Unexpected Guest

Unexpected Guest
Diane’s POV

At Lance’s Mansion.

I lowered myself into the sofa carefully, one hand resting on my lower belly out of habit. It wasn’t much of a bump yet, just a small curve that only I seemed to notice, but I still sat like I was protecting something precious. My back ached a little, and I shifted until I found a comfortable spot, breathing out slowly as the weight in my stomach reminded me that I was four months gone already.

The living room smelled weird, like something that wanted to make me puke, but I managed to live through it. After all, it wasn’t an intoxicating feeling though. 

If I had my way, I’d never do this again. Pregnancy wasn’t the glowing fairytale everyone made it sound like. No one told me about the random nausea that hit whenever it wanted, or how I could eat a whole sandwich and still crave pickles five minutes later.

My moods were all over the place. One minute I wanted to cry over a damn commercial, and the next, I’d be laughing at nothing. My back ached, my breasts hurt, and my favorite jeans hadn’t fit in weeks. Still, as miserable as I felt, there was this quiet joy every time I felt that tiny stretch in my belly, like my body was reminding me that something real was growing inside me. And that, somehow, made it all bearable, no matter how the pregnancy came about.

My heart thumped hard as soon as I had that thought. I sighed. In no time, I’d have to face the harsh truth about my child’s paternity. But for now, I had to focus on being a good fake wife, a capable CEO, and a pregnant woman trying not to lose her mind.

I reached for the TV remote and changed the channel to something calm. Weekends, especially Saturdays, were for rest, not doing some weird activity called chores.

After a few minutes, the door swung open, revealing Ethan. “Good evening, Ma’am Diane,” he greeted with a bright smile. He was always smiling. Sometimes I envied him because how could anyone keep smiling with all the fucked-up shit happening in the world?

“Whose luggage is that?” I asked, pointing at the pink box he was holding. It couldn’t be Lance’s mother… she was six feet below the ground. So, maybe his sister? I didn’t remember Lance ever mentioning a female sibling. And Richard? No, that man was too self-absorbed to be that close to anyone.

Ethan was about to answer when the door opened again. He gave me a low bow before walking away. More luggage rolled in one by one, like some sort of royal arrival. I felt the urge to stand and see who the hell it was, but I was too tired to move. Then she finally walked in.

A woman. Tall, slim, and beautiful. She didn’t look familiar at all, but she also didn’t look lost either. She carried herself like she owned the place. Was she his cousin?

“Who are you?” I asked before I could stop myself. I didn’t even know why I needed to ask. I was just Lance’s wife on paper, and I knew my place. Besides, what if he had invited her over? The thought didn’t sit well with me. My heart was beating too fast. But why did it even bother me this much? Wait, did I…

“I should be asking you that,” she snapped, her tone sharp. “Who are you?”

Her eyes dropped to my stomach, and when she noticed my baby bump, I caught a flash of anger, and maybe sadness on her face.

“Diane,” I said quickly, still trying to piece things together.

“I didn’t ask for your name, bitch!” she yelled. “I said, who the fuck are you?”

“What’s going on here?” Lance’s voice echoed from upstairs, his footsteps following right after. He only skipped work on weekends too when he wanted peace, so hearing him now made it clear something was off.

“Lance,” we both said in unison.

“Victoria?” he blurted, eyes wide as he hurried down the stairs.

Victoria? Wait, Victoria? As in the “V” tag on the room door next to mine?

She rushed into his arms, and he caught her instantly, holding her like he’d been waiting forever for that moment. My stomach twisted. It felt like I was watching one of those Tyler Perry love scenes, only I wasn’t part of it. He held her so tightly, like if he let go, she’d disappear.

And then, as if to kill me completely, he kissed her. Not just a light kiss… a full, passionate one. Right there. In front of me.

That broke something inside me. No, he broke something inside me. And when I thought he couldn’t make it worse, he did. Because that kiss… it was deeper and more real than the one we’d shared on our wedding day.

Our fake wedding day, rather.

I stared, frozen. I had gotten my hopes up for nothing. For absolutely fucking nothing. I thought we were bonding. I thought we were moving closer, that maybe, just maybe, there was something real forming between us. I was happy we were slowly becoming more comfortable. I told myself I’d stay guarded, that I wouldn’t fall, but life had a twisted sense of humor.

And now, watching them, I knew everything was about to change.

“Oh my God, you didn’t tell me you were arriving today. I’ve missed you so much, V,” he said, his hand cupping her face gently.

But Victoria wasn’t even focused on him. Her eyes darted back to me, then to my stomach, then back up to my face.

“Who’s she?” she asked sharply.

Lance exhaled, letting go of her.

“Victoria, meet Diane,” he said quietly, then turned toward me. “Diane, meet Victoria, my fiancée.”

Fiancée.

That one word hit like a bullet.

My knees went weak. The room spun around me. My chest tightened so much it hurt to breathe.

And then everything went black.