Page 3 of Framed and Forgotten
I held back a sigh. “Actually, I’m afraid what I need to discuss with her cannot wait.” It was true. I couldn’t risk trying to contact Nerine at any other time. It would be impossible to hide it from Avril, and I wanted to keep her out of the drama until I had confirmed my doubts.
When silence followed, I insisted, “Alpha Hector, you know I wouldn’t ask you such a thing if it wasn’t absolutely necessary.”
In the end, he gave in, “Very well, Alpha Koen. I’ll go fetch her.”
I waited for what felt like an eternity until I heard her voice on the other side. “Koen?”
My ex-wife was just as confused as her uncle. Perhaps if I wasn’t restless and consumed by fury, forced to replay my last day with her in my head, I wouldn’t have been so blunt. But I had little time and I wasn’t in the mood to play her games.
“Why did Elias think I was his father?” I spat.
I could hear the faint sound of nails raking against the phone as she grasped it tighter. She held her breath, muttering a muffled “What?”
“Don’t make me repeat myself. I know you heard me,” I called her bluff, not bothering to control my harshness.
“I-I don’t know. He’s just a pup. H-he spends most of the day rambling nonsense.” She tried to brush it off, but I wasn’t having any of it. “Koen, I’m sorry about what he did. I’m sure it must have been disconcerting, but I-”
“I don’t have time for your games, Nerine!” I growled at her, losing my temper. “Is it true? Is he mine?”
For a moment, quiet reigned, until her answer came - soft, reluctant, but undeniable.
“Yes.”
That three-letter word hit like a tidal wave, crashing through my chest with a force I wasn’t prepared for. I lost my footing. My breath caught in my throat as everything around me spun out of control.
I staggered back, my hand gripping the edge of a nearby table, desperate for something solid to hold onto. My heart hammered against my ribs, each beat loud and erratic. A sickening knot twisted in my stomach, threatening to suffocate me.
I had been furious at her. At everything she’d done - the lies, the betrayal. But this? This was worse. So much worse! This was a truth I hadn’t seen coming, a nightmare I never thought could be mine to bear.
“How?” I somehow managed to speak as my world spun violently.
“It was…” She hesitated, shame coating her words as she replied, “It wasthatnight.”
Anger bubbled up in my throat as I recalled the exact event she referred to. “You said we never did anything,” I accused through gritted teeth.
Her voice was barely a whisper as she confessed her crimes, “I lied.”
“ThatI’m not surprised about,” I scoffed, trying to fight off the storm of emotions brewing inside of me. It would be foolish of me to fall for her trap before I was able to clear up this story.
“She’s lied before,”Col reminded me.
I didn’t have to demand her to explain herself. “After you found me in your bed in the morning I…I was too ashamed. You were so mad…” she whimpered. “When you asked me what we had done, I said ‘nothing’ because I knew the truth would only make it worse. It wouldn’t change how you felt about me anyway.” Her observation carried a deep hurt. Unfortunately for her, I couldn’t care less about her feelings.
“Why didn’t you tell me after you found out?” I pressed.
“It wasn’t fair to burden you for a mistake I’d made by myself,” she revealed, vulnerability shining through her every word. Still, I had trouble trusting her - and she seemed to notice it, as she soon blurted out, “Of course, I understand if you can’t take my word for it. I gave you good reason not to,” she admitted, inhaling deeply before suggesting, “We can have a paternity test done. You pick the clinic, I’ll handle the bureaucracy and have them send the results directly to you.”
“Yeah, that’d be great,” I responded, a hint of bitterness in my voice. It was the very least she could do.
Nerine apologized one last time before I hung up. As soon as I did, I let my head fall backwards, heaving a distressed grunt. What the hell was I supposed to do now? Another groan broke through me as I rubbed my face with my hands, trying to contain my emotions.
I couldn’t tell Avril now. For all I knew, Nerine could be lying. It would be best to wait for the results of the paternity test before involving Avril in this. With nothing else I could do, I rose to my feet and headed towards the exit, hoping my absence would have gone unnoticed.
But as I opened the door to reveal my mate standing right outside the office, I realized I was too late.
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