The Text That Shattered Seven Years His Secret Wife Was Pregnant

Leo's face flushed red as he pointed at me.

But I was calmer than I expected. I felt my phone buzz in my pocket, turned, and walked back to the bedroom.

Leo seemed surprised by how calm I was.

"Nice one, Leo. She already knows she was wrong."

Hearing his friend say that, Leo assumed I'd gone back to the room out of guilt. A satisfied smile spread across his face.

I closed the door behind me and opened the text message.

Rose, your flight is booked for five days from now.

I looked down at the plastic ring on my finger.

Leo had bought it for me seven years ago. His very first gift to me.

A five-dollar trinket from a street vendor. I'd worn it for seven years.

Before long, someone knocked on my door.

It was Leo.

"Rose, come on out. Adela's not that petty."

My voice was flat. "No thanks."

I moved to close the door.

"Rose Barnes, every person out there is my friend. Do you really have to embarrass me like this? When did you become so inconsiderate?"

Then Adela appeared behind him.

"Leo, let me talk to her."

Leo sighed, nodded, and headed back to the dining room.

The moment he was gone, Adela's expression shifted. Like a mask slipping off.

"Rose Barnes, I refuse to believe you're this stupid. You really haven't figured it out? This baby is Leo's. And his real wife? That's me. So do yourself a favor and get lost."

I let a smile touch the corner of my lips. "Is that so? A 'real wife' who has to hide in the shadows?"

That hit a nerve. Adela's eyes went sharp.

"Don't get too full of yourself, Rose. Who do you think Leo's going to choose?"

And then she threw herself backward.

"Adela!"

Leo and his friends came rushing over.

"I'm sorry, Rose," Adela whimpered, clutching her stomach. "I know it bothers you that other people can get pregnant, but I can't lose this baby. Please, I'm begging you, leave him alone."

Leo didn't even bother pretending anymore.

"Rose Barnes, have you lost your mind? You could've killed her!"

Adela was rushed to the hospital.

Leo stood rigid outside the operating room, eyes locked on the doors.

"Rose Barnes, you'd better pray nothing happens to her."

I let out a quiet laugh. "And if something does? What, is the baby yours or something?"

Leo's hand trembled.

Whispers rippled through the people around us.

"Looks like we've got a cheating scandal."

"The wife caught the mistress."

Leo's expression darkened.

"Rose Barnes, when did you learn to throw around baseless accusations?"

My fists clenched at my sides. "Baseless? You know damn well whether it's baseless."

Something in my tone must have tipped him off, because Leo suddenly grabbed my arm. "Whatever this is, we'll talk about it at home."

I wrenched free. "What's the matter? Afraid she'll lose her reputation?"

That finally set him off.

"You really want to do this? You want to tear everything apart right here?"

"Fine. Let me spell it out for you, Rose Barnes. Adela is my legal wife. You're the other woman. So where do you get off acting like you have the moral high ground?"

"What do you even have? You're a hen that can't lay eggs. I've been more than generous to you. Without me, who do you think would ever want you?"

The man standing in front of me had become a stranger.

I couldn't even pinpoint when it had happened—when he'd stopped loving me.

Seven years of my life, and he'd treated every last one of them like garbage.

"Oh my God, I thought she was the wife. Turns out she's the mistress."

"A mistress acting that entitled? Shameless."

The crowd's whispers fueled Leo's confidence.

My reaction was strangely calm.

In Leo's eyes, that could only mean one thing—I was too afraid to leave him.