Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Ayla

I woke up to a series of doorbell rings, the sound worsening the thrumming headache behind my temples.

"Aaargh," I groaned, the repeated ding-dong sound getting on my nerves.

I stumbled out of bed, brushing my hands over my heavy eye-lids. My legs were still weak and my head was spinning but I pushed myself downstairs.

"I'm coming," I weakly shouted over another bell ring, rubbing my temples.

"Jesus Christ Ayla, what the fuck took you so long?" Roman's stepbrother stopped pacing seconds after I opened the door, looking at his wristwatch.

"What the hell Kaleb! This better be important," I responded, closing my eyes when the light had me feeling like someone was forcing stick hot needles inside them.

"Is this how you welcome me after months of not seeing me?" he mocked, while I rolled my eyes. He had been in another city, where he had established a new company and was required to stay there until it was stable. It was safe to say that I hadn't been around him much, so basically he was kind of a stranger.

"You are in the wrong wing, incase you forgot. What do you want?" I boredly asked, covering my mouth as I yawned. The mansion had three wings and Kaleb chose the rear one, so there was no need for him to wake me up when he could access his wing.

"Where's that son of a bitch?" He walked in uninvited, the side of his body brushing against mine.

"Is that why you interrupted my beauty sleep? There's a thing called a mobile phone, should have used it." I sarcastically said while I closed the door and then dragged myself after him.

"Beauty sleep?" He mocked, looking at my face for seconds, scrutinizing it until I lowered my eyes under his burning gaze.

"Your face is swollen Ayla, your eyes are blood-shot, your hair is unkempt, lips are chapped...so which beauty sleep did I interrupt?" As he described my appearance, my mind pulled me back to the moment Roman walked out on me.

"She's pregnant," Roman's word replayed in my mind, making my chest constrict. A sudden feeling to sit down gripped me, forcing me to stumble along the hallway, supporting myself with my hands on the wall.

"Ayla?" I could hear Kaleb's voice from a far, over my sudden ringing ears but I couldn't respond.

"You are not enough." I sagged into the chair, clutching at my stomach. I thought sleeping would make things easier for me, but the reality of being cheated was far much worse.

"Ayla? Come on, look at me." Kaleb shook me, breaking my trance, pulling me from my gruelling thoughts.

"He's not here." My voice cracked as I answered his earlier question, pulling my eyebrows together when a sharp pain cut across my head.

"You're crying," his voice was gentle, his face though blurry showing concern. Up until then, I had no idea I was crying.

"I'm not," I swallowed to sooth my dry throat.

"So what is this, juice?" he teased, running his thumb so smoothly below my right eye. His touch had my breath hitching, the gentleness of it prompting me to close my eyes.

"What did he do?" he asked, making me close my eyes as fresh tears escaped. How had he straight up known his step-brother had something to do with it. I couldn't control the tears as I fully relived the moment, starting from the text to Roman walking out on me.

"Jesus Ayla, talk to me." I felt the cushion dip beside me as he sat down, followed by his hand on my back.

"He's cheating on me," I mumbled, unable to stop myself from letting it out.

"That fucker. It doesn't even surprise me." I knew Kaleb was a womanizer, but at least he wasn't married or dating anyone.

"I can't say I understand what you're feeling, but crying for a stupid man like Roman is just a waste of time." He rubbed my back, the feeling so foreign yet simple making my heart leap a bit.

"Thanks, so what did he do?" It was my turn to ask Kaleb, trying to change the topic, putting my guard back up. There was no point in telling Roman's stepbrother that my marriage was as good as ruined.

"It's okay to talk to someone when you're hurting. So stop trying to change the topic." I couldn't help but wonder why he was showing concern.

"You said yourself that you don't understand what I'm feeling. I mean why would you?" I spoke in a shaky voice.

"All you do is fuck around, change ladies like clothes and repeat the process all over again. So don't sit there and pretend that you want to listen to what I have to say because you and your stepbrother are just the same; fucking womanizers." I lashed out, the outburst leaving my chest rapidly rising up and down.

Dead silence followed after that, and when I dared look at Kaleb his jaw ticked, his lips pressed together in a hard line. I swallowed hard, tapping my foot on the carpet beneath. After almost a full minute in silence I stood up, wiping my tears with the back of my hand.

"If Roman isn't in the office, he's somewhere with his girlfriend," I stated in a low voice, my back facing Kaleb as I blinked back more tears. Waking up to an empty bed and a lonely residence was a reminder that I was on my own.

As I pushed myself towards the L-shaped staircase, a hand gripped my back, and before I could react I was pinned on the wall, right beside the staircase. Kaleb then pressed his body against mine in a flash, the proximity making my breath hitch. For a moment I closed my eyes, savouring his scent that had my mouth watering.

"Don't ever equate me to Roman again," Kaleb bent, whispering against my ear. His low deep yet commanding voice sent a shiver down my spine.

"Am I clear?" he added, pressing tighter against me. In my mind I knew he was evading my privacy, but instead of pushing him away, my body basked in the feeling the proximity it brought.

"Let me go," I forced the words out, wiggling in an attempt to get out of his hold. Instead, my nipples brushed against his stomach, a feeling I couldn't describe bombarding me. His jaw visible ticked, his thigh between my leg pressing harder against me. A warmth pooled immediately between my legs, making me freeze.

"Are you sure you want me to step back?" His limps curled upwards in a smirk, as he brushed his hand along the side of my arm ever so lightly.

"Kaleb." It was meant to come out as a warning, but my voice wavered, betraying me.

"Not so confident now?" he chuckled, his blue eyes burning into my glistening ones for seconds, before stepping back.

"Motherfucker," I mumbled, moving away from him as fast as I could.

"For such a pretty and innocent face you sure have a foul mouth." My face warmed up, his admission on my looks affecting me when it shouldn't have.

"Please close the door on your way out," I stated, and turned to leave but before I could the home phone rang, stopping me in my tracks. My heart leaped, and not in a good way, because only Roman called the home phone.

"Aren't you going to get that?" Kaleb pointed at TV stand where the phone sat.

I wasn't ready to talk to Roman, I was still in pain and not even the brief contact with Kaleb was enough to erase the damage.

'What does he want?' I thought, but in the end went and picked the call.

"I'm bringing my love home today, vacate the bedroom for her," Roman spat, not even bothering to say hi to me, or checking on me first.

"Huh?" I questioned, furrowing my eyebrows.

"Yes, the woman who's going to be the mother of my child. I want her to be close to me for her safety and that of my child, and that means being on my side at all times. I expect you to have moved to the guestroom by the time we get home." He ended the call, leaving me to internalize his words, one by one.

"This can't be happening," I mumbled, lowering the cordless phone, looking at it.

"No, no, no..." I shook my head, the contents of my stomach churning.

"How can Roman insult me like this?" I whispered, pulling my brows together when the pounding behind my eyes intensified.

"What did he say?" Only when Kaleb spoke, did I remember that he was still there. My mind had completely drifted, still trying to make sense of Roman's words.

"Nothing that concerns you," I snapped.

"Fine, but if you need any help, just let me know. I'll go look for him now." I listened until his footsteps faded and the sound of the front door closed. For a moment I wished that he had stayed while I poured my heart out.

I refused to crumple, for the sake of my pregnancy. If Roman was going to be that way, then he didn't deserve to know that I was also pregnant.

"I will not move to the guest room. I am Roman's wife and I will be treated as such," I whispered into the vast living room. I wasn't about to let him use me, then on top of that humiliate me.

If Roman thought I would do as he hoped, then he had another thing coming.