Who is he, then?

"This man... he isn't Armin Rodriguez," Neil repeated, his voice strained, as though he were grappling with the weight of the revelation himself. 

Alysha’s heart pounded in her chest, her mind spinning as the world around her seemed to tilt. Everything she thought she knew, everything she had just begun to feel—now felt like it was shattering before her eyes.

Her legs felt weak as the room swayed slightly, the realization hitting her with the force of a tidal wave. She glanced back at the man she thought was her husband, her body stiff with fear, confusion, and disbelief. How could this be? How could the man she shared a bed with not be her husband?

Trembling, Alysha whispered, "Who... who is he, then?"

Neil stood there, completely frozen, his eyes still locked on the figure lying in the bed. His mind raced as the horrifying truth settled in: the man sleeping beside Alysha was not Armin Rodriguez—it was none other than the infamous billionaire, Ivan Anderson Suegra, Armin's uncle Suegra. Gabriel’s cousin.

He was the wrong Suegra!

The gravity of the situation made Neil’s blood run cold. He knew exactly what kind of danger Alysha was in now. 

The Rodriguez family was ruthless, and if Armin’s parents—Gabriel and Lilian Rodriguez—found out about this, the consequences would be catastrophic. 

Alysha stood trembling, her mind reeling from Neil’s cryptic words. She choked, barely able to form the question, her eyes darting between Neil and the man in the bed. Fear began to creep into her chest, wrapping around her like a squeeze. "Who is this man?"

Neil shook his head, his face ashen, his voice tight with urgency. “Alysha, you don’t understand. This is far worse than you can imagine. I am not sure if I can inform you about his name right now!”

Alysha’s heart stopped, her entire body trembling uncontrollably as she processed his words.

Neil’s face was grim as he spoke, trying to keep his voice steady. "I don’t know how this happened. Armin should have come to you last night, but for some reason, Ivan came instead. You don’t have time to think about that right now, Alysha. We have to get out of here before anyone sees you, before anyone finds out what happened."

Alysha’s heart dropped. The man she had trusted in the darkness, the man whose touch had left her breathless, was the wrong person for her. Her fingers clutched at the edge of her robe, the fabric slipping as her body trembled. She had lost her virginity to him.

Tears welled up in Alysha’s eyes as fear gripped her. Her entire world felt like it was collapsing around her. She had no idea how her life had taken such a horrifying turn in just one night. "But… I don’t understand… why someone else.... why? How could he enter in my room? How he had the key to come inside?" Her voice broke, her legs feeling weak beneath her.

Neil’s voice cut through her daze, low but urgent, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Alysha, we don’t have time to talk. We need to get out of here. Now.”

Neil placed a firm hand on her shoulder, his expression full of urgency. "You don’t need to understand right now. You just need to survive. If Gabriel and Lilian even suspect that you slept with another man, they won’t hesitate. Your life will be in danger. You have to trust me. Cover your face and follow me. We need to leave this place before anyone realizes what’s happened."

She glanced back at the man on her bed, who still lay peacefully unaware of the chaos surrounding them. Her heart pounded as she turned to Neil, her voice barely a whisper. "Where will we go? What if someone sees us?"

Neil’s jaw clenched, his eyes darting toward the door. "We’ll figure it out once we’re out of here. But if anyone catches you in this room with him, there will be no escape. Your life is at huge risk now, Alysha."

Alysha nodded, her throat too tight to speak. She pulled her veil over her head, her mind spinning with fear and confusion. She had no idea how she had ended up in this nightmare, but one thing was clear: her life, as she knew it, was hanging by a thread.

Neil gave a curt nod, his face set in a grim mask. “Then follow me. And don’t look back.”

Alysha looked into Neil’s eyes, feeling the enormity of her situation sink in deeper than ever. The safe, luxurious hotel suite felt suddenly suffocating, as if it were closing in on her. With every ounce of strength she could muster, she nodded, swallowing back the fear and shame burning inside her.