Page 88 of Clear Shot

In the midst of what I thought was the best eight weeks of my life, she fucked another guy.

I can’t wrap my head around it, but I’m willing to listen to an explanation because our marriage is a lot more complicated than just walking away. If it was just a drunken night, maybe during that first road trip when we still didn’t mean anything to each other, I might be able to forgive it. We hadn’t talked yet. Hadn’t made any decisions.

I still want to throat punch the guy but maybe?—

“I didn’t cheat, Aiden.” She sits up straighter now. “It’s your baby.”

I laugh, even though it’s not funny. “Jesus fucking Christ, Hana, you know that’s not possible. I made sure of it.”

“Well, either you lied or your surgeon sucked.”

“I don’t think I’m the liar here.” I shake my head, suddenly defeated.

I thought we were building something real but it’s obvious now I was a sucker. She just wanted the damn visa. Everythingelse has been an illusion, something I built up in my mind because the hottest girl I know married me.

Obviously, I’m a sucker who fell for the lies of a pretty face and hot body.

Dammit.

I thought I learned my lesson with my first marriage.

“I’m not lying.”

This hurts like a bitch, but I’m not the kind of man who’s going to get violent or make a fuss. If this was nothing more than a visa to her, then so be it.

“Was it a one-night stand?” I ask, trying to keep my voice level.

She lifts hurt-filled eyes to mine. “I told you—I didn’t have an affair.”

“Well, it wasn’t immaculate conception.” I scowl at her. “You might as well come clean. We’re married so we have to come to an agreement. I’m obviously not paying for someone else’s kid so you can handle that however you want. You signed the prenup so the only other issue is the house. Are you going to try to take half?”

Her mouth opens, and she gapes at me. “That’s what you think? You think I want money?”

“I don’t know what I think, to be honest.”

“Aiden, we need to?—”

“I need to go,” I say abruptly. I grab the bag I just put down and turn toward the door. “Sleep here tonight, but I think you need to move to your brother’s house tomorrow. If you want me to abide by the terms of our original agreement with regard to your visa, I’ll honor that as long as you don’t try to take half the house. Beyond that, you’ll need to come up with an explanation for why we’re living separate lives and the details of your pregnancy.”

I practically jump down the stairs, moving as quickly as I can to get back into my SUV and get as far away from here as possible. I don’t know if there’s anywhere I can go to escape my pain, but I’m going to give it the old college try.

Chapter 31

Hana

I don’t knowhow long I sat there after Aiden left.

I knew it would be a difficult conversation, but I hadn’t articulated the idea that he would accuse me of cheating. I thought he would focus on the fact that he didn’t want biological children, or maybe that I tricked him or something. I knew it wouldn’t go well but I didn’t expect to feel…cheap. Like I’d done something wrong. This wasn’t my fault, but somehow I’m the one feeling like the bad guy.

I trusted him the same way he trusted me and he had the audacity to automatically assume I slept with someone else.

When would I have done that?

I’ve fallen in love with my husband and don’t even think about other men. The idea of sleeping with someone else is repulsive to me.

Yet he walked out without even a real conversation. He merely made his assumption—it never crossed his mind it might have been a surgical error?—and gave me the parameters ofour relationship going forward. If you could call it that. He essentially told me to figure it out. He’d allow me to keep the visa that came with our marriage but I had to explain our separation and my pregnancy.

Well, he can go to hell.