Blood Stained Vows And My Deadly Silent Lies

It was the night before my wedding when I learned my high-profile fianc had a child with another woman.

Ryan was at the mahogany table, calmly sorting through the heavy-stock guest list. He didnt even look up as he delivered the words that shattered my reality:

Its history, Anna. A loose end from my time in the field. The child was born, and Im responsible. The woman is simple and has nowhere to go. Its cleaner to keep them at the estate.

I froze, every muscle locking up.

It took a long, hollow moment for the air to return to my lungs. So the last three years what does that make us?

It means I owe you an apology.

He struck a match against the box, the quick, blinding flash illuminating the cold, chiseled planes of his face. The choice is yours. We can still walk away.

My hand instinctively moved, pressing a protective flat against my lower abdomen.

A secret lay buried thereone Id planned to tell him today, to complete our future.

The sudden, utterly unheralded truth slammed into me, a heavy, brutal blow that left my chest aching.

An accident from the border, before I met you, his voice was still low, devoid of any genuine distress. The woman, Zahra, shes not ambitious, and she stays put. Keeps the boy quiet. Its convenient.

I turned, needing to see him clearly.

He stood in the soft lamplight, his custom-tailored dark suit perfectly outlining the shape I had loved for three years.

But the layer of frost across his brow was new. It chilled me to the bone.

So all those times over the last three years, when you said you were handling business

I was seeing them. The admission was quick, devoid of remorse. A Kincaid heir cant be left adrift. Zahra handles Leo well enough. The boy is quiet.

Well enough. Quiet.

Each word was a shard of glass, embedding itself deep in my eardrum.

Three years.

Through countless days and nights.

Hed had a thousand opportunities to end it with them, or to end it with me.

Instead, hed chosen the comfortable middle path, standing at the center of the scales, meticulously balancing two separate lives.

A faint, deep spasm tightened in my stomach. I clutched at the spot.

Ryans eyes dropped to my hand, his brow furrowing slightly.

You dont look well. He took a step toward me, his hand reaching for my forehead.

I jerked back violently, my spine hitting the cold ceramic tile of the fireplace.

The sudden chill pierced through my silk dress.

Dont touch me.

His hand hung suspended in the air.

His encrypted satellite phone buzzed then, a low, urgent vibration.

He glanced at the screen and swiped it silent.

It buzzed again. He silenced it again.

On the third buzz, he swore under his breath and finally answered.

A womans voice, thick with a foreign accent and laced with sobs, crackled through the phone.

Ryan Leo has a fever He keeps calling for his father Please, could you come?

Ryan rubbed the bridge of his nose, the weariness suddenly obvious. Its fine. Ill send the doctor immediately.

He ended the call and turned back to me, softening his tone. Shes high-strung. The boy is delicate. Its constant drama.

I didnt speak, I just stared.

This scenario had played out countless times over the past three years. His phone always buzzing. Me always the dutiful, understanding fiance, saying, You go handle it.

It turned out those hurried exits, those missed holidays, those silent, late-night departures, had sometimes been for them. A mother. A son.

I laughed, a ragged, ugly sound, and the tears finally began to stream down my face. Take me to them.

He was silent for a long time.

My own phone vibrated then. The voice, loud and cheerful, filled the dead silence of the room.

Anna! Your fathers sent the invites out! Everyone says Ryan is a solid man, says you picked a winner! The joyful sound stabbed at my nerve endings.

I choked back a sob. Dad, I have to go! Ill call you later!

I disconnected the call. Ryans voice, now cruelly calm, cut through the tension.

The invites are out, the hotel is booked, the photos are taken, he said. He paused, letting the weight of the words settle. I gave you the ceremony you wanted.

I looked up at him. What are you saying? You think that gives you the right to try and blackmail me? To make me a silent partner in your three-person wedding?

Im not blackmailing you. He walked to the window, turning his back. I told you, you can walk away.

But you need to think clearly. Are three years of history, the future we planned, and the expectations of your father and friends worth sacrificing, just because of a mother and a son?

A mother and a son

I nearly broke, the sound a mix of a laugh and a scream.

They are flesh and blood, Ryan. Your son. The woman who birthed him! They are not assets you can simply manage away!

He turned back, his expression blank.

As if I were obsessing over a meaningless detail.

So what do you want? he demanded. You want me to ship them out right now? Send them somewhere youll never have to see them again?

I swallowed, the breath catching in my throat.

My heart pounded painfully against my ribs.

