Chapter 3 up
Morning came without mercy.
Sunlight streamed through the large living room windows, illuminating the house that had witnessed the collapse of Nyla’s marriage the night before. She stood in the kitchen, making a cup of tea she never touched. Her eyes were empty, yet her back was straight—too straight for a woman who had just been shattered.
Clark was still asleep in the guest room. Drunk. Unaware. Uncaring.
The doorbell rang.
Once. Then twice. Long and insistent.
Nyla let out a slow breath before walking to the door. Something in her chest was already braced—as if she knew this morning would not be peaceful.
When she opened the door, a woman stood before her.
Beautiful. Young. Confident.
Her long hair fell neatly over her shoulders, a pastel dress hugging her slender figure. The smile on her lips was not polite—it was victorious.
“Nyla Summer?” the woman asked, though it was obvious she already knew the answer.
“What do you want?” Nyla replied calmly, even as her heart began to beat faster.
The woman stepped inside without being invited, her eyes sweeping over the house with an appraising gaze—as if she were selecting a future that would soon belong to her.
“I’m Selena,” she said lightly. “We need to talk.”
That name. The name Clark had spoken with love the night before.
Nyla closed the door slowly, then turned to her. “I don’t recall inviting you.”
Selena let out a small laugh. “I thought… woman to woman, we could be mature.”
“Maturity doesn’t include showing up at the legal wife’s house after sleeping with her husband,” Nyla replied coldly.
Selena’s smile didn’t fade. It only widened.
“I didn’t come to fight,” she said, crossing her arms. “I came to be honest.”
“Your honesty is three years too late,” Nyla shot back.
Selena stepped closer, meeting Nyla’s gaze without fear. “Clark loves me.”
Nyla nodded slowly. “I know. He told me last night. While he was drunk. While he kissed his wife and said your name.”
For a brief moment, satisfaction flickered in Selena’s eyes.
“See?” she said. “Even like that, the only one he remembers is me.”
Nyla smiled faintly. “If that’s your achievement as a woman, then your standards in life are truly low.”
Selena’s expression tightened, but she quickly composed herself.
“I won’t waste time,” she said. “I want you to step aside.”
“Step aside?” Nyla raised an eyebrow. “From what?”
“From a position that clearly no longer belongs to you,” Selena replied coolly. “Clark is with me now. And I’m pregnant.”
The word hung in the air. Heavy. Piercing.
Nyla fell silent—not out of shock, but because anger was slowly rising to the surface.
“Pregnant,” she repeated softly.
Selena nodded, her hand instinctively touching her still-flat stomach. “Clark’s child.”
For the first time, Nyla’s chest tightened again. But she refused to crumble.
“Congratulations,” she said evenly. “You managed to trap a married man with a pregnancy.”
Selena smirked. “I just want you to understand your place. You’re no longer needed. Step back with dignity.”
“Dignity?” Nyla laughed softly—a cold, sharp sound. “You walk into my house, admit you slept with my husband, carry his child, and then talk to me about dignity?”
She stepped closer, locking eyes with Selena.
“Do you know the difference between you and me, Selena?” Nyla asked gently.
Selena snorted. “I’m the one he loves.”
Nyla shook her head. “No. You were chosen to satisfy his ego and desire. I was chosen to be his wife.”
Selena’s face flushed.
“And don’t misunderstand,” Nyla continued, her voice calm yet lethal. “I’m not jealous of your pregnancy. I only pity your child—born of betrayal.”
Selena clenched her fists. “You have no right—”
“I have every right in this house,” Nyla cut in sharply. “Including the right to insult a shameless woman who walked in uninvited.”
Her gaze swept over Selena from head to toe.
“You are beautiful,” Nyla said slowly. “But your beauty is cheap if it’s used to steal another woman’s husband.”
Selena laughed mockingly. “You think you’re still in control? Clark will choose me.”
“Maybe,” Nyla replied. “A man who can betray his wife can betray you too.”
Selena fell silent.
“And one more thing,” Nyla added, stepping closer until there was almost no space between them. “I will not be humiliated in my own home.”
She opened the door and pointed outside.
“Get out.”
Selena stared at her in disbelief. “You’ll regret this.”
Nyla smiled faintly. “I already regret marrying Clark. The only regret I won’t add is allowing a woman like you to stand in front of me any longer.”
For a few seconds, Selena hesitated. Then she scoffed and walked away, her face filled with resentment.
“I’ll be back,” she said. “As the rightful woman.”
Nyla closed the door calmly.
The moment it shut, her body trembled. She leaned against it briefly, steadying her breath. But no tears fell.
Not today.
Nyla looked toward the stairs leading to Clark’s room.
“Pregnancy,” she whispered. “Is not a threat to me.”
