Chapter 2: The Aftershock

~ Ivy ~

Ivy sat in the silence of the hotel room, her thoughts a storm of regret, confusion, and disbelief.

What have I done?

The events of the previous night played like flickering scenes in her mind—blurred but vivid. The kiss on the terrace, Aiden’s sharp eyes, the intoxicating rush of feeling seen, wanted, chosen. The hotel bar. The elevator. His mouth on hers. Her hands tangled in his shirt. The way she whispered “Ethan” without realizing.

Her stomach twisted violently.

She had meant to hurt Ethan—or at least, to hurt less from being overlooked again. But instead, she’d just ruined everything.

She had slept with his twin brother.

Worse, Aiden didn’t even look surprised. His words before he left echoed in her ears like a warning shot.

“Forget this ever happened. For your sake… and mine.”

What did that mean?

What secret was he hiding?

She stared at the door he had walked out of, then down at herself, still wrapped in the hotel’s bedsheet. Her body felt foreign—like a stranger had worn it last night.

Tears stung her eyes.

This wasn’t her. She didn’t have one-night stands. She didn’t throw herself at men out of spite. She had a plan. A future. A heart she guarded—until last night.

Shame clung to her like a second skin.

You have to leave.

She got dressed in silence, each movement robotic. As she stepped into the hallway, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror.

Her eyes were swollen, her lipstick faded, hair tousled. But the worst part was the look in her eyes—

She didn’t recognize herself.

The next morning, Ivy did her best to pretend.

Pretend nothing happened.

Pretend she wasn’t unraveling inside.

She showed up to her shift at the gallery, pasted on a smile, and tried not to flinch every time her phone vibrated.

No messages from Aiden. None from Ethan either.

Maybe that was a good thing.

Until noon—when her world shattered again.

She was organizing an exhibit brochure when her phone buzzed. It was a news alert from one of the gossip blogs that followed the King family obsessively.

> BREAKING: Ethan King Announces Engagement to Tessa Langford!

Her hands went numb. She dropped the phone.

It clattered onto the desk, the screen still glowing.

Engaged?

Her breath came in shallow gasps. The photo attached to the article was cruel—Ethan down on one knee, Tessa smiling like she had just won a prize. And Ivy?

She was just collateral damage.

The gallery manager, Linda, poked her head in. “Ivy? You okay? You look pale.”

“I… I need to step out,” Ivy mumbled.

She didn’t wait for permission.

Outside, the wind slapped her face like ice, but it still didn’t stop her heart from racing.

He proposed. Right after I—

Her hands shook. Whether from heartbreak, confusion, or something else entirely, she couldn’t tell.

She pressed a hand to her stomach.

That’s when it hit her.

Her period was late.

Two days passed. Ivy avoided everyone—calls from her cousin, texts from friends, and her mother’s nagging voice mail asking why she missed Sunday brunch.

But she couldn’t avoid the one thing that mattered.

She sat on the bathroom floor, eyes locked on the white stick in her trembling hand.

Positive.

One word. One line. One future rewritten.

She was pregnant.

Panic flared in her chest. It felt like the walls were closing in, like her lungs were underwater.

“No…” she whispered, voice breaking.

She read the result again. Then again. There was no mistake.

The memories of that night came crashing back—Aiden’s touch, the heat of his skin, her whispered name in the dark.

They hadn’t used protection.

And now, here she was. Staring at a truth that could destroy everything.

Ethan was engaged. Tessa would never let Ivy near the King family again. And Aiden?

He had vanished.

Ivy clutched the pregnancy test as if it were a grenade.

What do I do?

~ Aiden ~

Miles across the city, Aiden King stood in the shadows of his high-rise office, watching the skyline through narrowed eyes.

His phone buzzed again.

Second call today.

He didn’t answer.

His assistant peeked in. “Sir, your father’s legal team is requesting your signature on the inheritance clause.”

“Tell them to wait,” he said flatly.

“They said it’s urgent. Something about Ethan’s engagement changing the succession dynamic.”

Aiden’s jaw tensed.

He knew what that meant. If Ethan got married and had a child first, the estate’s control could slip entirely into his hands—and out of Aiden’s reach.

And Aiden had no interest in letting his brother claim everything.

But then again… something unexpected had happened.

A complication.

A possibility.

His mind flashed back to Ivy. Her kiss. Her confusion. Her whispered, mistaken name.

She didn’t know who she had slept with.

But he did.

He stepped back from the window, a slow, calculating smile forming.

Maybe the night he thought was a mistake… could turn into an opportunity.

He picked up his phone and dialed a number.

“Find me Ivy Carter,” he said. “Now.”