He Never Chose Me

On our third Valentine's Day since marrying the Don Arthur, he set the three places at the dining table. With the same hands he used to wield a gun, he carefully peeled shrimp. Shrimp was Lora's favorite, the first love he'd never gotten over. I was allergic to shellfish. He dismissed every hurt he'd caused me and sided with Lora every time. He was certain I loved him so deeply that I would swallow every insult and step aside forever. Everything changed when I discovered Lora's role in my father's murder and learned how completely Arthur's blind trust in her had buried the truth. That was when I finally saw him clearly. I was done with Arthur and the love he claimed to have for me. Chapter 1 It was Valentine's Day, and Arthur had reserved the most exclusive restaurant in the city for our dinner. The table was laden with an elaborate seafood spread and three place settings. He sat across from me, carefully peeling each shrimp and arranging it in a small bowl. But I was allergic to seafood. He slid the bowl toward the empty seat beside him, then wiped his fingers with a damp towel. I watched him, crumpling the ultrasound printout in my fist. "I need to tell you something." "What is it?" He glanced at his phone. "I..." Before I could finish, he shot to his feet and hurried toward the entrance. My gaze followed him instinctively. The instant I saw who was beside him, a dull ache spread through my chest, slow and relentless. His ex-girlfriend and current business partner, Lora Smith, stood at his side with her hand wrapped around his. They spoke and laughed softly, and Arthur wore a warmth and tenderness I had never once seen directed at me. Lora settled into the seat beside him as if she belonged there. Her gaze drifted over me, cool and dismissive, barely concealing her contempt. She feigned surprise. "Oh, Catherine's here too. Am I interrupting your date?" Arthur never showed a hint of softness in public, yet he gave her an indulgent smile. "It's just a Valentine's dinner. Come on, look. Everything here is your favorite." Lora lifted a spoonful of shrimp to her mouth and chewed it slowly, savoring every bite. Every time she looked up, her gaze landed squarely on me, the challenge in her eyes unmistakable. I managed a bitter smile. "Right. I almost forgot today was Valentine's Day." Arthur frowned. "Lora and I have a Family celebration to attend later. Things have been tense lately, so I thought we could all go together after dinner." "Catherine, aren't you coming?" Lora wore a sly smile, and every word found my sorest spot. Arthur never appeared with me in public. That was why her words cut so deep. Before I could respond, Arthur dismissed the idea outright. "She's never liked crowds, and she doesn't know anything about Family business anyway." Lora shrugged, picked up a napkin, and casually wiped a smear of sauce from the corner of Arthur's mouth. The intimacy between them stung so badly my eyes ached. She glanced at me, then leaned close to Arthur's ear. "I stopped by your office this afternoon and got the safe combination wrong again. More than once." My knuckles went white, nails biting into my palms. Arthur had never allowed me to set foot in his office. The safe that held the Family's most sensitive secrets was something I had never even laid eyes on. "Your memory is terrible. Just change it to your birthday." My heart felt like it was being scraped with sandpaper, raw and stinging. "Then it's settled!" Lora giggled. "Oh, and I'm not sold on this dress, either. It is a Family gathering, after all. Blue would be more appropriate." "Blue?" Arthur paused, then looked at me, showing a rare flicker of guilt. Inside the gift box was a custom blue gown scattered with tiny diamonds. He had commissioned the finest designer and spent two full weeks choosing it. It was supposed to be my Valentine's gift. "Catherine, you and Lora are the same size, so maybe the dress could go to..." I couldn't take it anymore. A bitter laugh tore out of me. "Arthur, I want a divorce!" Chapter 2 Arthur's face darkened. "What did you just say!" "Are you upset, Catherine?" Lora pretended to apologize while twisting the knife. "Arthur, maybe I should leave before I upset Catherine any further. Otherwise, she'll make another scene." I looked at Arthur. He instinctively avoided my gaze. He had grown accustomed to ignoring my feelings. Something inside my chest clenched, hard. After three years of marriage, he still couldn't bring himself to defend me. I drew a deep breath, forced down the bitterness rising in my throat, and grabbed my clutch. "Looks like I'm the one crashing your date. I'll leave you to it." I strode out of the restaurant. His footsteps pounded after me. A hand clamped around my wrist, the grip brutal enough to crush bone. "Stop!" Arthur's voice dropped to a lethal whisper. "Lora is a critical business partner. Can you stop being unreasonable and humiliating her?" "Business partner?" I snapped my head up. My voice shot higher despite the tremor running through it. "She gets free access to the private office you've never allowed me to enter? She gets to change the safe combination whenever she pleases?" "You memorize every one of her preferences and personally peel her an entire bowl of shrimp?" "You spend Valentine's Day with her and even know her dress size by heart?" Arthur went rigid. He was used to my quiet compliance. He had never seen me lose control, never seen me come at him this hard. For a moment he stood frozen, unable to form a single rebuttal. "Did I give Catherine the wrong idea?" Lora glided over to us. "This is a public place, Arthur. As head of the Warren Family, everything you do reflects on the Family. Catherine, confronting him in public drags the entire