Chapter 24 up
“I’m pregnant, Clark… and I’m scared.”
The sentence kept echoing in Clark’s mind like a curse he couldn’t shake off. He stood in the living room of his house, staring blankly out the window while the rain poured relentlessly outside. The night felt too long, too quiet—yet his head was deafeningly loud, filled with Nyla’s face: calm yet wounded, brave yet exhausted.
He rubbed his face roughly.
Since when had everything turned into this?
The bedroom door opened slowly.
Selena stepped out, her face pale, her hair loose, her eyes swollen as if she had been crying for a long time. She wore a loose house dress that made her stomach look slightly rounded—just enough to remind Clark of the responsibility pressing down on him.
“You’re not sleeping?” Selena asked softly.
Clark turned. “Not yet.”
She moved closer, her steps slow and fragile. “I had another nightmare.”
Clark fell silent.
“In my dream,” Selena continued, “I was alone. Everyone left me. Even you.”
She lowered her head, her shoulders trembling. Her tears fell one by one, each drop like a nail driven into Clark’s chest.
Clark took a deep breath, then pulled her into his arms.
But the embrace felt different.
Empty.
There was no warmth—none of what should have been there.
“I won’t leave you,” Clark said, more like a promise he was trying to convince himself to believe.
Selena looked up at him, her eyes full of hope. “Really?”
Clark nodded slowly.
Behind Clark’s shoulder, the corner of Selena’s lips lifted ever so slightly.
On the other side of the city, Nyla sat in the small bedroom of her rented apartment. The light was dim, rain tapping against the window with a sound that was soft yet cutting. She hugged her knees, staring at her silent phone.
She didn’t know why her chest felt tight tonight.
As if a bad premonition had settled deep inside her.
Her phone vibrated.
An unknown number.
Nyla hesitated for a moment, then answered.
“Hello?”
“Nyla.”
Clark’s voice.
Her body stiffened. “What is it?”
Clark was silent for a few seconds, as if gathering courage. “I just… wanted to know if you’re okay.”
Nyla let out a small laugh—not because it was funny, but because it was bitter. “Since when do you care?”
The question cut like a blade.
“I’ve always cared,” Clark replied quickly.
“No,” Nyla cut in. “You care when I leave, and then you panic because I’m no longer under your control.”
Silence on the other end.
“I never meant to hurt you,” Clark’s voice weakened. “I was just… wrong.”
Nyla closed her eyes. “Your mistake wasn’t one or two things, Clark. It was a choice you repeated every single day.”
“I’m trapped,” he said quietly.
“We’re all trapped,” Nyla replied. “The difference is—I chose to get out.”
Clark swallowed. “You’re working with Vincent.”
“Yes.”
“Do you… like him?” Clark asked, his voice nearly breaking.
The question made Nyla’s chest tremble.
“Does that still matter?” she asked in return.
Clark didn’t answer.
“Nyla,” he continued softly, “I never meant to lose you.”
Tears slid down Nyla’s cheeks without a sound.
“You didn’t lose me,” she said, her voice shaking. “You let me go.”
The call ended.
Clark stared at his phone screen for a long time, his chest tight with regret that had come far too late.
Meanwhile, Selena stood behind the bedroom door, having heard everything.
Her expression hardened.
Her hands clenched into fists.
The next day, the storm truly broke.
Nyla had just arrived at the office when the atmosphere felt different. Several employees whispered as she passed. Their looks were strange—not friendly, not professional.
She sat at her desk, trying to ignore it.
Then her phone began vibrating nonstop.
Messages flooded in.
Coworker:
Are you okay?
Unknown Number:
You really have no shame.
Nyla’s heart pounded.
She opened social media.
An anonymous post was spreading rapidly.
A married woman playing sweet to get a position. Seducing a rich man to climb the ladder.
There was a photo of her at the company party—cropped, framed from a deliberately provocative angle.
Nyla trembled.
“That’s a lie,” she whispered.
But a lie repeated often enough would sound like the truth to those who wanted to believe it.
Her office door opened.
Vincent walked in, his expression serious.
“Have you seen it?” Vincent asked.
Nyla nodded, her eyes glassy. “I didn’t do that.”
“I know,” Vincent said firmly. “And I won’t let anyone destroy your reputation.”
Nyla lowered her head, tears falling. “I’m tired, Vincent. Every time I try to stand up… someone always tries to pull me down.”
Vincent looked at her for a long moment, then said in a low, unwavering voice, “Because they’re afraid of a woman who can no longer be controlled.”
The words broke her.
Nyla sobbed.
Elsewhere, Selena stared at her phone with a satisfied smile.
“Now let’s see,” she whispered to her own reflection,
“how strong you really are.”