Chapter 2 The Other Woman

Mia's POV

Kyle walked out of the bathroom. I quickly turned away from his phone, my heart pounding. He picked up the device and left the bedroom without a word to me. The door clicked shut behind him.

I pulled my knees to my chest, wrapping my arms around them. Even through the closed door, I could hear the low murmur of his voice. He always spoke to her in that gentle tone. That is a tone I'd never heard him use with me.

I pressed my face against my knees, trying to hold back my tears. My hand moved unconsciously to my stomach. What would Taylor say if she knew I was carrying Kyle's babies? My stepsister had already taken so much from me. My father, my home, my inheritance - and now she wanted Kyle back.

The memories came flooding back, making me feel sick. I was fifteen when my mother died. Cancer took her quickly, leaving me alone with my father. I thought he would be there for me. I was wrong.

A week after Mom's funeral, he brought home his new wife and her daughter Taylor. That's when my whole world fell apart. That's when I learned the ugly truth. Dad had been seeing them behind Mom's back for years. He'd only married my mother for her money. Taylor's mother had been his true love all along.

I got up from the bed, needing to move. The bedroom suddenly felt small and suffocating. I walked to the window, pressing my forehead against the cool glass. Outside, the city lights twinkled like nothing was wrong.

The sound of Kyle's voice grew louder as he walked past the bedroom door. "Thursday works perfectly. I'll make reservations at your favorite restaurant."

My fingers curled against the glass. Thursday. He was planning a date with her while I stood here carrying his children. Children he didn't want. Children that violated our contract.

I remembered the day Taylor first came to our house. She was thirteen, two years younger than me, but she acted like she owned the place. Maybe she did. Within days, my father had moved all of Mom's things to the attic. Within weeks, he'd redecorated the entire house to Taylor's mother's taste. It was like Mom had never existed.

"You're just like your mother," Taylor would say to me at school, her voice dripping with contempt. "Always in the way. Always trying to hold onto things that don't belong to you."

The bathroom door opened, and Kyle walked back in. I quickly wiped my eyes, but I couldn't hide how pale I was. My reflection in the window showed a ghost of a woman.

"You look sick," Kyle said, his voice cool and detached. So different from how he'd spoken to Taylor moments ago. "Go see a doctor tomorrow."

I turned to face him, wrapping my arms around myself. "Would you speak to Taylor like this?" The words slipped out before I could stop them.

Kyle's expression hardened. "You shouldn't mention that name. And don't compare yourself to her."

His words hit me like a physical blow. Of course. How could I forget? I was just the backup plan. The convenient wife who stayed in the shadows while he pursued his true love.

"You're right," I said, my voice trembling. "I'm not worthy. I'm just the girl you married because your board of directors insisted you needed a stable image. I'm just your secretary who pretends to be your wife."

Kyle's jaw tightened. " We had an agreement, Mia. You knew what this was from the start. Don't try to make it something it's not."

I laughed, but it sounded more like a sob. "A contract. That's all our marriage is to you, isn't it? Just another business deal.

"Yes," he said coldly. "That's exactly what it is. Make sure you stick to that."

My hand instinctively moved to my stomach before I caught myself. But Kyle had already turned away, heading for the door. "I have an early meeting tomorrow. Don't wait up."

The door closed behind him with a final click. I sank onto the bed, my legs no longer able to hold me up. The tears I'd been holding back finally spilled over.

How had I ended up here? When did I become this pathetic woman who accepted crumbs of attention from a man who loved someone else? Someone who happened to be the same person who had made my teenage years a living hell?

I remembered the first time I saw Kyle. It was at a high school party - one I wasn't supposed to be at. Taylor had made sure I knew I wasn't welcome, but I went anyway. Kyle was there with his friends, tall and handsome in his football jersey. He only had eyes for Taylor.

Everyone knew they were the perfect couple. Kyle Branson, the star quarterback from the wealthy family. Taylor Matthews, the beautiful cheerleader with the perfect life. And me? I was just the awkward stepsister who didn't belong anywhere.

But I fell for him anyway. Quietly, hopelessly, I fell in love with Kyle. Even after high school, when I got the job as his secretary at K.T. Enterprises, my feelings didn't change. If anything, they grew stronger.

Then came the scandal. Kyle's reputation was at risk, and the board insisted he needed to clean up his image. He needed a wife - someone quiet, someone who wouldn't cause problems. Someone who would sign a contract and stay in the shadows.

I was the perfect candidate. The quiet secretary who already knew how to be invisible. The girl who loved him enough to accept any terms, just to be near him.

Now here I was, three years later, carrying his twins while he planned dates with my stepsister.

I got up and walked to my purse, pulling out the ultrasound picture. In the darkness of the room, I could barely make out the two tiny dots that would change everything. My babies. Our babies. Even if Kyle never loved me, even if this pregnancy violated our contract, I couldn't give them up.

My phone buzzed with a text. It was from Linda, Kyle's assistant - and the only person who knew about our marriage.

"Are you okay? You seemed off today."

I stared at the message, my vision blurring with fresh tears. No, I wasn't okay. I wasn't okay at all.

But I had to be strong. For my babies, I had to find a way to be strong.

I texted back a simple "I'm fine" and turned off my phone. Tomorrow, I would have to go back to work. I would have to sit at my desk and pretend everything was normal. I would have to watch Kyle and Taylor together, knowing I carried his children under my heart.

As I lay in bed, one hand resting protectively over my stomach, I made a decision. I wouldn't tell Kyle about the pregnancy. Not yet. Not until I figured out what to do. These babies were mine. They are the only real thing in this fake marriage. And I would protect them, no matter what it cost me.

The sound of Kyle's car starting in the driveway made me flinch. He was leaving, probably heading to his penthouse apartment downtown. The one where he stayed when he didn't want to play house with his contract wife.

I curled up tighter under the blankets, trying to find warmth in the empty bed. Tomorrow would be another day of being the invisible wife. But tonight, in the darkness of our bedroom, I allowed myself to cry for everything I might lose when the truth finally came out.