Warren name through the dirt." She stepped closer. "Catherine, let's put this behind us. Whatever you think happened, I'm sorry. Okay?" What a performance! I clenched my jaw and turned to leave. Arthur's icy voice came from behind. "This isn't your fault, Lora. Don't bother with her." This arranged marriage had finally drained every last drop of love I had. My fingers stayed curled around the ultrasound printout in my pocket. It was the only thing holding me together and the heaviest chain around my neck. Chapter 3 I fell for Arthur the first time I saw him. I was sixteen, struggling with a spin in the dance studio, when I turned my head and saw him standing by the window with a faint smile. In that instant, my heart felt like it had been struck by a bullet. I thought I would never cross paths with him again. But when my father showed me his photograph and asked if I was willing to marry him, I nodded without a moment's hesitation. I gave up the dancing I loved most, put on an apron, and learned to be a proper housewife. For a while after the wedding, we were genuinely happy. Then my father was assassinated. I wept and told Arthur he was the only family I had left in the world. The pain in his eyes was impossible to miss. I believed that was how it would be for the rest of our lives. Then Lora's name reappeared among his business partners, and I caught the excitement he couldn't quite hide. I knew our marriage was already ending. And I was right. It was nearly eleven when the front door finally opened. Arthur came in smelling faintly of alcohol and Lora's sweet perfume. My stomach rolled. He looked up at me. "Catherine, we need to talk." I stayed where I was, calm to the point of indifference. "I ordered Lora a different blue gown. There. Can you stop being angry now?" "You didn't get me anything for Valentine's this year, did you? So let's call it even. Alright?" I said nothing. But my silence, in his eyes, was a provocation. Arthur's brow furrowed. He started toward me just as the smart lock on the front door chirped and released. My entire body went rigid. The blood in my veins turned to ice. In three years of marriage, we had never given anyone else access to the house's smart lock. Yet now, besides Arthur and me, there was a third person. Someone else had been made the exception, given free access to our home. A second later, Lora clicked inside on high heels. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her gaze sweeping past me and settling on Arthur. "Arthur, my car broke down and there are no hotels nearby. You know Reid's men have been watching us closely. Could I... stay here tonight?" A laugh escaped me. This was the home Arthur and I shared, yet another woman could waltz in with her fingerprint and brazenly ask to spend the night. "Why didn't you say something beforehand?" "I know showing up unannounced is rude, and it'll upset Catherine. But I really had no other choice. I promise I'll stay quiet for the night and won't bother you at all." "That won't be necessary." I rose slowly and faced Arthur. "When did her fingerprint get added to the lock on this house?" This was our home, the one boundary I had believed he would never let anyone cross. Instead, someone else had been allowed to trample my marriage, my home, and even my place as his wife. Arthur hesitated, his gaze shifting away from mine. "Family business has been hectic lately. Lora comes over often for work, so I gave her temporary access in case of an emergency." "An emergency?" I echoed softly, then laughed. "Arthur, are you saying our home is her emergency backup plan?" Lora stepped forward immediately. "Catherine, you've really misunderstood. Arthur and I are strictly professional now. Don't overthink it. I'll leave first thing in the morning. I won't be an eyesore, I promise." "You are not staying here." My voice was cold and clipped, every word razor-sharp. "This is my home." Lora turned to Arthur, hurt coloring her voice. "Arthur, maybe I should... just go." She made a show of turning around, but her feet didn't move an inch. She was clearly waiting for Arthur to stop her. And sure enough, Arthur immediately pressed a hand to her shoulder, then turned to me. "Enough, Catherine." "It isn't safe for Lora to be alone. She's staying one night. Do you have to be so hostile?" I dug my nails into my palms, the sharp sting keeping me lucid. I stared straight into his eyes and spoke one deliberate word at a time. "She matters more than I do. She acts more like the mistress of this house than I ever have. So there is no reason for me to stay. Arthur, I want a divorce." I turned to leave, but Arthur locked his hand around my wrist. His eyes churned with fury, his tone commanding and unyielding. "You're not going anywhere! We're not finished here. Say the word divorce one more time. I dare you!" Behind us, Lora watched, a smug curl at the corner of her lips. She offered another hollow apology. "This is all my fault, Catherine. Arthur is exhausted. Please don't fight because of me, alright?" That performance drained the last of my patience. "Arthur, I actually did get you a gift." I slowly pulled out the ultrasound printout, crumpled from how tightly I had held it, and opened it in front of him. The tiny image on the page held the secret I had guarded for weeks, the future I had once dared to believe would make us whole. "But now I don't think you deserve it." Chapter 4 Arthur froze. He stared at the paper, his lips pressed tight, and for once, something unguarded surfaced on his face: shock tangled with a flash of joy. Lora's face went white. She instinctively reached for Arthur's sleeve, trying to pull his attention back. "Arthur." "I'll have a bodyguard take you home." Arthur spoke slowly, his tone