His tone, unbelievably, was that of a man offering a concession.

My loyalty is to you. I will give you everything I can.

Everything he could give

But that didnt include honesty, or a future without a hidden life and a hidden child.

I gave a single, hollow laugh.

Get out.

Ryan paused. Anna

I said get out!

I grabbed the nearest thinga heavy, polished metal sculptureand hurled it at him with all my strength.

He didn't flinch.

The expensive ornament clipped his temple, leaving a quick, vivid streak of red.

Your emotions are running high. Decisions made in anger are always regretted later.

Ill come back later when youve calmed down.

The door clicked shut softly.

I slid down the wall, sinking onto the cold floor.

The chasm ripped open in my heart howled with a cold, devastating wind. It told me that everything Id believed in, expected, and meticulously built over the past three years, had been resting on shifting sand.

And now, the sandcastle was gone.

My phone buzzed again. It was my fathers friend, Uncle Dave, from back home.

I took a deep breath and answered. Uncle Dave?

His voice was a heavy sigh. I shouldnt be telling you this, but seeing your father I cant keep it from you, Anna. Your dad he doesnt have much time left.

I froze. Uncle Dave what are you saying?

Its the late stage. Untreatable. He hid it because you were planning the wedding, and he was afraid you couldnt handle it. Hes been holding on, just waiting to see you walk down the aisle.

The phone slipped from my numb fingers and hit the floor. A gut-wrenching cry escaped me.

I sobbed until the well ran dry, until my body was nothing but a fragile husk.

Then, I fumbled for the phone and pressed Ryans number.

He answered instantly.

Anna?

I used every last ounce of will I possessed to squeeze out the dry, cracked words.

The wedding is on.

I didnt tell my father anything when I saw him.

I just listened, as always, to his simple, heartfelt advice about the wedding daywhat would bring luck and happinessand his careful, detailed instructions about taking care of myself after the babies came.

It was the heavy, meticulous way he imparted this mundane advice that felt less like everyday rambling and more like a final, solemn entrustment.

I nodded, agreeing to everything.

I massaged his shoulders, tidied the last of the heirlooms hed painstakingly set aside for my dowry.

Sunlight poured into the old living room, just as it had on countless afternoons.

But when I stood to get water and accidentally caught my reflection in the mirror

I looked ten years older, and only two days had passed.

Before the ceremony, I insisted on meeting the woman and the child.

Ryan agreed.

The black SUV drove us far outside the city to a highly secured estate.

My heart sank lower with every passing mile.

This was not what casually housing them somewhere looked like.

At the black wrought-iron gates, fully armed security detail saluted respectfully. Mr. Kincaid.

Inside, the home was decorated in a cold, modern style, but every piece of furniture, every artwork, screamed expense.

High security. Impeccable taste.

Then, I saw her.

She was on the turn of the grand staircase, very young, with a striking, exotic beauty, but her eyes were full of timidness.

Ryan Her voice was soft and quiet, marked by the thick accent.

Ryan gave a curt Hmm.

There was a slight reproof in his tone. Why are you down here without shoes? How many times have I told you the stone floor is cold?

I I heard the car. She spoke in a whisper, nervously twisting the fabric of her dress, unable to meet our gaze.

This is Anna Calder, Ryan introduced me simply.

He didnt specify my identity. He didnt introduce hers.

The woman glanced up quickly, eyes darting over me, and her voice shrunk even further. Ms. Calder I am Zahra.

I looked behind her.

A boy of about thirteen or fourteen stood deep in the shadow, his features a striking, cold replica of Ryans. He watched me with undisguised hostility.

Ryan waved him over. Leo. Come here.

The boy walked slowly, his expression blank, and gave a reluctant, Father.

Ryan turned to the housekeeper. Maria, bring Zahras house shoes.

The woman looked startled, almost flattered, but too shy to move.

The housekeeper brought the shoes. Ryan gestured for her to put them on.

I stood there, motionless.

Watching him use that possessive, domestic language so naturally, so effortlessly, was like having a bucket of ice water dumped over the three years of warmth I had accumulated.

His words for her were those of weary managementtreating a problem asset. But his actions were those of habitual caremanaging a belonging.

It was a muscle memory, ingrained over years.

The answer was clear the moment I stepped inside.

If I married him, I would only be inflicting the same wound on myself, again.

I stayed for less than three minutes before rising. I need to leave.

Ryan stood up with me. Ill take you.

As we walked through the short hallway, the estate manager stopped him to confirm a security detail.

