Alpha Wilson’s POV
“Wilson!” The voice on the other side of the door was unmistakable, even through the thick wood.
Kiara.
My heart skipped a beat, confusion battling with anger. What was she doing here? How had she even found me? I stumbled to the door, the weight of everything that had happened threatening to pull me back down into the bed.
Before I could get a grip on my thoughts, the door flew open, missing my face by inches, and there she was, Kiara, storming into the room like a whirlwind.
She didn’t give me a chance to say anything, not that I had the words. She threw herself into my arms, her tears wetting my chest, and sobbed.
For a second, I stood there, stunned. Then, instinct took over, and I wrapped my arms around her, holding her as tightly as I dared.
Her body shook against mine, and I could feel the weight of her pain, pain that mirrored my own, but I had no idea why. What could have possibly brought her here, to this moment?
“Kiara…” I started, but my voice cracked. “Why are you here?”
She pulled away, wiping at her tears with the back of her hand, but they kept coming. “I had to see you. I had to explain everything… I… I know what you saw at the hospital. You saw me with Eric.”
My heart clenched painfully at the mention of his name. The image of her standing with him in the hospital, the way they looked at each other, had been burning a hole in my mind for days now.
I had tried to convince myself I didn’t care, that it didn’t matter. But I had never been a good liar, especially not to myself.
Kiara saw the look on my face and shook her head fiercely. “No, Wilson. It wasn’t what you think. You have to listen to me.”
I clenched my jaw but nodded, giving her the space to speak, even as a part of me wanted to pull back, to shield myself from whatever was coming next. The pain of seeing her with another man had already cut too deep. Could I take any more?
“Eric owed money,” she started, her voice shaking. “To some really bad people. They beat him… badly. When I saw him being wheeled into the hospital, I was shocked. I hadn’t spoken to him since the last time at the hospital, but I couldn’t just ignore it. I had to make sure he was okay.”
I could feel my throat tightening, but I forced myself to stay quiet. I had to hear this.
“No,” she interrupted, her voice firm despite the tears still streaming down her face. “I understand why you felt the way you did, Wilson. I do. But I need you to believe me now. Eric was never the one for me. You are.”
She wiped at her face again, but the tears kept falling. “I followed him to the ward, but by the time I got there… he was already close to death. The beating had been too much. They’d done permanent damage.”
Her voice broke at the last word, and she looked at me, pleading. “I wasn’t there because I still had feelings for him, Wilson. I was there because I needed closure.”
“Closure?” I repeated, the word tasting bitter in my mouth.
“Eric was sterile,” she whispered, her eyes filled with an anguish I didn’t understand. “I went to his room that day because I needed to ask him about it. He set me up, Wilson. Eleven months ago, at a bar, he set me up with a stranger without me knowing. He had apparently always known and he knew how much I wanted children which was why he did that. He found out on the business trip I told you about, the one I said he came back from, and with that everything changed.”
I blinked, confusion swirling in my head. “Set you up? What do you mean?”
She took a deep breath, her chest heaving as she tried to compose herself. “It was one of those nights… you know, the kind where I needed space, to clear my head. I went to a bar alone. I thought I was safe.”
She looked down, her fingers twisting nervously. “But I wasn’t. Eric had arranged for me to get pregnant there. He had drugged me and the stranger. So someone somewhere does not know about the existence of this baby. He did not even know the man’s name.”
Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. The air felt heavy, and my mind struggled to piece together the fragments of her story.
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?” I asked, my voice hoarse.
Kiara’s eyes filled with guilt as she looked up at me. “Because I was ashamed, Wilson. I didn’t want you to think less of me.”
I shook my head, the rage I had been feeling for days starting to dissolve, replaced by a deeper, more complicated emotion. “Kiara, I would never…”
But she wasn’t done. “Please don’t interrupt. I need you to hear everything.”
I nodded, guiding her toward the bed. She looked exhausted, more so than I’d ever seen her.
Her steps were unsteady, and as she walked, her foot caught the bed frame. She stumbled, her purse slipping from her hand and spilling its contents across the floor.
I bent down automatically, gathering up the scattered items, lipstick, her phone, and a few crumpled receipts.
Then I saw it. A small, simple ring had rolled a few feet away. My heart stopped when I picked it up.
A ring.
“Kiara…” I started, my voice trembling with a mix of disbelief and shock. “What is this?”
She stared at the ring for what felt like an eternity, her lips parting as if to speak, but no words came out. Finally, she reached out and took the ring from my hand, clutching it tightly in her palm.