Betrayed By Love

Evelyn sat staring at the message on her phone, her heart racing. "You don't know the whole story. He did not betray you. You betrayed him first."

Her fingers trembled as she read the words over and over, each of them a knife repeatedly cutting deeper into her heart. How did they know? Who would have the guts to send that? Her mind was numb, a spool of fear and paranoia wrapping itself around her. Had someone discovered her secret?

Jason…

His name echoed in her head, each syllable a reminder of the deception she'd kept hidden for nearly two decades. Her son. Her pride. Her sanctuary from the tumult of a loveless marriage. But not Alex's son.

She breathed hard. She remembered that night—the night she had received the positive test, the icy realization that she was pregnant with another man's baby. She had frightened herself, then, but she had been desperate. Her father's kingdom demanded a strong heir, an unbreakable union. And Alex, youth and ambition in his eyes, had been appropriate. She had been pregnant, she had lied to him, and he had thought the child was his. And when he had stood, marrying her in duty and ambition, she had felt a twisted sense of victory.

But the win was now a bane.

Who knew it? One of her friends? One of the servants? Or… her mind became wicked—was it Alex?

Her phone dropped from her fingers and hit the floor heavily. Evelyn's phone beeped again, dispelling her daydream. She opened the message with a click, and her heart leapt at who was messaging her. Alex. He had not written much, but it was filled with everything they had gone through:

"Evelyn, I understand I've injured you more than you've been taking stock of yourself, and I can never undo what has been done. I regret having hurt you, for everything. I have been a coward and I have been mistaken. I cannot turn back time, but I promise you I will do whatever and anything it takes to get this right. Please, let me get this right."

She stared at the letters, her hands hovered above the screen. A part of her wanted to hurl the phone against the wall in rage, but another part of her sensed the tug of something long hidden deep within herself—sadness, loss, grief. Was she going to lose the man she had shared for twenty years with?

But recollections of his infidelity overwhelmed her once more, clouding her mind with darkness. The affair. The lying. The shame.

And there it lay—the truth that had tormented her for so many years. Jason was not his son.

Evelyn shuddered in a breath and let her phone fall onto the bed, burying her face in her hands. The weight of it was suffocating her. She had won Alex on deception—on building a frail lie—and now the lie was crumbling to dust.

The anger boiled once more, but this time it was against her. How had it reached the point of breakdown? Why didn't she understand that all of it was so delicate? If she had only been honest with herself, she knew it was always going to break down.

Her lungs were rasping gasps. No. It couldn't be Alex. If he knew, he would not be begging her to forgive him; he would be making everything right.

A soft knock at her door brought her back from the place she'd escaped to. "Mom?" It was Jason's voice, unsure, worried.

Evelyn brushed away the tears she hadn't even realized were streaming down her face. "Yes, honey?"

"Are you okay? I thought I heard something drop."

“I’m fine, sweetheart. Just a bit tired.” She forced calm into her voice. "Go check on your sister, please."

His footsteps faded, and Evelyn’s mask slipped again. She picked up her phone, her mind racing. The message had to be a threat. But from who? She needed to find out.

At the same time, town by town, Alex stood in Maya's new apartment, tension hovering in the air. Maya's face was pale, eyes swollen from tears.

"This is a nightmare, Alex." Her voice trembled. "Your wife came, attacked me, and now the whole world knows. I can't live like that."

"I won't let anything happen to you." He extended his hand to her, but she stepped back.

"Seriously, can you promise that?"

Maya's face flamed. "Or am I the girl you call when everything else is falling apart?"

The words stung, and for an instant, Alex held his tongue. "Maya, please—"

"No, Alex. I need to know. Am I just a mistake you're too proud to leave?

He moved closer, arms around her arm. "You are not a mistake. I just need a little time to get this right."

She placed her hands over her eyes, allowing the tears to flow once more, but she slid away, curving into herself. "I don't know how much more I can do."

Alex clenched his phone in frustration, scrolling through his texts until he reached Evelyn's number. He scribbled wildly:

"Evelyn, I apologize. I never meant for it to happen this way. We can make this work. I was wrong, I hurt you, but I love you and our family. Please talk to me."

He sent it, his heart pounding with regret.

A few seconds later, her reply:

"I'm done with all of this, Alex. You've destroyed everything. And I promise you, if you simply slip away and get your neat little life with her, you'll regret it."

Alex felt his heart break as he read her words, the absoluteness of what she'd written knocking him to the ground. But he wasn't yet ready to quit. Without pause, he typed the next message:

"Evelyn, please… I was wrong. I'm begging you. Just let me make it right. For us. For the kids."

No response. She texted hours later, which read, "Fine. We'll be talking about this. But this is your last warning."

And then, as she hit send, another text flashed across the screen—a message from Mark.

"Sir, the board is calling for an emergency meeting. They're talking about your position as CEO. They're asking you to resign."

Alex's chest seethed with unease. His empire, the fruits of his labors—everything was on the line.

The air was thick with tension in the boardroom. His colleagues shot him with pinched-skinned judgmental glances. The chairman's voice was cold.

"Alex, in light of this recent scandal and reputation loss it has inflicted on our company, the board will be prepared to call for your resignation as CEO."

Alex's teeth were gritted tight. "I founded this company in what it is today."

"And now your conduct is going to destroy it." The chairman was unflinching.

But then there was another voice, one of the senior members. "We also have to consider the company bylaws. The board cannot remove the CEO without the consent of the biggest shareholder."

There was silence, and Alex sank. That biggest shareholder was Evelyn. Her inheritance, her father's business. She was the one with the power.

Mark's message flashed again. "Sir, Evelyn has been told. They need her response."

Alex fought to keep his voice steady. “I won’t step down”

Eyes narrowed around the table, but he didn’t flinch. He had lost control of his family, but he would not lose his company.

After the tense meeting, Mark caught up with him. “Sir, I’m trying to control the narrative online, but the media is relentless.”

Alex nodded, a storm brewing inside him. “Just keep me updated.”

And stepping out of the building, he texted again—Evelyn. "We need to talk tonight. Please."

He took a deep breath. At least she hadn't closed him out completely. But as he swung open the door to his car, the overwhelming despair of his shattered life seemed ready to engulf him.