MY CEO REGRETS: CHASING HIS HEIRESS WIFE.

~ LYRA ~ I lay on the bed, my head facing the white ceiling of the hospital, the antiseptic smell and the beeping of equipment filled the room. The weight of Papa's death had finally landed me in the hospital after days of crying and mourning, coupled with skipped meals, my system finally broke down and I didn't need anyone to tell me I needed to see the doctor before it got worse. "Congratulations Mrs White, you are a month in already!" Dr Paulin's voice broke in bringing me back from my reverie. I was so lost that I didn't even hear her coming in. Wiping the tears on my eyes from slipping down my cheeks with my hands, I sat up right. "What do you say Doc?" I asked in disbelief, as I caught the joyful grin on her face, my eye balls were already filled with tears and my heart was beating faster waiting to confirm what she said. "Yes, you heard me right Mrs White, you are pregnant and the symptoms you are experiencing are as a result of the growth of the baby, would you like to confirm with the probe?" She said as she lay me down on the bed and handed me the device shifting the screen to my view. "Omg!" I gasped in shock, the tear I was holding back finally poured down, as I saw the little life inside me, my vision blur for a second. I couldn't believe I was finally going to carry my child, after years of waiting patiently and feeling like a disappointment to Lucian. "In a few months from now, you are finally going to become a mother," "Finally," I whispered, smiling like a fool from ear to ear as I looked at the screen with joy, I just can't wait to tell Lucian, or should I call Aryan first I thought?. "Calm down, Mrs White I know you can't wait to share such great news with Mr Lucian, but you will have to meet me in my office, for some advice concerning your health and that of your baby." Dr Paulin said as she unplugged the device, I was so carried away with how Lucian would react to the news that I barely even listened to what she was saying. I quickly adjusted my dress as I got down from the bed, feeling light and weightless. I followed Dr. Paulin blindly, my hand already resting protectively over my still-flat belly, a gentle caress for the little life inside me. My heart was a drum of pure, overwhelming joy. I nodded along to Dr. Paulin's serious instructions about stress and health, barely registering the specifics, the news humming too loudly in my ears. I took the list of medications and the test results from her, tucking them into my purse, hardly noticing the paper. My skin prickled with nervous energy as I exited the hospital, the kind of nervousness that precedes life-altering good news. I just couldn't wait to make the announcement. I hurriedly got into my car, letting out a deep sigh of relief as I settled in, my phone buzzing stopped me right when I was about to fasten my seat belt, with excitement I rushed my bag, 'could this be Lucian finally returning my call', I hoped, but to my greatest shock it was a reminder of our three years anniversary. My heart melted, sinking in despair, as I read the heading of the reminder "Just Give Me Three Years." I sat there, the weight of the reminder crushing me. Papa had never supported my marriage to Lucian. His dearest wish was for me to take hold as CEO of his company, but I was so blindly lost in love that marrying Lucian was the only path I could see. To appease him, I made a heartbreaking agreement: if my marriage failed within three years, I would return to manage his legacy. Now, Papa was gone, unable to witness me carrying Lucian's child. Who could have ever believed that our turbulent marriage would not only survive this long, but also be blessed with a baby? I pressed the phone, still displaying the haunting reminder, against my stomach. My heart sank, heavy and deep, as I tried to take in the heat of this news alongside the shadow of our past arrangement. My life with Lucian was far from the fairy tale I'd imagined, often marked by his chilling distance. Yet, I had fought, I had endured, and I had pulled through. Today marked our three-year anniversary, and with this incredible news, I refused to let any past unhappiness ruin it. Wiping the tears of my face and getting a hold of myself, I swiftly pulled over from the parking lot and drove off. I opened the door hurriedly, staggering slightly under the weight. On my right, the anniversary cake and my purse pulled me down; on my left, the bottle of chilled champagne I'd picked up downhill was heavy. I was bent and off-balance, and I could barely walk straight. All I wanted was to drop this precious, heavy cargo and finally share my news. "Lucian, I have got great news for you-, just as I was about to drop the word, immediately my mouth paused and everything seemed to be in slow motion, it was Lucian on the sofa with Aryan, my best friend. Naked They weren't hiding. They were simply... there. Lucian, my husband of three years, was on the sofa, and Aryan, my best friend, draped across him, her face nestled against his neck. The sight wasn't dramatic, it was intimate, a quiet, casual violation of everything sacred. "What is the meaning of this!" The words were torn from me, a raw, strangled sound. The cake, the bag, the bottle, everything I held, crashed to the polished floor with sickening thuds, the glass of the champagne bottle shattering instantly. I stood paralyzed, engulfed by the noise and the mess, unable to process anything beyond the naked tableau before me. I didn't know how to react. "It is exactly what you are seeing, bitch," Aryan spat, her tone harsh and alien, nothing like the friend I had known since childhood. Lucian stood up, pulling his pants on, and Aryan stood beside him, her smug smile a punch to the gut. The air was thick with the weight of their betrayal, heavy enough to choke me. I felt a numbness creeping in, like my body was trying to protect me from the pain. "You lying wretch, acting like you didn't first cheat on me. Where are you coming from?" he demanded, not meeting my gaze, his movement sickeningly casual. "What are you talking about, Lucian? I just got back from the hospital." "Don't insult my intelligence. How do you explain these pictures and messages? Oh, you think I'm a fool?" Lucian spat, flicking several photos toward the coffee table. They showed a woman in one of my dresses, clearly photoshopped, locked in a kiss with a strange man. I didn't need to look twice to confirm the deceit. My blood ran cold at his calculated cruelty. "This is obviously not me. It's a setup, Lucian. You have been the only man I have ever known or loved. Don't tell me you believed this trash?" "My dear friend Lyra, your evil reign has come to an end. I am done lying and covering up for you. So I'm sorry about that." Aryan said, wrapping an arm around Lucian's bare waist, a gesture of ownership that made bile rise in my throat. I couldn't breathe. My gaze snapped from Lucian to Aryan, the name I had almost called first with my amazing news. "Aryan, what are you even talking about? What reign? We were friends! Since childhood! How could you do this?" My voice was a shaky whisper, laced with disbelief. "Oh, Lyra, you've always been so naive. Did you really think Lucian stayed because he loved you? Please stop all that. News flash: the marriage failed a long time ago. We just sped up the timeline." "She's right, Lyra. The only reason I put up with your constant mourning and the lack of intimacy was the timeline. Papa's ridiculous three-year ultimatum. Now he's dead, and the company is yours to inherit, right? Well, you can run it. Because I want a divorce." "A divorce?" The word felt foreign and huge in my mouth. I took a step back, hitting the door frame. But our anniversary is today! I was going to tell him the good news! That I was pregnant. "No," I whispered, the numbness finally breaking, replaced by a surge of white-hot fury. My fingers clenched into fists, digging my nails into my palms. I touched the curled doctor's note in my purse, the secret of the pregnancy, a fragile shield against the devastation, and the sudden realization of its timing was a cruel twist of the knife. I looked at Lucian, then at Aryan, their faces blurred by a fresh wave of tears that I furiously blinked away. I turned, my legs moving on autopilot, carrying me past the shattered cake and the broken secrets. I didn't cry. I didn't scream. I just kept walking, one foot in front of the other, leaving the house, the anniversary, and the horrific scene behind me, refusing to accept that the joyful life I had an hour ago was now a lie.