Kiara’s POV
I stood there, staring at Eric as his words hung in the air like thick smoke, choking me slowly. He had known all along. He had known about his infertility, about how much I longed for children.
Instead of telling me the truth, he put me through hell. My heart pounded in my chest, and I could feel the sharp sting of betrayal, cutting deeper than ever before.
Eric lay weakly on the hospital bed, his face pale and bruised from the brutal attack. He looked so frail, almost unrecognizable from the man I once loved. The man who, once upon a time, I believed could do no wrong.
“I’m sorry, Kiara,” he croaked, his voice hoarse. “I’m a different man now. I swear, I wouldn’t hurt you anymore. But… It’s too late for me. I don’t have much time left.”
I swallowed hard, trying to keep the storm of emotions from overwhelming me. “Why, Eric?” I whispered, my voice shaking. “Did your father know about this?”
He shook his head weakly, tears forming in his eyes. “It wasn’t that simple. There was so much happening at the time… My family was falling apart. My father lost everything to gambling-our name, our fortune. I felt like a failure. I didn’t want to be the one to tell you that I couldn’t give you what you wanted most. I thought you’d leave me. My father wanted money too but I couldn’t bear to ask that of you at the time so I lied to him and got involved in some shady businesses.”
His words hit me like a punch to the gut. I had no idea he had been carrying so much weight. I had been so wrapped up in my own pain that I never thought to look deeper into his. But even with that revelation, it didn’t erase the torment he had caused me.
“You still should’ve told me,” I tried to tell, but my voice came out barely above a whisper. “We could’ve faced it together. Instead, you chose to destroy us.”
He let out a weak sigh, his eyes dull with regret. “I know. I was selfish. I didn’t think you’d understand, and then things just spiraled out of control. I started pushing you away, hoping you’d find someone else who could give you the kids you’ve always brightened up for. But I couldn’t fully let go.”
I closed my eyes, fighting the tears that threatened to spill. I had moved on, hadn’t I? I had built a new life and found someone who made me feel whole again. And yet, standing here, hearing Eric’s broken confession, I couldn’t help but feel the old wounds reopening.
“I’ve forgiven you, Eric,” I said, taking a deep breath. “But I just wish you had communicated better. Maybe then… things wouldn’t have turned out like this. But I’ve found someone now. I’ve moved on.”
His face twisted in pain, and for a moment, I felt a pang of guilt. But I had to remind myself that this was his doing. He had set everything in motion.
“I’m glad you found someone,” Eric muttered, his voice trembling. “You deserve happiness, Kiara. More than anything. But before you leave… there’s something you need to know.”
I frowned, a sinking feeling forming in the pit of my stomach. “What is it?”
Eric’s breathing grew shallow, and his voice cracked as he spoke. “The night at the bar… when you met that man… it wasn’t an accident.”
I felt my blood run cold. “What are you talking about?”
He swallowed hard, his face contorting with guilt. “I set it up, Kiara. I knew you’d be at that bar. I drugged the man you slept with. I… I wanted you to get pregnant. I thought if you had a child, even if it wasn’t mine, I could still keep you in my life somehow. I didn’t care how twisted it was. I was desperate.”
My breath caught in my throat, and the room seemed to spin around me. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Eric had orchestrated the entire night. He had used me. He had manipulated my desire for a family to keep me tied to him, no matter how much it hurt me in the process.
“How could you?” I whispered, my voice shaking with rage. “How could you do something so cruel? You knew how much I wanted children, and you used that against me?”
Tears streamed down his face as he broke down. “I know, I know! It was wrong. I’ve regretted it every day since. But I didn’t know how else to hold on to you. I didn’t know how to face losing everything, my family, you, my future. I was selfish.”
I clenched my fists, my heart hammering in my chest. I wanted to scream at him, to lash out, but I felt frozen, trapped in a nightmare I couldn’t wake from.
“There’s more,” he continued, his voice barely audible. “The man from the bar… I took something from him. A ring. It’s in my back pocket.”
I stared at him, not sure if I could trust another word that came out of his mouth, but something compelled me to move. Slowly, I reached into his back pocket and pulled out the ring. It was simple, silver, and engraved with a single letter W.
“What does this mean?” I asked, my voice trembling.
Eric’s face twisted in pain as he struggled to speak. “The man… I didn’t know so much about him, and had barely even seen his face that night. I was going to sell the ring to pay off my debts since I owed a lot of people money, dangerous people. I just never got the chance.”
I stared at the ring in my hand, my mind spinning with questions. Who was W.? What role had he played in this twisted plan Eric had concocted? And why did this feel like it was only the beginning of something much darker?
“I’m sorry,” Eric whispered, his voice fading as exhaustion took over. “I’m so sorry for everything.”
I stood there, clutching the ring, my heart heavy with a mixture of anger, sadness, and confusion. The man I had once loved was a stranger to me now, his secrets unraveling before me like a tangled web. I had forgiven him, but the damage was done.
There was no going back.