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Rosie chuckled faintly, but deep down, her heart was heavy. She didn’t know how to break the news to Sienna. She only hoped it wouldn’t be too late.

Rosie saw through her. That spark, the one Sienna had when she secretly loved Adrian, was gone again. Her eyes were dull. Empty.

Rosie’s heart clenched.

Rosie’s heartbeat quickened as her fingers tightened on her thighs. “I… I need to tell you something. But I don’t know if I should,” Rosie said hesitantly.

“What’s wrong?” Sienna’s tone turned serious. “Is it the baby? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Rosie replied quickly, seeing Sienna relax.

Then Sienna stiffened. “Is it about Adrian?”

Rosie hesitated, then nodded.

Sienna’s face hardened. “Then I don’t want to hear it. Let’s not talk about him.”

“But this is something you should know before you decide anything,” Rosie insisted. “Please, just listen.”

Sienna didn’t respond, but she didn’t hang up either.

“Adrian came across me and Theo today at the theater. He was furious when he saw us together. Then he found out everything—about you, about me, and about your fake marriage with Theo.”

Sienna’s heart skipped a beat, her grip tightening on the phone.

She hadn’t expected the truth about her and Theo’s marriage to come out in front of Adrian like this. She had imagined a thousand ways Adrian might find out, but none of them were anything like this. The press conference and everything else had taken a toll on her, leaving her drowning in self-doubt and worry. Now, she couldn’t stop thinking about what Adrian would do now that he knew the truth.

‘Is he going to think this was my way of trying to get him back? Or that I was trying to trap him?’ Sienna’s mind spiraled, flooded with a hundred thoughts at once, each one louder than the last, blinding her with fear and confusion.

‘Will he think I did it all just to humiliate him? To insult him? Or… is he really going to come after me again? Like he did last time? Like he promised he would?’

Her heart stuttered. And just as quickly, she forced herself to stop. ‘Let him come back? After everything? Have I not endured enough? Why am I even thinking about this again?’

Shaking off the flood of emotions, she tried to center herself. Her finger hovered over the hang-up button on her phone.

“I’m ending the call, Rosie,” she said flatly. “I don’t want to hear anything about Adrian. Or his life.”

“No—just listen to me once,” Rosie pleaded from the other side of the line.

But before Sienna could respond, Theo leaned over, gently grabbing her hand.

“Let it be,” he said softly. “If she doesn’t want to know, don’t force her. She doesn’t need to stay connected to Adrian.”

Sienna closed her eyes tightly, heart racing. But Rosie’s voice came again, urgent this time.

“This is important. Please. Just listen to me. It won’t take long. But I know if I don’t tell you now, I’ll regret it later. Just once—for me.”

There was silence, and then Rosie spoke again.

“After the confrontation, Adrian fainted in the street. Matthew took him to the hospital. I—I followed them there because I was worried. And then I overheard what the doctor said…”

Sienna held her breath.

“They think Adrian might have stomach cancer.”

Silence. For a heartbeat, it was as if time had stopped.

Then, the sound of something crashing.