CHAPTER 389
'Why should my child become their pawn?'
Her thoughts spiralled further, imagining a future where the child would be raised by them, with Harmony gleefully stepping into the role of mother while Arianna was discarded like she never mattered. The thought of being erased from the child’s life twisted her insides.
But even as the disgust bubbled up within her, a voice inside her—a small, quiet voice—reprimanded her.
Don’t jump to conclusions. You don’t know everything. This isn’t just about what Harmony and Xander want. You need to think. You need to understand what’s going on before you make any decisions.
Arianna clenched her fists, her emotions in turmoil. Part of her wanted to lash out, to believe that Harmony’s words and actions were the final word in the matter. But another part—an inner voice that refused to be ignored—told her she needed to keep her calm, that she had to stop letting her emotions control her.
Don’t make rash choices, Arianna. This is your child. This is about your future, too.
Rochelle’s hand on her backgrounded her at the moment, but Arianna couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to the story than she had seen so far. She needed to take a step back—think, breathe, and not let the chaos of her emotions cloud her judgment.
Rochelle’s voice pulled her from her thoughts.
“Arianna… do you want this child?” she asked, the question gentle but cutting through the turmoil in her mind.
Arianna swallowed her throat tight. She had no answer yet. The question was too big, too overwhelming. But it was the one she had to face.
Arianna's mind churned, the anger and anxiety spiralling within her. Harmony’s words echoed, each one cutting deeper. It was always part of their plan... The thought gnawed at her relentlessly. She tried to push it away, but it clung to her, seeping into every corner of her mind. Her hands shook as she gripped the edge of the counter, the overwhelming sense of betrayal nearly too much to bear. Had she been nothing more than a pawn in their twisted game?
A soft ping broke through her spiralling thoughts, followed by another. Arianna’s heart skipped a beat. She picked up her phone, her fingers trembling as she unlocked it.
The first message from Xander was brief but urgent:
When are you coming home? I’m worried about you. We need to talk.
Her breath caught in her throat, and she scanned the message, her chest tightening with every word. She couldn’t bring herself to respond yet. Instead, she scrolled to the next message.
Please, Arianna. I’ll explain everything. It’s not what you think.
The words stung. Not what you think. How many times had she heard that before, only to find out the truth was far worse? Her hands clenched around the phone, and her pulse raced.
Each message felt like a weight pressing down on her chest, making it harder to breathe.
I’m sorry. Please, just come home. We need to figure this out.
Her finger hovered over the keyboard. She wanted to respond—demand the truth, make him answer for the lies. But something stopped her. The silence felt like the only answer she could give in this moment. She stared at the screen, the words blurring together.
After a long pause, she set the phone back down, her heart pounding in her chest.
Then, with a deep breath, Arianna unlocked the phone once more and typed a single line:
I’ll meet you tomorrow. Cafe, 11am.
She hit send, and as the message was delivered, she exhaled, feeling the weight of the decision settle over her. Tomorrow, she would finally get the answers she needed.
..........
Xander sat on the edge of his bed, his phone still in his hand. He stared at the message from Arianna, the simple words "I’ll meet you tomorrow. Cafe, 11am" lingering in his mind. His heart gave a small, relieved thud. She was willing to talk to him—just a small step, but it was enough. He sighed deeply, sinking back into the bed, his mind racing with everything he needed to explain.
How was he supposed to explain everything to her? It was complicated—far more than he’d ever told her. His life, his past… Harmony.
His childhood friend, the person who had saved his life—and in doing so, had lost the ability to ever have children. He couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt every time he thought about it. If she hadn’t saved him, perhaps she would have had a family of her own by now. Maybe she would have been a mother. But instead, her sacrifice had robbed her of that future, and he couldn’t shake the weight of that responsibility.
But that debt, that life-saving moment had tethered him to her in ways he’d never imagined.
But in doing so, in always being there for Harmony, he had neglected the one person he truly loved—Arianna. Every time Harmony struggled with her panic attacks, Arianna’s calls would ring through. And every time, Harmony’s tearful pleas would echo in his ears. “Don’t go… please, I need you… don’t pick up.” And every time, he listened.
He never saw Harmony’s behaviour as manipulation—he saw it as the desperate need of a friend who had gone through so much. Harmony’s inability to conceive had shattered her in ways he couldn’t fully understand. She was fragile, and he had always been the one who could calm her, the one who could bring her some peace when her anxiety overwhelmed her. It was a bond born from years of shared history and her vulnerability.
But in doing that, in putting her needs before everything else, he had pushed Arianna to the side. Arianna loved him unconditionally while he had been consumed by trying to ease Harmony’s emotional pain.
He had told himself that it was just the right thing to do—that Harmony, in her mental state, needed him. But now, looking back, he realized how much he had missed with Arianna, and how much he had hurt her in the process.
Xander closed his eyes, allowing the memories to flood back with painful clarity. It was the night before their wedding—the night he had ruined everything with one final act of blind rage. Arianna, the woman who had taken a bullet for him, the woman he had fallen for long before the chaos had begun. And then, the crushing moment when he had jilted her at the altar.
The guilt of what he had put her through weighed on him like a suffocating weight. He had treated her with such cruelty, letting his anger and insecurities cloud his judgment. He could still see her face—the hurt, the confusion—as he had turned his back on her. He had betrayed the one person who had loved him without question, all because of a lie, a moment of weakness.
His mind replayed that night—the night when Harmony had shown him something he would never be able to forget. She had led him to a room, and there, through the shadows, he had seen Arianna with another man. The man Harmony said was someone Simon, her father, wanted to do business with. Harmony had made it seem like this was how Arianna sealed deals for her father. The implications of it were devastating. Betrayal. Deceit. He felt his chest tighten as that ugly emotion burned in him—anger, pain, confusion.
He had wanted to believe it wasn’t true. He had tried to ignore the whispers in his mind that told him to trust her, but when faced with the evidence, the doubts had consumed him. Harmony’s words echoed relentlessly in his mind:
"She’s not worth it. She’s been playing you." The trust he had placed in her shattered in that instant.
He had allowed his emotions to take the wheel, and in doing so, he had made a mistake he would never be able to undo.
It wasn’t until their wedding night, when they finally consummated their marriage, that Xander realized the truth. Arianna had been pure, a virgin—.
And in that moment, as they shared something so intimate, the weight of his earlier doubts hit him harder than ever. He knew then, without a shadow of a doubt, that what he had seen that night—what he had believed—was a lie. The betrayal he thought he’d witnessed, the doubts that had clouded his judgment, were all based on a misunderstanding, a moment of weakness he could never undo.
He had misjudged her, and in doing so, he had lost the trust of the one person who had truly loved him.
The weight of his regret twisted inside him, like a constant ache he couldn’t escape. He hated himself for believing the worst of her, for letting a moment of doubt sever the bond they had built. Every time he thought of it, the pain resurfaced. He wished he could take back that decision, take back the betrayal. But it was too late. The damage was done.
And now, as he sat there, the silence in his room was deafening. He wanted to make things right, to fix what he had broken, but he wasn’t sure how. The only thing he knew was that, no matter how much he regretted the past, the only future he wanted was the one with Arianna.
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