He Married Me by Mistake, Then Regretted Losing Me

Delaney POV

The silver fork in my hand felt heavy, freezing against my numb fingers.

Across the long table, Raiden sat with his dark eyes locked onto mine. Beside him, Cynthia lowered her head, resting her hand over his sleeve while Evelyn watched me, her lips pulled into a tight, expectant smirk.

"Raiden, please... don't force her," Cynthia whispered, her voice soft and trembling. She patted his arm, looking up at him through thick lashes. "It's fine. I know Delaney didn't mean to hurt my feelings. Let’s not fight on my first night home..."

Raiden’s jaw flexed. He laid his palm flat on the table and turned to me, his brow furrowed into deep lines.

"No, Cynthia. You’ve been far too patient," Raiden said, his tone flat and unyielding. "She owes you an apology, Delaney. You will apologize to your sister before you leave this table."

I looked at his face—at the dark eyes I had spent three years trying to soften, at the firm mouth that had never once smiled at me. I carefully set the silver fork down beside my china plate.

I pushed my chair back. The wood scraped sharply against the polished floor.

"Apologize?" My voice barely rose above a whisper, but it froze the room. I stood up, smoothing the cotton fabric of my skirt over my knees. "I spent three years playing the silent wife while you treated me like an intruder in my own home. I will never apologize for surviving in a house built on lies."

I turned my eyes straight onto Cynthia. My sister's small, fragile smile twitched, her fingers tightening around Raiden’s sleeve.

"Keep playing the victim, Cynthia," I said softly, locking eyes with her. "But stolen things never stay in your hands forever."

Raiden stood up so fast his chair rocked backward. "Delaney! What the hell is that supposed to mean—"

​"Ah... Raiden..."

​A weak, breathy gasp cut him off. Cynthia suddenly clutched her chest, her face contorting in sharp pain as she leaned heavily against the table, accidentally knocking her glass over.

​Raiden’s attention snapped to her instantly.

"Cynthia!"

Without another thought for me, Raiden abandoned his demand and wrapped his arm around Cynthia’s waist, pulling her close while Evelyn panicked beside them, calling for water.

​Cynthia buried her face against Raiden's chest, but as he held her, she turned her head just enough to look at me. Behind her fake tears, a cold, sharp smirk flashed across her eyes—a clear, silent message that she had won.

I didn't utter another word. I turned on my heel, walked into the foyer, and gripped the handle of my scuffed leather suitcase. I pulled open the heavy oak entrance and stepped out.

The front doors slammed shut behind me with a deep, echoing thud.

The wind hit me like a wall. Freezing rain slammed into my face, soaking through my cardigan in seconds and plastering the thin cotton to my skin. Tears welled up in my eyes, burning hot against the ice-cold rain streaming down my cheeks.

I dragged the suitcase down the long iron driveway. My breath came in small gasps, my free arm wrapped tightly around my shivering ribs. Every step felt heavy, like dragging my feet through thick mud.

Three years.

I squeezed my eyes shut, my teeth chattering uncontrollably as the image of Raiden holding Cynthia flashed behind my eyelids.

My head throbbed violently. My vision blurred, the driveway lanterns smearing into long streaks of light. My legs trembled, numb from the cold water sloshing over my ankles.

​I took one more step, but my left knee gave out completely. My fingers slipped off the handle, and my body pitched forward toward the wet floor.

​Before I hit the dark ground, a pair of strong, firm hands caught me, locking around my waist and pulling my freezing body up against a solid chest.

"Hey—can you hear me?"

The voice was low, coming as if from the bottom of a deep well. Strong hands slid under my knees and beneath my neck, lifting my limp weight off the freezing gravel.

"Hold on," the voice rumbled against my shoulder, firm and steady. "Stay with me."

I caught a faint scent of cedar through the heavy rain before blackness rushed over my eyes, and I completely lost consciousness..

A sharp, sterile smell woke me.

​My eyelids felt heavy as lead. I blinked, trying to clear the haze in my eyes as a soft overhead light hummed above. A thin blanket was pulled over my shoulders, and a sharp prick of cold rested on the back of my hand—an IV line running up to a clear bag.

​My heart hammered in my chest. Where am I?

Did Raiden’s men drag me back?

​I tried to push myself up on my elbows, but my body was completely weak.

​"Don't move," a deep, calm voice spoke from the corner.

​My head snapped toward the sound. Standing near the window was a tall man in a tailored white shirt, his sleeves rolled up to his forearms. He held a cup, watching me with sharp, piercing grey eyes. He wasn't one of Raiden’s guards. He was a complete stranger.

​"Who... who are you?" I rasped, my throat raw.

​Before he could answer, the door swung open.

A doctor in a white coat walked in, reviewing an electronic chart in his hand. He looked between me and the tall man standing by the window.

​"Ah, you're awake," the doctor said, turning his chart toward us. "You collapsed from severe exhaustion and hypothermia, but the IV fluids have stabilized your vitals."

​I pulled back slightly against the pillows. "I need to go. Please..."

​The doctor adjusted his glasses, his face turning serious as he looked straight at me.

​​"You aren't going anywhere yet," the doctor replied firmly, his eyes scanning his screen.

"Your emergency bloodwork just came back, and there is something critical you need to know."

​I froze, my breath catching in my throat.

"Critical? What is it?"

​The doctor looked straight into my eyes. "You are three weeks pregnant."

​The air left my lungs completely.

​My trembling fingers crept down the front of the hospital gown, coming to rest flat against my lower stomach.

​Three weeks.

​I had just walked away from Raiden Vance forever... and I was carrying his child.