He Wants An Open Marriage? Done!

The midday sun beat down on the pavement, but a cold sweat broke out along Cara’s neck. She pressed her phone tighter against her ear, counting her own jagged breaths.

"I guess you do not have anything to say," Richard said. His voice was flat and metallic through the speaker. "I have to go now."

"Wait!" Cara choked out, swallowing the lump in her throat. Her eyes stung as she stared at the heavy glass doors of the building. "Richard, they won’t let me in. Are you aware of—"

"If that is why you called me, then there is nothing I can do about it," Richard cut in smoothly.

The words hit her like ice water. Cara’s face drained of color.

"What do you mean by that? You can’t just let her do this to me. You can’t let her leave me out here." Her voice pitched higher, cracking under the weight of her panic. Her free hand trembled so violently she could barely hold the phone steady.

"As I said, my hands are tied," Richard said, his tone cool, almost bored. "If you have anything to say, you should be talking to Roxanne."

Hearing that name sent a wave of heat straight to Cara’s stomach. The humiliation morphed into sharp rage. "Do you even realize the embarrassment she is causing me?"

"Well, I hope after this you will learn not to dish out what you can’t take yourself," Richard said.

"How dare you say that to me, Richard?" Cara shouted into the mic, digging her fingernails into her palm. "I will make you all pay if you don’t let me in."

Silence stretched across the line. The quiet was worse than his harsh words, making her heart hammer against her ribs.

She took a quick breath, desperate for leverage. "I will tell everyone the secret you and Roxanne are trying so hard to hide," she hissed, her mind racing. "I will tell them that Roxanne is pregnant."

The line fell quiet again.

Cara held her breath, waiting. Good. Now they will have to open the door. He won’t risk that getting out.

The silence grew heavy, suffocating.

Then Richard spoke, his voice dangerously light. "Go ahead."

Cara’s mouth fell open. "What?"

"Go ahead," Richard repeated, his voice dangerously calm.

Cara stared at the phone in disbelief. "Do you even know what—?"

Before she could finish speaking, a sharp beep cut her off. The line went dead.

She pulled the phone away and stared at the dark screen, stunned. He had hung up. Just like that. She had thrown her strongest card onto the table, and he hadn’t even blinked.

"Was that Mr. Vance?" a sharp voice called out from behind her.

Cara froze. The sudden click of camera shutters filled the air, snapping her back to reality. In her panic, she had forgotten about the wall of media gathered at her back.

"Why did he hang up on you, Miss Cara?" another reporter chimed in, stepping closer. "Can you tell us what you discussed?"

Cara stood rigid, her spine stiff as iron. She couldn’t turn around. If she looked at them now, they would tear her apart.

"Is he upset that you made that post? Or is it all a lie? Did you invent it to ruin his new relationship?"

Blood roared in Cara’s ears. She clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white. Every instinct screamed at her to turn around and hurl the news of the pregnancy into their flashing lenses. But she couldn’t. Not when she had no idea what Richard was playing at. Spilling it now might ruin her own leverage.

She had to talk to him again. She needed to know what he was thinking.

With shaking fingers, she hit redial and pressed the phone back to her ear, listening to the agonizingly long rings.

—

Meanwhile, inside the quiet office high above the street, Richard drummed his fingers against the mahogany desk.

He stared down at the glowing screen of his phone, his jaw set tight. Every impulse urged him to tear into her, to put an end to her games once and for all. But he forced his hands to curl into loose fists, holding back, giving Roxanne the space to handle it her way.

A soft knock broke the stillness.

He looked up as Roxanne stepped into the room, her footsteps silent on the thick carpet.

"What’s going on?" she asked, walking up to his desk.

"I spoke to her," Richard said, leaning back. "She was threatening to reveal the truth."

Roxanne paused, her brow furrowing. "What truth? About the pregnancy?"

Richard nodded, his gaze conflicted. "She said that if we do not let her in, she will tell everyone that you are pregnant."

"And expose herself in the process?" Roxanne scoffed, a calm smile touching her lips. "If she really believed she was carrying your child, why would she risk revealing my pregnancy?"

Richard looked at her, his mind spinning. The urge to protect her was overwhelming, but seeing the resolve in her eyes, he knew he had to step back and trust her.

"Do you see what this means, Richard?" Roxanne asked, sliding smoothly into the armchair opposite his desk. "She just proved that she lied. She’s acting out of pure bitterness. But I am not letting her off the hook so easily for this."

"I agree," Richard said. He paused, watching her closely. "And just so you know, I told her to go ahead."

Roxanne nodded slowly, her expression thoughtful.

Richard rested his chin on one hand, leaning across the desk to hold her gaze. "You need to be ready for whatever she does next."

Roxanne met his eyes, pausing, as if she was considering his words.

Before she could answer, the phone on the desk buzzed, its vibration rattling against the hard wood. They both looked down.

Cara’s name lit up the screen.

Roxanne’s eyes narrowed slightly, a subtle shift that made Richard’s chest tighten.

"Let me talk to her," Roxanne said. Her tone was completely unreadable.

Richard raised his eyebrows, searching her face for any sign of doubt. "Are you sure?"

Roxanne didn’t hesitate. "Yes, Richard. I am very, very sure."

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