Chapter 37 #37
Chapter 37
~Dwayne~
I've had a busy day at the company. Working on the project, pushing myself harder than I'd pushed in years, maybe harder than I'd ever pushed myself for anything.
The X-Intel model was my baby, my masterpiece in progress. And now, I'm about to create something even better.
I'd been at the office since six this morning, hadn't taken a lunch break, had barely even stood up from my desk except to refill my coffee.
It has been taking a toll because I wanted it to be perfect. Not just competitive. Perfect. Revolutionary. Something that would prove once and for all that I deserved to lead this company, that my five years away hadn't been wasted, that I was more than just the prodigal son returning home.
I was frustrated by the recent happenings though, the scandal with Dante's photos dominating every gossip site and news outlet in Kington. The images of my brother with that woman had been everywhere. On phones, on tablets, on computer screens throughout the entire SentientIQ office.
Seeing Dante's pictures plastered all over the internet, I'd wondered how Shailyn felt about it. How she was coping with the public humiliation, with the whispers and stares, with the undeniable evidence that her husband had been cheating on her.
But seeing him acting all lovey-dovey with her around the office, putting on that display of affection like he was some devoted husband instead of the manipulative bastard I knew him to be, I was sure he had fed her with lies. Convinced her the photos were fake, that he'd never betray her, that he loved her too much to ever stray.
I'm not surprised though. That was classic Dante, rewriting reality to suit his needs, gaslighting people until they questioned their own perceptions, making victims believe they were the crazy ones for not trusting him.
I'm just really concerned about how he has been manipulating the poor girl, taking advantage of her amnesia, her vulnerability, her desperate need to believe in the fairy tale version of their marriage that only existed in her fractured memories.
Shailyn deserved better. So much better.
And the worst part? The absolute worst part that I couldn't tell anyone, couldn't even fully admit to myself, was that she was mine first. Or at least, she'd been mine for one perfect night when neither of us had known who the other really was.
The woman from the mask club. My mysterious vixen. The one who'd haunted my dreams and occupied my every waking thought.
She was Shailyn.
My brother's wife.
The woman I'd slept with, held, touched, made love to with an intensity that still made my chest ache when I thought about it.
And she didn't even remember.
I'd spent the entire day trying not to think about it, burying myself in work, in code, in anything that would distract me from the impossible situation I'd found myself in. But it was always there, lurking in the back of my mind like a shadow I couldn't shake.
What was I supposed to do with this information? Tell her? Tell Dante? Keep it secret forever and let it eat me alive from the inside?
I didn't have answers. Just more questions that twisted in my gut like knives.
I went home after a tiring day, my body screaming for rest, my mind too wired to actually relax. The drive back to the Belmar manor was a blur, my thoughts scattered and chaotic.
When I walked through the front door, I was met with silence as usual.
The second thing I noticed was Dante.
He was in the main hallway, practically bouncing on his feet, and he was smiling from ear to ear. Not his usual smirk or condescending grin, but a genuine, wide smile that made him look almost... happy.
I wonder what the fool is up to now, I thought, immediately suspicious. Dante didn't smile like that unless he'd done something. Won something. Taking something from someone.
But I didn't dwell on that. I walked to my room to rest before dinner in the evening.
…
Dinner was at seven, as always. I showered, changed into clean clothes, and made my way to the dining room with a sense of foreboding I couldn't shake.
Everyone was already there when I arrived. Father at the head of the table, Mother to his right looking immaculate as always in her designer dress and perfect makeup, Monica beside her scrolling through her phone with obvious boredom.
And Dante and Shailyn on the other side. Dante had his hand over Shailyn's on the table, his thumb stroking her knuckles in a gesture that looked affectionate but somehow felt performative. Like he was making a point to everyone watching.
Shailyn looked... tired. Beautiful, but tired. There were dark circles under her eyes that even makeup couldn't quite hide, and she seemed paler than usual.
I took my seat across from them, trying not to stare, trying not to remember how she'd looked that night. How her skin had felt under my hands. How she'd sounded when I'd…
Stop. Stop thinking about it.
"Good evening, everyone," Father said once we were all settled. "Shall we begin?"
The first course was served, some kind of elegant soup that I barely tasted. My attention kept drifting to Shailyn, watching the way she picked at her food, the way she seemed to be forcing herself to eat despite obvious nausea.
Was she sick? Still recovering from her head injury? Or was something else wrong?
Conversation during the meal was minimal.
Just as we were finishing the soup course, Dante cleared his throat loudly.
"I have an announcement to make," he said, his voice carrying across the table with obvious self-satisfaction. "Something important."
Everyone looked up, attention immediately focusing on him. I felt a knot forming in my stomach, that sense of foreboding intensifying.
Father set down his spoon slowly. "What is it, son?"
Dante reached over and took Shailyn's hand, lifting it to his lips and kissing her knuckles in a gesture that made me want to flip the entire table over. Then he looked around at each of us, drawing out the moment like the dramatic bastard he was.
Until Dante dropped the news.
"Shailyn and I are expecting a baby."
The words hit me like a freight train.
What?
Time seemed to stop. The room tilted. I couldn't breathe.
What the actual hell?
A baby. Shailyn was pregnant. With Dante's baby.
Is this real? Is she actually pregnant, or is Dante lying about it?
My mind raced through the possibilities. Could this be another one of his manipulations? Another lie to trap Shailyn, to make her feel obligated to stay with him, to solidify his control over her?
But looking at Shailyn's face, at the way her free hand had moved unconsciously to rest on her still-flat stomach, at the soft, almost protective gesture...
"Congratulations to you both.” Father said"
"Thank you father. Six weeks along. We just found out this morning."
Six weeks.
Six weeks.
My blood turned to ice.
I did the math in my head, counting backward. About six weeks ago would have been...
Oh God.
Oh God, no.
The mask party was roughly six weeks ago. Close enough that the timeline...
The thought exploded in my head like a bomb, scattering my thoughts, making it impossible to think clearly.
Six weeks. The timing was right. Or wrong, depending on how you looked at it.
I didn't know if Shailyn and Dante had been intimate around that same time. I didn't know the state of their marriage before her accident. I didn't know if she'd slept with him before or after she'd slept with me.
I didn't know anything.
Except that there was a very real possibility that the baby everyone was celebrating was mine.
My brother's wife was pregnant, and it might be my child.
The room was spinning. I gripped the edge of the table, my knuckles going white with the pressure.