Chapter 4 - The Secret My Husband Tried To Hide
Trevor stood in the doorway.
For a few seconds, nobody moved.
Not me.
Not Ethan.
Not even Trevor.
It was strange seeing him again.
The man who used to know every detail about my life.
The man who used to kiss my forehead before leaving for work.
The man who promised me forever.
Now he was standing in front of me inside a billionaire’s office, looking nervous.
Not guilty.
Nervous.
And that told me something.
Trevor wasn't here because he missed me.
He was here because he was afraid.
"Amanda."
Hearing my name from his mouth made my stomach tighten.
I stepped back.
"What are you doing here?"
His eyes moved toward Ethan.
Then back to me.
"You shouldn't be here."
I almost laughed.
"You don't get to tell me where I should be anymore."
Trevor looked frustrated.
"This is bigger than you think."
I stared at him.
"Bigger than destroying my marriage?"
His jaw tightened.
"Bigger than Jessica?"
That was when Ethan stood.
"Trevor."
One word.
But Trevor immediately became quiet.
I noticed.
And that scared me.
Because Trevor was not the kind of man who became quiet around people.
He controlled conversations.
He controlled rooms.
He controlled everything.
But Ethan Blackwell made him look uncertain.
"You knew she was coming here," Ethan said.
Trevor didn't answer.
"Did you follow her?"
Still no answer.
My heart started beating faster.
"Trevor."
He finally looked at me.
"You need to leave."
I stared at him.
"You came here to protect me?"
A bitter smile crossed my face.
"That's new."
His expression changed.
For a moment, I saw something that looked like regret.
Then it disappeared.
"Amanda, please."
"Please what?"
I stepped closer.
"Please forget you destroyed my life?"
Trevor looked away.
"You don't understand what happened."
"No."
I pointed at him.
"I understand perfectly."
"You cheated on me."
"You betrayed me."
"You asked me to give up our baby."
The room became silent.
Ethan watched Trevor carefully.
And Trevor looked like someone trapped between two impossible choices.
Finally, he whispered:
"I didn't have a choice."
Those five words changed the entire room.
I froze.
"What did you say?"
Trevor looked at Ethan.
Then at me.
"I didn't have a choice."
I shook my head.
"No."
I laughed quietly.
"Don't do that."
"Don't stand here and pretend you were forced."
Trevor's face hardened.
"You think I wanted to lose everything?"
"You had everything."
"No."
His voice rose.
"You had no idea what was happening."
Ethan interrupted.
"Then tell her."
Trevor looked at him.
A long silence passed.
Then Trevor said:
"Not here."
Ethan's expression turned cold.
"That means you know."
Trevor looked down.
And that was the moment I realized something.
They weren't enemies.
They knew each other.
They had known each other long before today.
I looked between them.
"How do you know my husband?"
Neither answered.
My chest tightened.
"How long have you both been hiding things from me?"
Ethan sighed.
"Amanda..."
"No."
I stepped away.
"I want the truth."
For months, people had been making decisions about my life without me.
Trevor.
Jessica.
Now Ethan.
Everyone knew something.
Everyone except me.
Trevor slowly walked into the office.
"I met Ethan three years ago."
I looked at him.
"Three years?"
He nodded.
"Before we got married."
My face went cold.
"What?"
Trevor looked miserable.
"He was one of the investors behind my company."
Ethan added:
"Until I discovered what Trevor was involved with."
I looked at Trevor.
"What were you involved with?"
He didn't answer.
That silence was enough.
I felt sick.
The man I married wasn't just hiding an affair.
He was hiding an entire part of his life.
"Jessica knew."
Trevor looked at me.
"No."
"She knew something."
"No."
His answer came too quickly.
And I noticed.
Ethan noticed too.
Trevor walked toward the folder on the desk.
"You need to understand something. Jessica wasn't the reason I left."
I felt my hands shake.
"Then what was?"
Trevor looked at the documents.
"The people behind my company."
The room felt colder.
"Someone was watching us."
I stared at him.
"Who?"
Trevor didn't answer.
Instead, he looked at Lily's photo on my phone.
And his expression changed.
Fear.
Real fear.
"They know about her."
My heart stopped.
"Who?"
Trevor looked at me.
"The people who wanted you to lose the baby."
I couldn't breathe.
Because suddenly, the divorce.
The affair.
The strange messages.
Everything felt connected.
"You knew?"
My voice cracked.
"You knew someone wanted to hurt my child?"
Trevor closed his eyes.
"I suspected."
I stepped back.
"You suspected?"
Anger replaced the fear.
"And you still left me?"
"I was trying to protect you."
I shook my head.
"No."
My voice became stronger.
"You were protecting yourself."
Trevor looked like he wanted to argue.
But he didn't.
Because maybe, deep down, he knew I was right.
Ethan finally opened the folder again.
"There is something else you need to see."
I looked at him.
"What?"
He pulled out another document.
"This is a transfer record."
I looked at the numbers.
I didn't understand them.
"What am I looking at?"
"Payments."
"From who?"
Ethan pointed to a company name.
My heart sank.
Because I recognized it.
It was connected to Trevor's business.
But there was another name underneath.
A person.
A person who had been secretly funding Trevor.
I read it twice.
Then a third time.
Because my brain refused to accept it.
"This can't be real."
Ethan watched me.
"It is."
My fingers went cold.
The name belonged to someone I trusted.
Someone who had stood beside me.
Someone who had comforted me after my divorce.
Someone who had told me she was sorry.
Jessica.
But that wasn't the worst part.
Because beneath Jessica's name was another signature.
A second approval.
A person with access to Trevor's entire empire.
A person who had been moving money behind everyone's back.
Trevor saw the name.
His face went pale.
"You weren't supposed to find this."
Ethan looked at him.
"Neither were you."
I looked between them.
"What does that mean?"
Nobody answered.
Then Ethan's phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
This time, he didn't hide his reaction.
His face changed completely.
He answered.
"Hello?"
Silence.
Then:
"Where?"
Another pause.
"Are you sure?"
He ended the call.
I stood up.
"What happened?"
Ethan looked at Trevor.
Then at me.
"Someone broke into your apartment."
My blood ran cold.
"Lily?"
Trevor immediately moved.
"Is she okay?"
I stared at him.
Because for the first time since everything happened, I saw something real in his eyes.
Fear for his daughter.
Ethan continued.
"The police arrived before they could take anything."
I exhaled.
Then he added:
"But they left something behind."
"What?"
Ethan reached into his pocket.
He pulled out a small plastic bag.
Inside was a piece of paper.
My name was written on it.
Amanda Hayes.
My hands began shaking.
"What does it say?"
Ethan looked at the paper.
Then slowly lifted his eyes toward me.
"Amanda..."
His voice became quiet.
"The person who broke into your apartment wasn't looking for your money."
I stared at him.
"Then what were they looking for?"
Ethan turned the paper around.
May you like
And the words written underneath my name were revealed.
"They were looking for the child you were told never to have."
