Behind The masks

Zara's POV

I sent Raina my location, minutes felt like hours. When she finally burst into the hospital room, her hair wild and breath ragged, she rushed straight to me.

"I was so scared when I saw your location was a hospital," she said, pulling me into a hug, her hands checking my face, like she needed to be sure I wasn't broken.

"They said I'm pregnant," I told her flatly.

Her arms froze. She pulled back, her lips parted with no words, before she could respond, the nurse reappeared with a discharge form and a clipboard.

"You're good to go," she said with a soft smile.

The ride home was silent and tense, even the radio stayed off. Raina's knuckles whitened on the steering wheel. I stared out the window, trying to breathe. I didn't ask about the news until we stepped into my apartment.

"What were you saying earlier on the phone?" I asked sitting down.

She hesitated. "I don't think you need more news right now."

"I do," I said. My voice cracked. "Just tell me."

She exhaled and looked at me with eyes that could barely hold it together.

"Cassian is getting married."

The words split me open. "What?" I blurted.

She handed me her tablet, and there he was. Cassian Blackwell smiling, his arms wrapped around Aria Everhart, the billionaire's beloved daughter, a goddess in white silk and media gold.

Headline: The Billionaire Couple Tying the Knot Tomorrow!

I swiped. More headlines. More photos. His hand around her waist. His lips near her cheek. His eyes filled with everything he never gave me.

I leaned back on the couch, tilting my head to the ceiling, pressing my palm over my heart as if I could stop it from bursting open. He stole my love, my trust, my dream and now he was marrying someone else, while I carried his baby.

Raina gently took the tablet from my trembling hands. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

She disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a glass of water. I took it, my fingers barely able to hold the glass steady. I sipped slowly, trying to slow my breathing.

Once the tightness in my throat eased, I pulled the folded legal papers from my bag and handed them to her. I told her everything that happened, as a journalist maybe she could help. She read through the documents, her brows slowly pulling into a deep furrow.

"Zara... I'll be honest with you. I could write something, blow this whole thing up. But this?" She tapped the paper. "We'd be walking straight into a lawsuit. Your signature is right here on this photocopied paper."

My heart dropped like a stone in my chest.

"I swear to you," I said, voice cracking. "When Cassian gave me those papers, it was one sheet... He said it was just a disclosure for his investment. Nothing else."

I wiped at my face with the back of my hand. "And he took all my savings. Said I needed to invest as well."

I choked on the memory, the shame flooding me.

Raina rubbed her forehead, pacing the room. "This is bad. You built that place from nothing, Zara. You sacrificed everything for it, and now..." she looked at the paper again, "these documents could bury you if we're not careful."

She dropped onto the couch beside me and gently pulled my head onto her shoulder. I let myself cry, hot, broken sobs that I didn't try to muffle. The universe wasn't just throwing punches, it was trying to finish me.

After a few moments, she spoke again, softer now after I was calm. "About the pregnancy Zara, whatever you choose, I'm with you. If you want to keep the baby, I'll help you through it, and if you decide you can't, I'll stand by you just the same."

A new wave of tears came, but not from despair this time, from gratitude. "Thank you," I murmured.

She gently rubbed my back. "Just don't contact Cassian right now. I know it's tempting, but until you decide what you want, for you, stay quiet. He doesn't get to have power over your next move."

I nodded slowly. "Thank you," I repeated, this time with more strength.

Raina spent the night with me, curled up on the couch like she could shield me from the world just by being close. But sleep didn't come. I stared at the ceiling. I can't fight Cassian without having enough money for legal fees.

When Raina left for work, I was alone again. I didn't want to lose my baby, but I can't take care of us either. I've given Cassian all my savings.

The headlines screamed louder than any thought I could muster.

Cassian Blackwell Marries Billionaire Heiress in Lavish Dubai Ceremony.

Inside the Wedding of the Year: Aria Everhart Becomes Mrs. Blackwell.

I couldn't look away. It was all over social media, tabloids, morning shows, smiles, white gowns, diamonds the size of my grief.

Raina visited every day, like clockwork. I kept insisting I was fine, but deep down, I was unraveling. Then, I got sick again. My body breaking from the inside out, as if it were mourning with me.

Still out of the 10 thousand I had left, I paid the two girls who worked for me 6 six thousand. They had families to take care of before they found another job.

Three weeks passed. When I finally began to feel like myself again, everything shifted. The TV played softly in the background that morning, half-forgotten, until her face appeared.

Aria Everhart–Blackwell, glowing and radiant, had returned from her honeymoon. She was already gracing some posh charity event in Manhattan, pearls around her neck, grace in every step.

I stared. Did she even know who she'd married? Did she know what he'd done? What would she do if she knew I was carrying his child?

The thought ignited something. Maybe I could use this pregnancy to reclaim my life, not to blackmail, just to get back what was mine. Cassian wouldn't want this secret getting out. His new wife was the daughter of a billionaire, they thrived on image, legacy and perfection. A scandal like this would stain it all.

I didn't want him, I didn't want to be part of his world. I just wanted what he stole, once I had it, I'd vanish and raise my child.

I reached for my phone. I thought of calling Raina, but had insisted on not contacting him, so I had to do it alone. When I get him cornered, I'll tell her. I dialed Cassian's number, my pulse hammering, then Voicemail, good. I kept my voice calm.

"You know who this is. I'm pregnant. We need to talk, or I'll have no choice but to speak to your wife." I hung up.

He called back that same day, wanting to meet in person. A café. Booked entirely for just the two of us.

"Look, just give me back what you took," I said immediately as I sat down.

"What's the rush baby, didn't you miss me," he said with a smirk. "Besides I need to be sure your claim is true before anything," Cassian said coldly.

I stared at him across the table, barely able to believe he was real. "The restaurant was mine in the first place. And you took my savings!" I snapped.

His expression didn't flinch. "Not anymore. You signed it over to me."

I scoffed, nearly laughing at the absurdity. My heart thundered, but I forced myself to push the anger down. I agreed to take the pregnancy test, anything to prove I wasn't bluffing.

We left together. I sat in the backseat, arms crossed, trying to put distance between us even if only in inches, but instead of turning toward the hospital, he veered off the main road.

My gaze sharpened. He pulled into the crumbling remains of an unfinished building. I straightened in my seat, every fiber of my body screamed danger.

"I want you to meet someone," he said.

My blood turned to ice, this wasn't right. The moment he stepped out of the car, I grabbed my phone to call Raina, then Bang. The sound ripped through the air like thunder. Pain exploded in my chest, there was a high pitched noise in my ear, my mouth fell open in a silent gasp.

I looked down, blood bloomed across my shirt, spreading fast. My phone slipped from my fingers. I looked at him from the shattered window holding the gun, then my vision blurred, and I slipped into unconsciousness.

When I came to my senses, I couldn't move, speak, or open my eyes, but I felt hands gripping my arms, and my legs. There were four hands, another person was with Cassian.

I felt weightlessness, then I landed in water. Ice-cold, and suffocating, the moment my body hit, everything inside me screamed.

I sank fast, the water pushing into my lungs, my ears and nose. I couldn't fight, or thrash, my body was too weak. As the world faded, I begged the universe for a second chance.

Then the darkness swallowed me whole.