Forced To Marry My Cousin's Fiancé

Chapter 61: Chapter 61

Lane hoped that waking up would make the weight in her heart disappear. She was wrong. The second she opened her eyes and remembered the photo Aunt Rebecca sent her, the pain rushed back. It felt like a giant hand was squeezing her heart, making it hard to catch her breath.

She took a deep breath and shook her head to clear her mind. She tried to convince herself that the photos were just old shots of Ethan and Olivia. Maybe Aunt Rebecca was just trying to hurt her. After all, her aunt hadn’t said a word when she sent the picture over Messenger. It was just the image, hanging there without context.

She sighed heavily again and slowly sat up. When she felt a stir of hunger, she instinctively reached down to caress her belly.

"Are you hungry, baby? Sorry Mommy didn’t eat much last night," she whispered to the little one.

Ethan hadn’t made it home until late. She’d been wide awake, spiraling over that photo, but she pretended to be asleep when he walked in.

She wasn’t ready to face him yet. She knew her eyes were swollen from crying, and she was terrified that if they made eye contact, the dam would break.

She wasn’t ready for a confrontation, and her heart definitely wasn’t ready for whatever excuses he might give.

So, she stayed still, watching him through half-closed eyes. He didn’t do anything unusual. He showered, changed, and climbed into bed. She deliberately turned her back to him, sliding as far to the edge of the mattress as she could.

She expected him to just go to sleep, but instead, he pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her from behind. He pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head.

"I’m sorry, Lane," he’d whispered.

Lane didn’t even know what he was apologizing for. Was it for the broken promises? For the past? Or was there a brand-new reason for him to be sorry?

She eventually fell asleep with those questions looping in her head. Now, staring at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, the proof of her heartbreak was visible in her puffy eyes. One single picture had done all this damage.

She washed her face and finished her routine. When she stepped back into the bedroom, she jumped. Ethan was still there. She was caught off guard because he was usually long gone by this time.

She couldn’t stop herself from staring at him. He looked exhausted. Dark circles hung under his eyes, and a thick layer of stubble covered his jaw. He’d been so busy he hadn’t even bothered to shave.

"You’re up," he said, offering a small smile.

She just nodded. He frowned slightly as he looked at her. He stepped closer, and while she wanted to look away so he couldn’t read her expression, she forced herself to stay still.

"Why are your eyes so swollen, Lane?" he asked gently, reaching out to touch her face.

She scrambled for an alibi. "I watched a sad drama last night."

"Oh," he said. "Maybe avoid the stressful shows for a bit, okay?"

"How’s the office? Did you fix the problem?" she asked.

He hesitated for a heartbeat before answering. "It’s fine. It’s handled."

"So, you won’t be so busy now? No more leaving early and coming home late?" She couldn’t help the edge in her voice.

Ethan took a deep breath. "Yeah. Anyway, breakfast is ready."

He clearly wanted to change the subject. Before she could say anything else, he took her hand and led her out of the room.

Lane let him lead her. He didn’t let go of her hand until they reached the dining table and he pulled out her chair.

"Eat up, Lane," he said as he sat down.

She nodded. She reached for the rice, but he beat her to it, serving her himself and piling food onto her plate. She stayed quiet and let him do it.

"Make sure you eat a lot," he urged.

She tried to start, but the appetite she’d felt earlier had vanished. Every time she looked at her plate, that picture of Ethan and Olivia flashed in her mind. It was eating at her. She wanted to scream, to ask him right then and there what was going on, but she was paralyzed by fear.

What if Olivia really was back? What if they were together last night? What if all those "late nights at the office" were actually late nights with her?

The thoughts made her heart tighten again. She blinked fast to keep the tears back, and she must have looked distressed because Ethan stopped eating.

"Lane?"

She looked up. "Are you okay?" he asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

"I-I’m fine," she stammered.

"You don’t like the food? Tell me what you want. I’ll cook it myself."

He was cut off by his phone ringing. Lane watched him pull it from his pocket. She saw his eyebrows knit together and his jaw go tight. Instead of answering, he declined the call and slammed the phone face-down on the table.

"Lane."

She looked away from the phone and back at him. There was something weird in his eyes.

She wanted to ask who it was, but she lost her nerve. "Is there something else you want to eat?" he repeated.

She shook her head and forced herself to take a few bites for the baby’s sake. She felt his eyes on her the whole time, but she refused to look up.

Once they finished, Ethan excused himself, saying he had to make a quick call.

She went back upstairs to freshen up. While she was in the bathroom, her phone pinged. She picked it up and saw a text from a number she hadn’t seen in a long time.

She stared at it for a minute before opening it.

Can we talk, Lane?

It was from Olivia. Lane didn’t even hesitate. She typed back a single word.

Okay.

Olivia replied almost immediately with a time and a place. Lane didn’t know what they were going to talk about, but she needed peace of mind.

Maybe she even needed to apologize for the way things went down.

She got dressed and ready. When she saw Ethan, she told him she was going to meet her friend Ava. She felt a pang of guilt for lying, but she couldn’t tell him the truth.

He offered to drive her, but she turned him down, saying she’d just use his driver.

A little while later, she was sitting in a coffee shop, waiting.

"Lane."

She turned around and saw her. Olivia was really back. But as Lane looked her over, her heart stopped. Her gaze dropped to Olivia’s stomach, and she saw her cousin gently caressing a very visible baby bump.

Lane’s jaw dropped. Olivia was just as pregnant as she was.

______________

"What the fuck?!" Ava blurted out the second Lane finished telling her about the conversation with Olivia.

Lane didn’t know where else to go. After the talk, the last thing she wanted to do was head back to the mansion.

She wasn’t ready to face Ethan or hear whatever excuses he had, mostly because she knew she would just break down again. She was trying so hard to keep her cool for the baby’s sake. She was terrified that all this stress would hurt the little one, but her heart wouldn’t stop racing.

"I’m six months pregnant, Ava. And Ethan is the father."

Olivia’s words echoed in her head, and the tears started welling up all over again.

Honestly, Olivia had said a lot of things during their meeting, but that was the only part that stuck. Ethan was the father.

It felt like a thousand daggers were stabbing her heart. The math was even worse.

Olivia was six months along, while Lane was only at five. Olivia had been pregnant a whole month before Lane and Ethan even had their night together. It meant there was no mistaking it. Ethan was definitely the father of that child too.

Lane bit her lip, trying to hold back a sob, but it was no use. She covered her mouth as the tears flowed freely. When Ava pulled her into a hug, Lane finally let go and cried even harder.

Ava just held her, letting her scream and sob it all out. She knew that if Lane kept it bottled up, it would only hurt more.

"Let it out, Lane. Just let it out," Ava whispered, rubbing her back.

She did exactly that, weeping until the sharpest part of the pain started to dull. When she finally calmed down, she pulled away from the embrace. Ava handed her a glass of water.

"Here, drink this," Ava said.

Lane’s hand was shaking so hard she had to use both hands to take the glass.

"Take a breath, Lane. Calm down," Ava urged.

Lane took a few ragged breaths until the trembling subsided, then she finally took a sip of the water.

"So, what’s the plan?" Ava asked after a while.

Lane just shook her head. "I don’t know. Honestly, I have no idea what I’m supposed to do."

"Aren’t you going to confront Ethan? You have to ask him if he knows about this."

"I think he already does," Lane answered softly.

Ava’s brow furrowed.

"What do you mean?"

"The past few days, he’s been so ’busy’ at the office. Leaving early, coming home late," she explained.

"I have a bad feeling there’s no actual office drama. I think he and Olivia have been meeting this whole time. I think he already knows the truth."

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