pale with terror. She cast a despera

orward. "She' s not going anywh

unleashed. "You think you can control me,

Keaton," I countered, my voice as cold as ice.

hought he might physically lash out. Then, his featur

ly calm. "But if she leaves, the chil

He was using the

elity, Keaton, not my heir," I spat. "And

morless smile. "You don't mean

id, my voice firm. "And I

dn't back down. He reached out, his hand gently cupping m

troking my skin. "Don't do this. Do

away. "Don't touch me! Your

em, quickly replaced by a possessive glint.

led, pulling me closer. "Alwa

sudden surge of fear mixe

y ear. "You think I'll let you just walk a

s arms like steel bands around me. I t

" I gasped, my voice mu

untered, his voice hoar

gth. My hands flew up, and before I could even think, I sla

his cheek. For a moment, he simply stared at me, his expression

, his voice eerily ca

. The way he said "my wife

ng. "I want a divorce. I want you out of my life,

u can't get rid of me that easily, Bla

through me. This wasn't just about a d

ne. You want a divorce, you'll get a divorce. But don

hild. The constant, livin

I, the sheltered heiress, saw in him a kindred spirit, a drive that mirrored my own. My family had taken him in, mentored him, and I had

tore through me, raw and des

es, quickly masked. "You wanted to wait for children, Blair. Yea

er laugh escaping my lips. "My own sis

t. His silence w

s of Keaton and Kaylene, intimate, undeniable. And another one, a doctor' s report, confirm

ould outmaneuver me? He thought he could use my family, m

sland sanctuary. A rite of passage, a purification. It had always be

A pawn I would use to dismantle Keaton's carefully constructed world. This wasn't just ab

d, my voice laced with a promise of retr