leaving no room for argument. Lora stiffened, staring at him in disbelief. Arthur had always given Lora whatever she asked for. This was the first time he had sent her away without hesitation. "It's late. We can discuss the remaining business matters at headquarters tomorrow." His voice was flat, stripped of all emotion. Lora bit her lip. In the end she could only turn and leave, resentment simmering in every step. The sprawling house finally fell silent. Arthur moved toward me. His gaze caught the redness rimming my eyes and the marks his grip had left on my wrist, and a shadow of regret crossed his face. "Catherine." He softened his voice, a rare thing in three years of marriage. "I can explain what just happened." "Lora and I aren't what you think." His voice was low and steady, every word measured. "For two years, the Family has been expanding its black-market operations overseas and securing arms routes across Europe. Every critical link runs through Lora's family. We rise and fall together." He laid out the power struggle without apology or comfort. "We can't let personal feelings bring down everything the Warren Family has built." I scoffed. My family had lost its power years ago. I was of no use to his empire. Lora, on the other hand, could prop up his entire enterprise, which gave her free rein to overstep under his indulgence. "I admit I haven't been fair to you." Arthur raised his hand as if to touch my face, but pulled it back. "Stop talking nonsense. We have a child now." I looked at the genuine joy and guilt in his eyes and felt nothing but bitter irony. I said nothing. I tucked the ultrasound printout away and buried every feeling beneath the surface. Some cracks, once they form, can never be mended. I didn't sleep that night. The next afternoon, I got a call from Lora. "There's a wonderful gallery exhibition today. You have to come see it." "You and I aren't friends, Lora!" I was about to hang up when her voice turned shrill. "You'll come, unless you don't want to know the truth about your father's murder!" My heart lurched. Arthur had investigated the case long ago. The Crowe Syndicate had coveted my father's land and hired an assassin to kill him. Afterward, Arthur absorbed the Crowe Syndicate and quietly eliminated every key player. Could it be... I didn't dare think any further. I drove straight to the gallery. Lora stood before the centerpiece painting in an immaculate white dress, poised and elegant, her smile warm. When she saw me approaching, her smile deepened and she came forward to greet me. "Catherine, you're finally here." I regarded her coolly. "Arthur explained everything last night, didn't he? Business ties, no choice. What a perfect excuse." My eyes darkened. "Have you always believed your father's death was just a straightforward hit?" Lora turned to me, undisguised triumph churning in her gaze. "Too bad, Catherine. You guessed wrong." "Lorraine financed the Crowe Syndicate. Her husband was Del Smith." Lora leaned close to my ear, a cruel smile curving her lips. "He was my uncle." A thunderclap went off inside my skull. I went rigid and cold, unable to breathe. "Arthur knew from the very beginning." "You already know what he chose, don't you?" "Catherine, he has always loved me. Only me." "Want to see the proof for yourself?" A tidal wave of hatred and anguish crashed over me, shattering my last scrap of reason. Lora laughed in delight and delivered the final blow. "As you wish!" BOOM! A massive explosion ripped through the gallery, shaking the entire building to its core! The chandelier plummeted from the ceiling. Glass shards flew in every direction. Walls split open as thick black smoke swallowed the exhibition hall. A searing shockwave slammed into me, scorching my skin. Dust and ash blotted out everything in sight. Chaos erupted. People screamed and stampeded as sobs, crashes, and the groan of collapsing walls filled the hall. The blast hurled me to the ground. My spine struck the floor, and pain lanced through me, sharp enough to reach bone. The metallic taste of blood surged up my throat. Smoke choked my vision. Everything around me went dark. Debris rained down from above. Through the smoke and fire, a tall figure burst into the hall, moving with ruthless purpose. Arthur. His eyes swept the wreckage and passed straight over me where I lay on the floor. He never slowed. He locked onto Lora, who was trembling nearby. "Lora!" He shouted her name, pivoted, and sprinted toward her without an instant of hesitation. He moved with frantic urgency, heedless of the crumbling walls and the danger all around him. He reached her in a few long strides, bent down, and gathered her into his arms, shielding her from the falling debris with his own back. "Don't be afraid. I'm here." Every soothing word cut through the rubble and drove straight through me. He didn't see me. I was closer. I was badly injured. And I was carrying his child. There was room in neither his eyes nor his heart for anyone but Lora. Smoke billowed. Flames blazed. The silhouette of Arthur shielding Lora as they retreated burned itself into my vision, searing and merciless. Business or not, the instinct to choose her at any cost would always belong to Lora. And I, from beginning to end, was nothing but collateral. I was a stepping stone too insignificant to matter in the story of his ambition. Smoke and fire churned in the wind. The gallery lay in ruins. I slowly closed my eyes as rage swallowed the last of my reason. Arthur. Lora. I will make you pay for every last thing! I swear it! A stabbing cramp seized my lower belly. The world began to fade. Through the haze, someone lifted me and held me tight. Warm, urgent breath brushed against my ear. "Catherine, I'm here." I knew that voice.