The Heir's Secret Marriage
Chapter 5
"Clara, you have to listen to me," Kevin said the second she stepped into the living room.
She dropped her purse on the sofa and crossed her arms. "Don't. Just don't, Kevin. I saw it with my own eyes. She said she's pregnant, everyone heard it."
"She's lying," Kevin shot back. His voice was sharp, but his eyes were tired. "Evelyn is desperate. That baby is not mine."
Clara laughed bitterly. "Not yours? Then why didn't you say that right away? Why did you just stand there like she owned you?"
Kevin raked a hand through his hair. "Because I was shocked! Do you know how insane it is to hear someone claim you're the father of their child in front of the press? I didn't even have time to think"
"You didn't need to think," Clara cut in. Her voice shook, and she pointed at him like he was a stranger. "All you had to do was open your mouth and deny it. You froze, Kevin and now everyone believes her."
"I was trying to protect you," he said quickly.
Clara's jaw dropped. "Protect me? By keeping silent?"
"Yes!" he snapped, then lowered his voice. "If I had argued with her in front of the cameras, it would have made things worse."
Clara's eyes filled with tears, but she refused to let them fall. "So instead, you let her humiliate me. You let her call herself the mother of your child while I stood there like some pathetic fool."
Kevin stepped closer, reaching for her hands, but she pulled them back. "Clara, please. I swear on everything that matters to me, she is lying. You are my wife. You are the only one I want."
Clara's voice cracked. "Then prove it, show me something, anything."
Kevin opened his mouth, then shut it. His silence stretched between them like a wall.
"You can't," Clara whispered, her throat tight. "You can't prove it, can you?"
"It's not that simple," he muttered.
"Of course it isn't," she said bitterly. "It's never simple with you."
Kevin's voice rose again. "You think I'd betray you like that? After everything? Clara, I chose you. I married you. Why can't you trust me?"
"Because trust goes both ways!" she yelled, finally losing control. "You keep secrets, you hide things. Every time I think I know you, something else comes out and now the whole world thinks Evelyn is carrying your child. And you expect me to just smile and trust you?"
Kevin's shoulders sagged. "I don't expect you to smile. I just need you to hold on. Let me handle this."
Clara shook her head. "No, Kevin. I can't keep standing here waiting for you to 'handle it.' I feel like I'm drowning while you're too busy playing chess with your family and Evelyn."
He tried again to touch her, but she stepped back, her face pale. "Don't, Kevin. Because right now, I don't even know if I can look at you without seeing her."
Kevin's voice dropped to a desperate whisper. "Don't leave me."
Clara picked up her purse and headed for the door. "I don't know what I'll do yet. But I can't breathe in here. Not with you telling me to trust words with no proof."
"Clara, please!" Kevin called, his voice breaking.
But the door slammed shut, leaving him standing alone in the silent house, his fists clenched and his face full of regret.
******
The ballroom sparkled with lights and cameras, but Clara felt like she was walking into a lion's den. Kevin's hand was firm on her back as they entered, but she could feel his tension.
"Smile," Kevin murmured. "They're all watching."
"I don't feel like smiling," Clara replied under her breath.
Reporters whispered, eyes following her like she was an intruder. The whispers were sharp: That's the wife? She looks so plain. Evelyn would have been better.
Clara forced herself to lift her chin.
Kevin's father stood on stage with a glass in his hand, tall and commanding. "Ladies and gentlemen," he said with a proud smile, "let us raise our glasses to the future of the Raymond empire and to Evelyn, who carries the next generation."
The room erupted in applause. Evelyn stood near the front, radiant in a silver gown, smiling sweetly as if she belonged.
Clara froze and her stomach twisted. She felt the sting of humiliation crawl up her throat.
She leaned toward Kevin, whispering harshly, "Are you hearing this? Your father just toasted her. In front of everyone."
Kevin's jaw clenched. "Ignore him."
"I can't ignore being erased," Clara shot back.
Evelyn's eyes flicked to her, a victorious gleam shining through. She even dared to wave lightly at Clara, like mocking her.
Clara's pulse roared in her ears. She couldn't sit quietly any longer. She shoved back her chair, stood up, and her voice carried across the hall.
"Stop this," she said, her voice shaking but loud enough for the crowd to hear. "I won't be silent, i am Kevin's wife. Legally. Right here, right now."
The ballroom fell silent.
Gasps spread like fire as all eyes turned to her.
******
The silence after Clara's outburst was heavy. People whispered, cameras clicked.
Kevin's father's smile faded, but before he could speak, Evelyn stepped forward gracefully, her heels clicking against the marble floor.
"Oh, Clara," Evelyn said sweetly, her voice carrying. "You really think a rushed city hall paper makes you his wife in any real sense? Kevin belongs with me. And soon, everyone will see why."
Clara's fists tightened at her sides. "You're lying. You've been lying from the start."
Evelyn smirked and held up a folder. "Really? Then perhaps everyone should take a look at this." She pulled out crisp documents and handed them to a nearby reporter. "Official paternity results. Kevin is the father of my child."
Flashes exploded as reporters scrambled, shouting questions. Clara's heart pounded, her breath caught in her chest.
She turned to Kevin, waiting, praying for him to deny it, to shout that Evelyn was lying.
But Kevin just stood there, silent. His jaw tight, his eyes unreadable.
Clara's stomach dropped. She felt the ground slip under her feet.
"You can't even deny it," she whispered, her voice breaking. Then louder, "We're done, Kevin."
She spun and stormed out, straight into the swarm of paparazzi waiting outside.
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