Rebirth: From Devoted Wife to Ice Queen CEO

Aria's pov

The silence that followed my confession felt like a heavy blanket over the room.

It was like the air itself had become solid, making each breath I took feel wrong, like I was disturbing the quiet.

The silence pressed in from all sides, making me feel trapped and alone.

But then Adrian did something I didn't expect. He laughed.

Not a chuckle or a smirk, but a full-blown laugh that echoed throughout the house.

His laughter was mocking and cruel, filling the entire space.

His disgusted gaze slowly traveled down my body and back up.

"You really think you're pregnant, don't you? You couldn't get pregnant for the past five years, and now you suddenly are? And you expect me to fall for that?" he scoffed at me.

I pulled back like he'd slapped me. My body tensed up so much I was shaking.

"It's true. When I went to the hospital last week for my monthly checkup, the doctor told me I was pregnant. That's why I made all these preparations - to surprise you," I choked out, shaking my head.

I still remembered how he smiled at me on our wedding night, telling me he'd protect me for the rest of our lives. Now it was like looking at a complete stranger.

"You really are pathetic, you know that?" He sneered, but it was the contempt and disgust in his eyes that really broke my heart.

"And why would I want a child from you when I already have a son?" He chuckled.

"What?" I cried out, shocked.

I wasn't sure what was happening. I blinked rapidly, my eyes looking down as I tried to understand what he was saying.

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. Only silence.

"What do you mean you have a son?" I whispered, my heart pounding loudly.

"Exactly what I said, Aria. Did you really think I'd sit around waiting for you to get pregnant and not want an heir of my own to take over when I'm old? What in the world goes on in that head of yours?" he replied coldly.

"How could you do this to me? I loved you, Adrian, and you do this to me? I sacrificed so much for you," I cried out.

My eyes were wide and filled with tears. I squeezed them shut, trying to force the tears back. The corners of my mouth pulled down, shaking as I tried to control the overwhelming emotions I was feeling.

His lips twisted into a cruel smirk as he looked at me.

"Sacrificed? You really are dumb. Do you want to know something funny? It's about your sickness," he sneered coldly.

Adrenaline shot through my veins, preparing me to fight or run. "What about it?"

"Your heart disease. It isn't cardiomyopathy. I've been giving you small doses of arsenic and thallium for the past three years," he smirked.

Every hair on my body stood up. I froze, rigid with terror, too overwhelmed to move.

A prickling sensation shot up my spine. "I don't believe you. How come the doctors didn't detect it? They can't be wrong," I said carefully.

"Oh, but they are wrong. It causes fatigue, fainting spells, and all the symptoms of cardiomyopathy, which made it hard for the doctors to detect," he replied.

My knees trembled and shook, threatening to give out underneath me.

My breath came out in shallow gasps. My chest rose and fell rapidly as the weight of what he just said threatened to suffocate me.

My eyes darted around the room, pupils wide, searching for an escape route. My entire being was on high alert as panic set my nerves on fire.

"Why... why tell... tell me now?" my voice quivered, each word stumbling out in broken fragments.

Fear had tied my tongue in knots, making it impossible to speak properly.

His laughter was sharp and mocking, echoing in the air with disdain.

"Because I've changed my mind. I don't need you to sign the divorce papers," he sneered.

I immediately backed away from him, warning bells going off in my head. "Why?"

"You, my dear wife, will die today, your heart finally giving up. And I, being the devoted husband, will be pitied by everyone. So you see, there's no need for you to sign the divorce papers anymore," he replied.

He threw the divorce papers into the fireplace and I watched as they went up in flames.

My thoughts raced through worst-case scenarios, each possibility more terrifying than the last as panic took over my rational thinking.

Everything in me was telling me to run, but I couldn't. Not because I didn't want to, but because my legs wouldn't move.

"What... what... do you... you plan on doing to me?" I asked, my voice shaking.

His eyes burned with fierce, unyielding hatred that made me shiver and cower away from him.

"The obvious. Do I have to explain every single detail to you? What I'm trying to say, Aria, is that you're going to die tonight and I will be the one to kill you," he said cruelly.

My mouth opened but no words came out.

A knot of fear tightened in my chest, making it hard to breathe and think clearly. My thoughts crashed against each other.

A sickening wave of terror rose in my stomach. My heart hammered against my ribs like thunder echoing through my body. My pulse throbbed in my ears, drowning out all other sounds.

"No," I choked out.

I clamped my hands over my mouth, stifling a scream. My eyes were wide with terror as Adrian approached me with deliberate steps and a small bottle he'd just pulled out of his pocket.

The cake knife on the table clattered to the floor, icing smeared like blood across the tiles.

Just like my father's company... stolen by the man I loved and thought loved me too.

No matter how hard I fought him, he overpowered me and poured all the contents of the bottle down my throat.

I tried to claw at my neck to cough out the substance, but it seemed impossible.

"What... what did you... you just give me?" I screamed.

"Just something to finish you off early. A triple dose of arsenic and thallium - the same stuff I usually put in your food," Adrian said, laughing.

His laugh was harsh and bitter, with no humor in it.

But right in the middle of it all, a phone rang through the room with a sharp sound that made me flinch.

Adrian smiled at the caller's name on the screen before picking up the call.

I couldn't hear what the caller was saying because I was on the ground in pain, but I could swear it was a woman's voice.

What really shocked me was how his face changed to that of a lovesick fool when he saw the caller's name.

"You'll have to wait a little, my love," I heard him say into the phone. "No, she hasn't signed the divorce papers yet, but I'll make sure she does before the end of today."

He went silent for a minute, probably listening to whatever his mistress was telling him. "If she refuses? Then we'll go ahead with your plan of finally finishing her off."

His eyes squinted with disgust, like he didn't even want to see my face. "I'll be there soon. Give my kisses to Noah. Bye."

He hung up the call, his eyebrows arched with disdain.

But what he didn't know was that I saw the name on the phone screen before he ended the call.

The TV in the background was playing, showing Adrian's public face.

A news reporter was calling him a "devoted husband to his terminally ill wife." The sick irony.

If only they knew that the same husband had been slowly killing me over the years and was standing over me at that very moment, waiting for me to take my last breath.

I placed a gentle hand on my belly. The light behind my eyes dimmed, leaving behind only shadows of the person I once was. My lips were as pale as winter frost, drained of color, reflecting the numbness that had settled over me.

I felt sorry for the baby, who was innocent in all this. This was all my fault because I'd been too stupid to notice all the signs that Adrian never really loved me.

If there's anyone listening, any god, any devil, I would give anything for one more chance.

Just one more chance to fix all the horrible mistakes I'd made in life. Let me come back... and I swear, I'll never beg for love again and I'll make Adrian pay a hundred times over for what he did to me.

My lips quivered. I didn't want to die. At least not yet.

I had so much I wanted to do. Number one being experiencing motherhood.

My vision blurred, but I was still clinging to life.

I tried crawling toward the door, but my vision was fading slowly, making it hard to see. With effort, my hands finally reached the door handle.

My heart raced and my breath came out faster. Maybe I could get out of here and get help. Maybe I could really survive.

But I never got to get out the door.

My hand fell limp on the floor and the last thing I saw was Adrian smirking down at me before my world went completely black.