It left only Zahra, Leo, and me.

I thought, perhaps, she was truly oblivious to my existence. There was no need to expose the ugliness.

But as I moved to leave, Zahra timidly blocked my path, her voice soft but now laced with a subtle, sharp venom.

I heard Ms. Calders father is sending out invitations everywhere Truly, what a spectacle. To be so proud of your daughter becoming the second family.

Slam.

I didnt hold back the force of the blow.

Her head snapped sideways, her face instantly swelling and reddening. Her eyes filled with tears, but she didnt dare to cry aloud.

You you hit me?!

I stepped closer, towering over her. Mention my fathers name again, and I will tear that mouth off your face. I promise you, I will.

Ryan rushed back, hearing the noise. He saw Zahras swollen face and his expression tightened. Anna, you promised you wouldnt make this difficult.

I met his gaze head-on. Ask her what she just said.

Zahras voice was thin and shaky, a genuine whimper now. Ryan I didnt I only

The boy, Leo, looked up suddenly, glaring at me. How dare you hit my mother?!

I looked coldly at the pair, unwilling to entertain the performance. I went straight to the heart of the matter.

Ryan, she just called my father a fool for proudly giving his daughter to you as a mistress! This is the simple and settled woman youve been keeping?

Ryan inhaled sharply.

Even if she spoke inappropriately, you dont resort to violence. What happened to you? Why are you being so irrational?

Irrational?

I watched him subtly position himself to shield Zahra and Leo. The cold fury inside me was instantly doused with icy water.

She insulted my dying father, and I defended him. That is irrational?

He pinched the bridge of his nose, taking a breath to steady himself. Can we please be adults about this? Not here. This is becoming embarrassing.

I looked at his perpetually logical face and suddenly realized the futility of any further argument.

I raised my chin and forced the burning tears back.

I had once desperately longed for this public, celebrated wedding.

Now, I was only grateful it was a mere formality. A performance that would allow me to walk away clean.

The wedding day was bright and sunny.

Everything went according to plan, until the moment before the exchange of rings.

The grand doors of the ballroom burst open.

A frail figure, Zahra, stumbled in, her face pale and distraught.

Her voice was weak and tearful. Ryan Leo hes gone! I cant find him anywhere Im scared

Before she could finish, she collapsed onto the floor.

My heart lurched violently.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the forced smile on my fathers face. Every surging emotion was brutally suppressed.

Ryan was already making a move to jump off the altar.

I gripped his hand, my fingers digging into his wrist.

I looked up at him, pleading with a desperate, self-sacrificing humility.

Ryan twenty minutes. Just twenty minutes. Lets finish the ritual. Shell be cared for.

My father is watching Dont let him think I made the wrong choice Please. Just this once. Play the role for me, okay?

I tried to give him a smile, but it felt more like a grimace.

Ryans brow was deeply furrowed, his voice sharp with condemnation.

Zahra is collapsed, Leo is missing, and you want me to stay here and finish this twenty-minute act? Is your performance more important than a childs life?

The next second, he wrenched his hand free, the force sending me stumbling back, knocking over the massive champagne tower.

And in front of hundreds of stunned guests, he strode quickly toward the collapsed woman.

Ryan! I yelled, using the last of my breath.

If you walk out that door today, we are done. You and I. Forever.

The immense ballroom fell into a terrifying, deep silence.

He only turned his head slightly, throwing back a single, cold line.

You, right now, are a stranger to me.

Then, he signaled for his men to lift Zahra, and walked out without a backward glance.

The officiant stood awkwardly in place.

My legs gave out. I collapsed onto the cold marble floor.

The pain in my lower abdomen was a sudden, violent tearing.

Until the pristine white silk of my dress began to bloom with a dark, shocking red

And with a dull, heavy thump.

My fathers frail, desperate handthe one that had wanted to secure my happiness before he leftfinally let go.

The car had barely started moving when Zahra stirred in Ryans arms.

She leaned weakly against his shoulder, whispering, I didnt mean to, Ryan. I was just so scared when I couldnt find Leo.

Ryan gave distracted, noncommittal responses.

The image of Annas final, betrayed look flashed in his mind.

A strange, heavy feeling pulled at his chest, but he quickly dismissed it, replacing it with annoyance.

Women were endless drama. Did she really value her perfectly staged ceremony over his safety and comfort?

His phone buzzed.

He answered, his tone curt. Say it.

Ace, his second-in-command, sounded uncharacteristically panicked.

Ryan, about Anna something big happened!