He Let Her Bleed, Now He Begs For Her Love

"Congratulations, you're pregnant."

Elianna Briggs was distracted at that moment.

The doctor's words still rang in her head.

Suddenly, Cayden Evans' fingers gripped her arm. His voice was low. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

Before she could answer, he cupped the back of her head and pulled her into a deep, demanding kiss.

Then, he rose and headed for the bathroom.

Elianna lay on the large bed, her limbs heavy with exhaustion. Her hair was plastered to her temples, and her eyes were still wet. Every muscle ached.

After catching her breath, she eased open the bedside drawer and slipped out the pregnancy test result.

A persistent stomach ache had sent her to the doctor earlier that afternoon. Her blood work confirmed she was nearly five weeks along.

Elianna had felt nothing but a hollow shock for the fact that they had always used protection.

She searched her memory of the past month, her mind snagging on a single night. After a business gala, Cayden had brought her home. At the door, out of nowhere, he'd asked if she was on safe period that night.

She never imagined one careless, unthinking moment could lead to this.

The sound of running water came from the bathroom. Behind that door was Cayden Evans, her secret husband of two years and her boss as the CEO of the Evans Group.

It had all started with an accident after being drunk that landed her in his bed when she was just a new hire.

Soon after, his grandfather had fallen gravely ill. Cayden proposed a temporary solution: a marriage on paper to fulfill his dying grandfather's wish for him to settle down.

They'd signed a prenuptial agreement. A secret office marriage, terminable at any time.

At the time, Elianna had felt like she'd won the lottery.

She was going to marry the man she'd secretly admired from afar for eight years. It was a dream she'd never dared to voice, and she had said yes instantly.

After the wedding, Cayden was too busy to come home most nights.

But in those two years, there had never been another woman, not even a whisper of a scandal.

Aside from his coldness, he was almost the perfect husband.

Staring at the pregnancy test in her hand, she felt both sweet and nervous.

She decided to tell him tonight.

She also wanted to tell him that the night two years ago wasn't their first meet. She had loved him long before that-for ten years in total.

The sound of showing finally faded.

The moment Cayden stepped out, his phone rang. He answered it on the balcony, wearing nothing but a towel slung low on his hips.

Elianna's eyes drifted to the clock. It was past midnight.

A knot of unease tightened in her stomach. Who would be calling so late?

When he returned, he dropped the towel without a hint of shame.

He had the kind of body that commanded attention-wide, powerful shoulders, a sculpted chest, and lean hips tapering down to impossibly long legs.

Despite having sex for so many times, a deep blush still crept up Elianna's neck, and her pulse quickened.

Cayden walked to the bed, grabbed his dress shirt and trousers, and began to dress. His long, deft fingers knotted his tie, his profile chiseled and cool.

There was an arrogant grace in every precise movement, making her forget herself.

"You can rest first," he said.

Was he leaving?

Disappointment flickered through her. Her fingers tightened around the pregnancy report, She hesitated, then heard herself say, "It's so late."

Cayden's hands paused on his tie. He reached out and lightly pinched her earlobe, a smirk playing on his lips. "If you ask me to stay, you'll regret not getting any sleep."

Her face burned. Her heart hammered against her ribs. She opened her mouth to say something, but he had already let her go. "Be good. I have things to take care of. Don't wait up."

And just like that, he headed for the door.

"Cayden."

She scrambled after him.

He turned, his sharp jawline catching the light, his gaze direct at her.

"What is it?"

His voice held a distant chill, as if he were already miles away.

A ache somehow seized Elianna's chest. She asked softly, "Do you have time to visit my grandmother with me tomorrow?"

Her grandmother was ill. Elianna desperately wanted Cayden to be there, to set the old woman's mind at ease.

"We'll see." He didn't say yes, nor no. Then he was gone.

After her shower, Elianna tossed and turned, but sleep wouldn't come.

She finally gave up, wandered to the kitchen, and warmed a glass of milk.

An entertainment news alert popped up on her phone.

She normally ignored them, but her thumb froze mid-swipe when she spotted a familiar name. She tapped it open.

"Top Designer Valerie Wilson Returns-Spotted With Mystery Man at Airport"

In the photo, she wore a low bucket hat. The man beside her was just a blurry silhouette, but that build was unmistakable.

Elianna zoomed in, and a low hum started in her ears.

It was him. The man beside Valerie was Cayden.

So the meeting he'd canceled that afternoon was to pick up his ex?

A cold, heavy weight settled in her stomach, making it hard to breathe.

Her trembling fingers moved on their own, dialing his number.

She fumbled to hang up, but before she could, a voice answered.

"Hello?"

It was a woman's voice, soft and gentle.

For a single, frozen heartbeat, Elianna couldn't move. Then she threw the phone as if it had burned her.

Her stomach churned, and she barely made it to the bathroom before she was violently sick.

...

The next morning, Elianna showed up for work right on time.

After their rushed marriage, Cayden had wanted her to stay home, but she'd insisted on earning her own living.

He'd relented, but on his terms. He kept her close as a nominal assistant who did little more than fetch coffee, ensuring she was always within his sight.

Any task of actual importance went to Derek Marshall, his most trusted senior aide.

Within the company, only Derek knew the truth about their secret marriage.

The executive office had always been an all-male domain, a tradition Elianna alone had broken. Naturally, everyone whispered that she must be sleeping her way to the top.

But when time proved that Cayden showed her no special treatment, the contempt only deepened.

The unspoken verdict was in every glance: looks wouldn't keep her in his favor for long.

Just then, a colleague handed Elianna a file to deliver to the CEO's office.

Cayden hadn't come home last night. And She hadn't slept a wink.

Her mind had been racing, haunted by the same questions. Who was that woman picking up the call? Had they spent the whole night together?

She already knew the answers, but she wasn't ready to face them.

Unless there was someone who could tell her the ruthless truth in her face.

But now, she felt eerily calm. Whatever happened, she needed closure for the ten silent years she had spent loving him.

She pressed the elevator button with a steady hand. Before the doors opened, she smoothed her hair and checked her reflection.

As she approached the CEO's office ajar door, a male's voice from inside stopped her cold.

"Do you even have any feelings for Elianna?"

The speaker was Simon Campbell, Cayden's childhood friend.

"What are you getting at?" Cayden's voice was as cold as ever.

Simon clicked his tongue. "I think Elianna's great. Still not your type?"

"Why don't I set you up with her?" Cayden replied, his tone utterly indifferent.

"No, thanks."

A dismissive laugh echoed from inside, sharp and grating.

They were talking about her like she was an object to be passed around.

Elianna's breath caught. Her grip on the file tightened, her palms growing damp and cold.

Then Simon's voice came again.

"That 'mystery man' in the photo with Valerie... that was you, wasn't it?"

"Yeah."

"Wow. You'd really do anything to keep her happy, wouldn't you?" Simon's tone turned lewd. "A whole night with Valerie... The reunion sex must've been explosive, huh?"

The floor seemed to drop out from under Elianna's feet.

The blood drained from her face, and a deep, numbing cold spread through her limbs.

A whole night!

Reunion sex!

The words hammered at her, each one a physical blow.

A roar filled her ears. Her vision blurred, the world dimming at the edges.

She was about to turn and flee when the door clicked open.

"Elianna?"