Chapter 22

Assuming he intended to verify the recording's authenticity, Aria handed him the phone without a moment's hesitation.

But what he did next was something she could have never anticipated. He didn't listen to the confession again. Instead, with a few taps on the screen, he erased the file completely.

He even took the time to meticulously scroll through her recent calls, ensuring she hadn't sent the file to anyone else before placing the phone back in her hand.

Aria stared at him, a profound, soul-shattering disbelief washing over her. Her eyes burned with unshed tears, but she would not give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

In truth, her claim to have sent the file was a bluff. She hadn't forwarded the recording to a single person.

A part of her had genuinely believed that the truth would finally make him stand by her side. She had never been more devastatingly wrong. She had completely misjudged the depth of his loyalty to Kendra. And she had never imagined he could be so utterly, heartlessly cruel.

Even if she had managed to send the recording out, it wouldn't have mattered. If Cade Sterling declared Kendra innocent, she would be.

He was a man of immense power. The police would be helpless against his influence.

Tears finally welled in her eyes, hot and bitter. A sudden, bone-deep chill spread through her, as if the temperature in the room had plummeted. She wrapped her arms around herself, but the cold was inside her, a bleak and empty winter she couldn't escape.

A wave of crushing despair washed over her, extinguishing the last, faint flicker of hope she had clung to.

The disappointment was a physical thing, a weight on her chest that made it hard to breathe. Her heart, already in pieces, felt like it was turning to dust.

Her mute, vacant hopelessness clearly disturbed Cade.

He longed to close the distance between them, to hold her, to talk to her until she came back to him. But before he could even think to ask Kendra to leave, she let out a sharp gasp, her hand flying to her stomach.

“Cade, it hurts. My stomach… it’s cramping.”

A triumphant glint flashed in Kendra's eyes. She knew he was protective of her, and the baby was the perfect tool to ensure he remained so. She knew exactly how much he cared about this pregnancy.

As she had predicted, a look of panic crossed his face. Without another glance at Aria, he scooped Kendra into his arms and rushed toward the door. “Doctor!” he yelled into the hallway.

Just before they disappeared from view, Kendra twisted her head around, her face a mask of smug victory. She wanted to make sure Aria saw who had truly won.

The sight of her triumphant smile was nauseating. Aria’s gaze drifted away, landing on the discarded wedding invitation. The image of Cade and Kendra, so happy together, was a final, brutal blow. The pain of knowing she had well and truly lost him was unbearable.

Thank you, Cade, she thought, a hollow echo in her mind. Thank you for destroying the very last piece of hope I had left.

Aria retreated to the bed, her movements slow and mechanical. She lay perfectly still, a lifeless doll with no soul, no feelings.

She was twenty-four. Her life should have been a vibrant tapestry of youth and promise. Instead, it was a ruin, a landscape of relentless misfortune. She was so tired of fighting.

Cade, I was a fool to love you. If there is another life, I pray I never meet you.

A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of her mouth as the world began to fade. Just before she lost consciousness, she felt a strange sense of safety, as if she were being lifted into a warm, strong embrace.

A voice, soft as a whisper, seemed to brush against her ear. “Aria, I’m back.”

As soon as Kendra’s condition was stabilized, Cade rushed back to Aria’s ward.

He knew his actions had devastated her. He made a silent, solemn vow to himself that he would spend the rest of his life making it up to her. Kendra would face justice for her crimes, but first, he had to ensure the baby was safe.

But when he entered the room, it was empty. He didn't find her there.