Chapter 2

Cayla Rollins POV:

The pain in my hand was a constant, throbbing drumbeat, but it was a dull ache compared to the searing fire in my heart. Dereck was finally asleep, his breathing deep and even. It was now or never. I pushed myself up, a low groan escaping my lips as my body protested. Every movement was agony, but adrenaline coursed through my veins, sharpening my focus.

I stumbled out of bed, my balance precarious, my left hand clutching my bandaged right. The hospital gown felt like a shroud. I made my way to Dereck' s private study, a room usually off-limits to everyone, even me. He kept his most important documents there. His secrets.

The heavy oak door creaked open, revealing a meticulously organized space that now felt suffocating. My eyes landed on a hidden panel behind a bookshelf, a secret compartment I' d only known because Dereck, in a moment of what I now knew was calculated false intimacy, had shown it to me.

"This," he had whispered once, pressing the sequence of numbers, "is for our future. Our secrets. Our dreams."

The numbers were our shared anniversary, the day he' d first told me he loved me. The day he had, apparently, also begun building a separate life. The panel clicked open, revealing a small, dark space.

No love letters from me. No trinkets of our shared past. Not a single item connected to Cayla Rollins.

Instead, my eyes fell on a pile of neatly organized files. The first one was a sonogram. Another was a detailed prenatal check-up schedule. My breath caught in my throat. The dates... they stretched back five years. The same year Dereck had proposed to me.

I picked up a small, unassuming phone tucked away in a velvet pouch. It wasn't his primary device. With trembling fingers, I pressed the power button. The screen lit up, displaying a gallery of photos and videos. A secret life. Kacey Acevedo. And a child. Jesse.

I scrolled through them, each image a fresh stab to my already bleeding heart. Ultrasound images with Dereck' s scrawled notes on the back: "Our little fighter." "My son." Photos of Kacey, glowing and pregnant, posing with Dereck, his arm possessively around her. Videos of Jesse' s first steps, his first words, his third birthday party. Dereck was always there, a doting father, a loving partner.

Then I saw it. A meticulously planned meal schedule, tailored for a pregnant woman's dietary needs, complete with Dereck's tiny, precise handwriting. Below it, a set of architectural drawings-a nursery. The details were exquisite, every corner designed with love and anticipation. It was familiar. Too familiar. The same care, the same passion he used to pour into our projects.

Another file contained hospital reservations, a birthing suite booked under Kacey' s name. The date coincided perfectly with a supposed "business trip" Dereck had taken, a trip he' d ended with a hastily bought, guilt-ridden bouquet of my favorite lilies.

"I' m not ready for children yet, Cayla," he had told me just months before. "Our empire comes first. Our legacy."

The truth hit me like a physical blow. He wasn' t ready for my children. He didn' t want our legacy. He wanted his legacy. His only.

My fingers brushed against a small, velvet box in the bottom of the drawer. Inside, a ring. Not my engagement ring. This one was a custom design, a delicate band interwoven with sapphires and diamonds, a design Kacey had admired for years. A wedding ring.

My eyes landed on a formal invitation, addressed to the Potter family elders. It announced the upcoming official union of Dereck Potter and Kacey Acevedo. Their names, carved onto a sacred scroll, were intertwined with ancient symbols of fidelity and eternal bond. His fidelity. Her eternal bond.

And a small, printed instruction at the bottom, addressed to the officiant: "Please ensure all other arrangements are discreetly finalized."

Other arrangements. That was me. I was the inconvenient truth, the obstacle to be removed.

A guttural cry tore through me, silent and raw. My body shook, the suppressed sobs wracking my frame. He wasn' t just a liar; he was a monster.

I reached for my phone, my fingers fumbling. Anika. My best friend. My lifeline.

"Anika," I choked out, the word barely audible. "I need you. I need to get out."

"Cayla? What happened? Are you okay?" Her voice was sharp with instant concern.

"I' m doing it, Anika. I' m canceling the registration. Everything. I' m leaving."

There was a stunned silence on the other end. "Cayla... are you sure? After everything?"

"More than sure," I whispered, the words solidifying a cold resolve I hadn't known I possessed. "I' m gone. Tonight."

"I' ll make the arrangements. Tell me where you are."

I gave her the location and hung up. My body sagged against the desk, exhaustion pulling at me. I was leaving him. Leaving everything. The thought was terrifying, but exhilarating.

I didn' t dream of Dereck that night. I dreamt of open skies and endless possibilities.

A choked sob ripped through the silence of the room, jarring me awake. Dereck. He was sitting up on the cot, clutching a medical report. His face was a mask of utter despair, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Cayla, my love," he sobbed, his voice thick with what sounded like genuine agony. "The doctors... they confirmed it. The accident... it caused irreparable damage. Your inner strength... your ability to bear children... it' s gone."

He extended the report to me, his hand trembling. His eyes, though red, still held that unsettling emptiness. He was acting. This was a new scene in his cruel play.

"I would never abandon you," he cried, his voice breaking. "Never. We' ll get through this. Together. We can... we can adopt. There' s a boy. A beautiful boy. Orphaned. The son of a business associate. We could give him a home, Cayla."

I watched him, every calculated tear, every perfectly timed tremor in his voice. He was magnificent. A true performer.

I slowly nodded, a single, silent tear tracing its way down my cheek. I had to play along. One last time.

He pulled me into a tight embrace, his heart pounding against my ear. It wasn't love I heard; it was a frantic, triumphant beat. "I' ll transfer everything to you, Cayla. All my assets. To ensure your future. Our future."

He pulled back, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. "The ceremony, though... the elders are expecting..."

"I understand," I cut him off, my voice still weak, but firm. "I' ll send someone in my place to sign the scrolls. A representative. It' s the least I can do."

His eyes widened, and for a fleeting moment, I saw genuine surprise. He hadn' t expected this. My easy capitulation.

His relief was palpable. He thought he had won. He patted my hand, a satisfied smile spreading across his face. He reached for his personal communicator, already planning, already moving on.

Then, a sudden, sharp ping. A notification. Dereck glanced at his device. His face, which had just moments ago been filled with relief, paled completely.

A message from the Elder Council. The marriage registration... it had been canceled. My registration.