Chapter 12 up
“So… you’re still the second one?”
The small laugh sounded light, yet sharp as a razor.
Selena froze, a glass of juice clenched in her hand. She sat among three women she had long called friends—women who once praised her, envied her, and now looked at her with open judgment.
“What do you mean?” Selena asked quietly, though her heart had begun to pound uncomfortably.
One of them, a blonde woman with a mocking smile, crossed her legs. “I mean… you’re living in a married man’s house. But what’s your status? Wife? Or just… a kept woman who happens to be pregnant?”
Laughter erupted again. Louder this time.
Selena straightened her back. “Clark is going to divorce his wife soon.”
“Oh really?” another woman replied quickly. “And how long have you been saying that?”
Selena bit her lip. “That’s personal.”
“Not really,” the first woman shrugged. “If you’re pregnant with another woman’s husband’s child, it stops being personal. It becomes public gossip.”
The word gossip slammed into Selena’s ears.
“I didn’t steal anyone,” she said, her voice trembling. “Clark loves me.”
“Love doesn’t make you a wife,” another cut in coldly. “The law does.”
Selena stood abruptly, her chair screeching loudly. “You’re just jealous.”
“Jealous?” They laughed. “We don’t need to envy a woman who lives on promises.”
That sentence shattered what little dignity Selena had left.
She left the place with a pale face and trembling hands. The moment she got into her car, the tears she had been holding back spilled uncontrollably.
“A kept woman,” she whispered bitterly. “That’s what they called me…”
The shame burned—far more painfully than her fear of losing Clark. Selena slammed her fist against the steering wheel in frustration.
“This is all Nyla’s fault,” she hissed. “If she had left officially, no one would dare humiliate me.”
When Selena arrived home, she walked in without a greeting. Clark, who was sitting in his study, looked up in surprise.
“Selena?” He stood. “What happened?”
She threw her bag onto the sofa and began pacing like a caged animal. Her face was flushed, her eyes wet with rage and humiliation.
“They laughed at me,” she finally said, her voice breaking. “My friends.”
Clark frowned. “Why?”
“They called me a mistress,” she snapped. “They said I live off your charity!”
Clark fell silent. The words weren’t unfamiliar—but hearing them from Selena’s mouth made them feel real and filthy.
“I’m not like that,” Selena continued through tears. “I’m carrying your child! But to them, I’m still nothing!”
Clark stepped closer. “Calm down.”
“No!” Selena swatted his hand away. “I can’t live like this anymore!”
She stared straight at him, tears streaming down her face. “I want you to divorce Nyla.”
The words fell like a bomb.
Clark froze. “What?”
“I want you to end everything,” Selena went on quickly. “I’m tired of waiting. I’m tired of being humiliated. I want status. I want to be your wife.”
Clark rubbed his face. “Selena… it’s not that simple.”
“Why not?” Selena laughed bitterly. “You already drove her away. You already chose me. What are you waiting for?”
Clark looked down at the floor. “I’m not ready.”
Selena flinched. “Not ready?”
“I need time,” he said quietly. “I… I’m thinking about a lot of things.”
“Thinking about who?” Selena stepped closer, her voice rising. “Nyla?”
Clark didn’t answer.
The silence was enough.
Selena’s expression changed—from sorrow to coldness. “So I was right,” she said softly. “You’re still thinking about her.”
“I’m just—”
“You feel guilty toward her,” Selena cut in sharply. “And you’re punishing me with your doubt.”
Clark let out a heavy breath. “I don’t want to rush and regret it.”
Selena laughed—broken and cynical. “You already regret it, Clark. You just haven’t admitted it yet.”
She touched her stomach, the gesture deliberate. “What about this child? Does he have to wait too, until you’re done feeling guilty?”
Clark closed his eyes briefly. The pressure was real now—not only from Selena, but from the outside world that had begun to judge him.
“I need certainty,” Selena continued. “Not promises. I want you to divorce Nyla. Now.”
Clark opened his eyes. His gaze was dark.
“And if I don’t?” he asked quietly.
Selena smiled faintly—a smile that never reached her eyes. “Then everyone will know who you really are. A man who plays with two women. A man who lets the mother of his child be humiliated.”
It was a threat.
Clark stared at Selena for a long moment. For the first time, he saw something unfamiliar in her face—not love, but demand.
“I’ll think about it,” he finally said.
Selena shook her head. “No. I won’t wait anymore.”
She walked toward the stairs, then stopped. “I’ve stood in your wife’s shadow for far too long.”