The Unwanted Wife and Her Secret Twins novel Chapter 2

Mia's POV

Kyle walked out of the bathroom. I quickly turned away from his phone, my heart pounding. He picked up the device and left the bedroom without a word to me. The door clicked shut behind him.

I pulled my knees to my chest, wrapping my arms around them. Even through the closed door, I could hear the low murmur of his voice. He always spoke to her in that gentle tone. That is a tone I'd never heard him use with me.

I pressed my face against my knees, trying to hold back my tears. My hand moved unconsciously to my stomach. What would Taylor say if she knew I was carrying Kyle's babies? My stepsister had already taken so much from me. My father, my home, my inheritance - and now she wanted Kyle back.

The memories came flooding back, making me feel sick. I was fifteen when my mother fell into a coma. I thought my father would be there for her. I was wrong.

A week after that, he brought home his new wife and her daughter Taylor. That's when my whole world fell apart. That's when I learned the ugly truth. Dad had been seeing them behind Mom's back for years. He'd only married my mother for her money. Taylor's mother had been his true love all along.

I got up from the bed, needing to move. The bedroom suddenly felt small and suffocating. I walked to the window, pressing my forehead against the cool glass. Outside, the city lights twinkled like nothing was wrong.

The sound of Kyle's voice grew louder as he walked past the bedroom door. "Thursday works perfectly. I'll make reservations at your favorite restaurant."

My fingers curled against the glass. Thursday. He was planning a date with her while I stood here carrying his children. Children he didn't want. Children that violated our contract.

I remembered the day Taylor first came to our house. She was thirteen, two years younger than me, but she acted like she owned the place. Maybe she did. Within days, my father had moved all of Mom's things to the attic. Within weeks, he'd redecorated the entire house to Taylor's mother's taste. It was like Mom had never existed.

"You're just like your mother," Taylor would say to me at school, her voice dripping with contempt. "Always in the way. Always trying to hold onto things that don't belong to you."

The bathroom door opened, and Kyle walked back in. I quickly wiped my eyes, but I couldn't hide how pale I was. My reflection in the window showed a ghost of a woman.

"You look sick," Kyle said, his voice cool and detached. So different from how he'd spoken to Taylor moments ago. "Go see a doctor tomorrow."

I turned to face him, wrapping my arms around myself. "Would you speak to Taylor like this?" The words slipped out before I could stop them.

Kyle's expression hardened. "You shouldn't mention that name. And don't compare yourself to her."

His words hit me like a physical blow. Of course. How could I forget? I was just the backup plan. The convenient wife who stayed in the shadows while he pursued his true love.

"You're right," I said, my voice trembling. "I'm not worthy. I'm just the girl you married because your board of directors insisted you needed a stable image. I'm just your secretary who pretends to be your wife."

Kyle's jaw tightened. " We had an agreement, Mia. You knew what this was from the start. Don't try to make it something it's not."

I laughed, but it sounded more like a sob. "A contract. That's all our marriage is to you, isn't it? Just another business deal.