He Wants An Open Marriage? Done!

Roxanne paused for a moment, her mind racing.

Then she exhaled softly. "Well, one thing is certain. She is spiteful because she feels that Richard discarded her," she said into the phone, her voice steady despite the rapid beat of her pulse. "She is making this much noise because she wants to force him to push me away."

"All right. Now that we have an idea of her motive, we only need to confirm that she is lying," Theodore said, his tone crisp and even.

Roxanne leaned back in her armchair, her fingertips resting against the polished edge of her desk.

Theodore’s voice remained calm, yet something subtle in it made her uneasy. "And that brings me to my next question."

Roxanne’s stomach tightened into a knot. "Okay?" she said carefully.

A heavy silence stretched across the line.

"Do you really believe Cara is lying about the baby?" Theodore asked.

Roxanne went completely still. Her fingers stopped tapping against the dark wood.

For a long moment, she stared blankly at the glowing screen in her hand, her mind racing. The question sounded simple enough, but it hit a raw spot she had spent all morning trying to ignore.

Do I believe she could be that desperate?

Roxanne swallowed again, taking a deliberate breath to steady herself. She wanted to say yes immediately. She wanted to laugh and dismiss Cara’s bold claim as a desperate ploy to draw Richard back into her orbit.

But the truth was that she did not have solid proof. All she had was Richard’s word.

She trusted him. She truly did. Still, trusting him did not completely erase the dark shadow of uncertainty creeping into her thoughts.

Her hand slowly moved downward, her palm resting gently over her stomach. The thought of another woman carrying Richard’s child made something twist painfully behind her ribs.

"No," she finally said, her voice dropping to a quiet whisper. "I do not believe her."

Theodore did not respond right away. On his end of the line, she heard the faint rustle of paper, almost picturing him leaning back in his chair, carefully weighing her reaction.

"But you are not completely certain," he said softly.

Roxanne closed her eyes tight, letting out a slow breath. "No," she admitted, the word heavy on her tongue. "I am not." She took a moment to gather herself before continuing. "But that does not mean I believe Cara either."

"Good."

Roxanne opened her eyes, her brow pulling into a small frown. "What do you mean?"

"If we want to know whether Cara is lying, we cannot start with what you want to be true," Theodore said, his tone turning logical. "We have to start with what we can actually prove."

Roxanne’s jaw tightened. He was right. It was a hard pill to swallow, but she needed logic right now, not emotion. "I know."

"And if she really is pregnant?" Theodore asked gently.

Roxanne’s heart gave a sudden, painful thud against her chest. She looked down at her own hand resting over her belly, her thoughts swirling. For a brief moment, the office felt suffocatingly quiet.

Then she shook her head, squaring her shoulders. "Then we will deal with it." Her voice came out steadier this time, anchored by a sudden burst of resolve. "But I am not going to let fear make me accuse Richard of something he says he did not do."

Theodore paused for a second. "That is alright."

"I just need the truth, Theo," Roxanne said, her voice thoughtful.

"You will get it," Theodore said, his tone reassuring.

Roxanne leaned back against the leather headrest. She looked down at her phone screen, where the scandal article was still open. Cara’s face filled the display, her chin tilted high, her smile confident, almost smug.

Roxanne’s eyes narrowed into sharp slits as she stared at the image. "If she is lying, I want to make sure she does not get away with it."

"And if she is telling the truth?" Theodore pushed.

Roxanne’s fingers curled into a tight fist against the desk, the cool surface chilling her skin. Her chest tightened, but she refused to break.

"Then I will find out that truth too," she said, her voice firm. She took another deep breath, grounding herself in the quiet room. "But until I have real proof, I am not giving Cara anything she can use against me."

Theodore hummed softly in agreement. "That is probably the smartest thing you can do."

Roxanne nodded, even though he could not see her. "Then let us find out what she is hiding." Her gaze hardened as she looked at the article one last time.

Whatever game Cara was playing, Roxanne was no longer going to sit back and wait for answers to appear. She was going to go after them herself.

"Send me everything you have," Theodore said, his tone turning businesslike again. "I will work on it."

Roxanne tapped the screen, attaching the digital news clip to their chat. "I am sending you the article. That is all I have for now." She pressed send, watching the indicator bar complete. "But I have a plan to get more information."

"All right. I will contact my sources and find out what I can, and I will keep you posted," Theodore said.

"Thank you so much, Theo." Roxanne ended the call and placed the phone gently on the dark desk pad.

For a moment, she sat in the stillness, staring at the black screen. Her fingers began drumming a soft pattern against the wood.

She needed to keep her composure. Cara wanted a dramatic reaction, a public scene, a desperate confrontation. Roxanne was not going to give her that satisfaction.

She was just beginning to map out her next move when the sharp chime of the intercom suddenly broke through her thoughts.

She flinched slightly at the sound, then reached out and pressed the speaker button. "Yes, please?"

A calm male voice came through the speaker. "Ma’am, this is the Chief Security Officer."

Roxanne sat up straight, her posture turning rigid. "Yes?"

"Miss Cara is outside," he said.

Her eyes narrowed. That was fast.

The security officer continued smoothly. "Mr. Vance has asked us to get instructions directly from you."

Roxanne stood up slowly from her chair, the leather creaking under her movement. She walked across the carpet toward the tall floor-to-ceiling glass window overlooking the front plaza and looked straight down.

There she was.

Cara was walking toward the glass doors with long, sweeping steps, her head held high as if she owned the entire building. She wore a bright white coat that caught the midday sunlight, making her look almost angelic from a distance.

Roxanne watched her quietly from above, taking in the sight. So, Cara had decided to make her grand move in person.

A small smile touched Roxanne’s lips. The lingering fear that had weighed down her chest all morning was gone. In its place was something far sharper.

She stepped closer to the desk, leaned down, and pressed the intercom button firmly. "Do not let her in."

There was a brief pause on the line as the guard registered the command. "Understood, ma’am."

The line disconnected with a soft click.

Roxanne lowered her hand but remained by the glass, her eyes fixed on the entrance below.

Cara was still strutting toward the front doors. She had probably expected Richard to come running down the stairs the moment her car pulled up. Maybe she thought Roxanne would be hiding in her office, overwhelmed by the news. Maybe she believed her bold claims had already given her total control over the situation.

Roxanne’s smile widened, sharp and steady. Not today. She folded her arms across her chest and watched her. "You are in for one hell of a surprise," she murmured to the empty room.

Cara had taken her shot. Now it was Roxanne’s turn to decide how the game would end.

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