Chapter 2 His Convenient wife

“Anthony?”

Nia’s voice was barely above a whisper as she stretched her hand across the bed. Her fingers touched nothing but cold sheets.

Her eyes flew open.

The other side of the bed was untouched, neatly arranged, as if no one had slept there at all. Panic crept into her chest. She pushed herself up slowly, scanning the room, hoping she would hear the sound of running water from the bathroom or the familiar shuffle of his footsteps.

Nothing.

“He didn’t come home,” she murmured.

Her heart sank. The memories of the previous night flooded back all at once. The unanswered questions. The way he had walked out without looking back. The pregnancy test result is still hidden in her purse, untouched, unshared.

Just then, she heard it.

The sound of the front door opening downstairs.

Nia’s breath hitched. Relief rushed through her so fast it almost made her dizzy.

“He’s home,” she said quickly.

She scrambled out of bed, tightening her robe around her waist as she hurried toward the door. She did not stop to look in the mirror. She did not smooth her hair or wipe the sleep from her eyes. None of that mattered. All that mattered was seeing him. Talking to him. Maybe, just maybe, fixing what had broken the night before.

She hurried down the stairs, her bare feet barely touching the steps.

“Anthony,” she called out.

She reached the bottom step and froze.

Anthony stood by the door, one hand on the handle of a rolling suitcase. Beside him stood a woman, tall and elegant, her long hair falling perfectly over her shoulders. The woman was smiling, wide and confident, as if she had every right to be there.

Nia’s world tilted.

No. No, it couldn’t be.

Her eyes moved slowly from the suitcase… to the woman’s face.

Rachel Stein.

Her chest tightened painfully. For a moment, she couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t speak. Couldn’t even blink.

Rachel looked exactly the same. If anything, she looked better. Polished. Effortless. Alive in a way Nia had never felt in this house.

Anthony was the first to speak.

“Why do you look so unkept?” he said, his voice flat as his eyes swept over her. “Your hair is all over your face.”

Nia instinctively lifted a hand to her head. Only then did she realize how she looked. The robe clung loosely to her body, her hair messy, her face bare and tired. Heat rushed to her cheeks.

“I…” Her voice failed her.

She swallowed hard and lowered her hand. Embarrassment burned through her, but confusion quickly replaced it.

“What is she doing here?” Nia asked, her voice shaking despite her effort to stay calm. “And where were you last night?”

Anthony sighed as if she were the one inconveniencing him.

“I got a text from Rachel,” he said casually. “She landed at the airport last night. I went to pick her up.”

Nia stared at him, stunned.

“You left our anniversary dinner,” she said slowly, each word heavy. “Without telling me where you were going… to pick up Rachel Stein?”

Rachel shifted beside him, still smiling, her eyes sparkling with something unreadable.

“Yes,” Anthony replied. “What else was I supposed to do? Leave her stranded at the airport?”

Nia’s hands clenched into fists.

“You didn’t come home,” she said, her voice rising. “Did you even think about how that would look? About me?”

Anthony shrugged. “We stayed at a hotel. It was late.”

The words sliced through her.

A hotel.

The thought of something happening between them last night had her stomach twisting violently, and she instinctively pressed a hand against it, as if shielding her unborn child from the pain crashing through her chest.

Before she could respond, Anthony continued, his tone unchanged.

“Rachel doesn’t have a place to stay yet,” he said. “So she’ll be living here until she finds an apartment.”

Nia’s head snapped up.

“What?” she said sharply. “No.”

The word came out before she could stop it.

Anthony frowned. “Excuse me?”

“This is our home,” Nia said, her voice trembling but firm. “You can’t just bring her here without talking to me first. She can stay in a hotel.”

Rachel finally spoke, her voice soft and sweet.

“It’s okay, Anthony,” she said gently. “I understand your wife’s concerns. I wouldn’t want to cause problems. I can stay at a hotel until I get my own place.”

Nia looked at her, surprised by the sudden humility.

Anthony shook his head immediately.

“No,” he said. “You’re not going anywhere.”

He turned to Nia, his eyes cold.

“She’s staying here,” he said. “You don’t have a choice. This is my house and I make the rules. If you’re not comfortable with it; you can leave.”

The words crushed what little air remained in Nia’s lungs.

“Anthony…” she began.

But he was already walking past her, pulling Rachel’s luggage behind him.

“Come on,” he said to Rachel. “I’ll show you the guest room.”

“Go ahead, Anthony. I’ll join you soon.”

Anthony nodded and proceeded to climb the stairs.

Nia stood rooted to the spot in shock.

She heard his footsteps disappear, the sound echoing in the quiet house. Her hands shook at her sides. Slowly, she turned back toward the living room.

Rachel was standing before her.

The obviously fake smile was gone.

Her face hardened, her eyes sharp and cruel as they fixed on Nia.

“So,” Rachel said softly, folding her arms. “You’re the wife.”

Nia swallowed. “Why are you here?”

Rachel laughed quietly. “I’m back to take what has always been mine.”

Nia’s heart pounded. “Anthony is my husband.”

Rachel stepped closer, her voice dropping.

“If I hadn’t left town,” she said, “if I hadn’t broken up with him after high school, he would never have married you. You were never the plan.”

Each word landed like a slap.

“You were just convenient,” Rachel continued. “A promise. A threat by his grandmother. Nothing more.”

She brushed past Nia deliberately, her shoulder colliding hard with hers.

“Move,” Rachel said coldly.

Nia stumbled slightly, catching herself against the wall. By the time she looked up, Rachel was already climbing the stairs, her footsteps steady and confident.

Tears blurred Nia’s vision.

She stood there, staring at the staircase, her chest aching as sobs threatened to spill. Her hands trembled as she wrapped her arms around herself.

“This can’t be happening,” she whispered.

Tears rolled freely down her cheeks as she watched Rachel disappear upstairs, her presence already invading every corner of the home Nia had once believed was hers.