Chapter 5 A Narrow Escape

Carly pulled up her chat history with Rosalyn.

"See for yourself. She told me directly," Carly stated.

Declan quickly took the phone, skimmed the message, and then scratched his nose thoughtfully.

"Look, don't get the wrong idea. There's nothing going on between us. She kept bugging me to check out our future home with her, and that's the only reason I went with her. I'm not sure why she'd tell you that way..."

Carly snatched her phone back, her voice icy. "Declan, I don't have the patience for your excuses. I've ignored your flings with those influencers, but Rosalyn? That's where I draw the line. Are you that desperate? Why her, of all people? If you don't care about how I feel, then we might as well end our engagement right now!"

Declan was taken aback by Carly's firm stance. He was at a loss for words.

"Carly, I swear, there's really nothing going on with her and me..."

She ushered Declan towards the door. "Don't bother talking. Think about what you've done, then we'll talk."

Declan left feeling annoyed but didn't argue further. Just as he was leaving, a peculiar scent caught his attention.

He sniffed, looking confused. "Why does it smell like smoke in here? Since when do you smoke?"

Carly felt her heart skip a beat but kept her composure. "She's been stressing me out, and I've been feeling down, so I had a few cigarettes."

Declan frowned, clearly unhappy. "You shouldn't be smoking. You need to stop right now. My mom's going to have a fit if she finds out!"

Carly remained quiet. Once Declan had gone, she spat several times.

"Are you trying to use me to get revenge on him?"

Out of nowhere, a man's voice broke the silence.

Carly turned around to find Kristian propped against the closet door, wearing a grin that could only be described as captivating.

Caught off guard by his insight, Carly felt a wave of embarrassment wash over her.

Kristian chuckled softly but didn't push the conversation further.

Instead, he lifted his hand, revealing a black bra dangling from his fingertips.

Its lace was so fine it was nearly see-through.

Carly stared at it for a moment before the realization hit her. It was the provocative lingerie her best friend had gifted her as a pre-wedding present.

It was so alluring that it could make anyone's cheeks blush.

And sure enough, Carly's face flushed a deep red, and she instinctively started to back away.

"What... What are you doing with that?" she stammered, her voice laced with shock.

"Didn't you mention you'd do anything I ask?"

Kristian closed the distance between them with a few quick steps, wrapped his arms around her, and flashed a mischievous smile.

"Put it on," he urged, his voice playful yet insistent.

When Carly woke up to her phone's incessant ringing the next afternoon, the man beside her was gone, leaving nothing but his lingering, woody scent behind.

She had a fuzzy memory of him leaving soon after taking a call.

Her phone continued to ring, pulling her back to the present.

Aching all over, Carly propped herself up, holding her waist, and reached for her phone on the nightstand.

It was a call from her dad, Isaac. With hesitation, she hit the answer button.

"Carly, what took you so long to pick up? Hannah's expecting, and guess what? It's a boy! Let's get together this weekend and celebrate as a family!"

Before Carly had the chance to say no, he had already ended the call.

Carly was in disbelief. Right then, a text from Rosalyn appeared on her screen.

"Did Dad fill you in? My mom's pregnant, and we're going to have a baby brother!"

Carly took a deep breath, her frown deepening, and blocked Rosalyn's number.

She collapsed back onto the bed, tears rolling down her face.

She had been so disillusioned with Isaac, convinced he didn't deserve the title of father.

But the news of him having another child still made her heart sink.

Her granddad was gone, her mom had lost her sanity, and yet, why did he, the root of all their problems, still get to live a life full of joy?

Carly clenched her teeth, a determined look in her eyes.

Half an hour later, a new post had shot up to the top of the trending topics.