Rejected by my Husband novel Chapter 13

Karline’s POV

The morning sun spilled into the hall, painting the marble floor in streaks of gold. I sat there waiting, my hands clenched tight on the edge of the couch. My eyes were fixed on the door.

I hadn’t slept all night. My heart was aching, my mind replaying Reid’s words again and again. Is the child mine?

I pressed my palm against my stomach, whispering to the little life inside. “He will believe us… he has to. He’s your father.”

The sound of footsteps clicked against the floor, light and sharp. I looked up, my chest tightening when I saw her. Natalie.

Her lips curved into a smug little smile as she stepped into the hall, her expensive heels tapping deliberately. She looked me up and down with those condescending eyes before speaking, her voice coated in false sweetness.

“You should be grateful, Karline.”

My brows furrowed. “Grateful?”

She tilted her head. “Yes. The only reason Reid hasn’t divorced you yet is because of the baby in your womb. Without that child, you would already be out of his life.”

Her words cut into me like knives. I stood, my hands shaking, but my voice came out harsh and cold. “Don’t you dare talk to me like that. You think because you’ve been hovering around him like a parasite you know his heart? You don’t. You never will. He married me, not you. And this baby..” I pressed my hand against my belly, staring into her eyes “..this baby is ours. Mine and Reid’s. No matter how much you plot or whisper, you can never change that truth.”

For a moment, her smug smile faltered, but then she laughed, a low, mocking sound. “We’ll see about that.”

The sound of heavy footsteps echoed down the hall. My heart leapt as Reid entered, tall, composed, dressed in his sharp grey suit for work. His eyes flickered between us, unreadable, cold.

I swallowed hard and stepped closer. “Reid… we need to talk.”

His brows lifted slightly, but he said nothing, waiting.

“Is this what you want?” My voice trembled as I gestured between him and Natalie. “Whispers. Accusations. Humiliation in front of your family? I am your wife, Reid. The mother of your child. And you ask me if this baby is even yours? Do you realize what that does to me?”

Reid’s jaw tightened, his silence like a wall between us.

Natalie stepped closer, feigning concern. “Reid, she’s emotional. You know how pregnancy makes women unstable.” She turned her gaze on him like she was the angel of reason. “Why don’t you put this matter to rest? A DNA test will reveal the truth. Simple. Clean. No more arguments.”

I snapped my head toward her, my whole body shaking with disgust. “You… how dare you? You have no right to interfere in my marriage!”

Her lips curled in satisfaction, her tone dripping with poison. “I only want what’s best for Reid. He deserves the truth.”

I clenched my fists, about to shout back, but before I could speak, Reid’s voice cut through the air like a whip.

“Enough.”

Both of us froze. His gaze locked onto mine, hard and unrelenting. “The DNA test will be held.”

My stomach dropped. “What?”

“If the results prove otherwise,” he continued, his tone flat, merciless, “you will divorce me quietly, without any fuss.”

The floor beneath me seemed to crumble. My throat went dry, words refusing to form. “Wh… what? Reid… how can you…?”

Natalie folded her arms, a satisfied smirk dancing on her lips.

Tears welled in my eyes. I stepped forward, desperate. “Reid, I told you again and again. This baby is yours! I never cheated on you. Never! How can you stand there and question me like I’m a stranger? After everything, after the years we’ve shared, after every moment we’ve built together this is what you think of me?”

His eyes flickered, but his expression remained stone. “You wanted me to believe you with nothing but words. But words can be lies, Karline. Proof cannot.”

My knees buckled, but I forced myself to stand tall, my voice breaking as I whispered, “And what if the proof tells you what I already have? That this child is yours, Reid. Will you regret doubting me then? Will you regret ripping me apart?”

His jaw clenched, his silence answering louder than any words.

I laughed bitterly through my tears. “Natalie must be so proud right now. Congratulations, Natalie—you’ve poisoned him so well he doesn’t even see me anymore. He doesn’t see us.”

“No!” I cried, cutting him off, my voice breaking. “You looked at me last night, at the dinner table, while they accused me, and you stayed silent. Silent! Do you know what that felt like? To have the man I married, the man I carried in my heart, watch me drown and not throw me a rope?”

Reid’s face hardened, but his eyes flickered, betraying the storm beneath. “You put yourself in situations that made them question you. You let Adrian touch you. You cheated on me. And why? why you went to club without even informing me”

I staggered back as if his words were a physical slap. “I wanted you to notice me, to care again, to remember I was your wife, not some ghost living in your house. I wanted you to feel how I used to feel when you always leave me alone for Natalie...”

Natalie’s voice, soft and venomous, floated in again. “Reid, she admitted it herself. She tried to make you jealous. That kind of woman…” She trailed off, shaking her head in false pity. “No wonder people doubt her.”

I turned on her, my chest heaving. “You shut your mouth, Natalie. You are nothing here. Nothing but the shadow trailing behind my marriage. You will not destroy me.”

Her smirk faltered, but Reid’s voice cut through the air again. “Enough, both of you.”

He looked at me then, his eyes darker than I’d ever seen. “The DNA test will settle this. Until then… don’t speak of it again.”

My lips trembled as I stared at him. “So that’s it? You’ll trust a piece of paper more than me?”

His silence was the cruelest answer.

Tears poured freely down my face. My hand pressed against my stomach, my voice breaking as I whispered, “This baby is yours, Reid. And one day you’ll regret doubting that. You’ll regret doubting me.”

For a flicker of a moment, something softened in his eyes—pain, conflict, but then he turned away, his shoulders rigid.

Natalie smiled sweetly, like she had already won.

But I straightened my back, despite my tears. “I will prove you wrong, Reid. I will prove to you that I am your wife, your only wife, and this child belongs to no one but you. And when that day comes… when the truth screams louder than your doubts… it won’t just be you who remembers. I will remember too. Every accusation. Every silence. Every cut you made into my heart.”

I walked past him, brushing his shoulder, refusing to let Natalie see me crumble. My voice was steady, though my soul was breaking.

“Do the test,” I said. “And prepare to regret every word.”