Chapter 1

Chapter 1. Pregnant and Divorced

Brie POV

“Congratulations, Mrs. Hunter. You are ten weeks pregnant.”

I got out of the doctor’s clinic completely in a daze. Her words echoed in my head, making my heart beat fast.

In the midst of grief and pain, finally, there’s some good news, I mused to myself.

Ecstatic, I could not help the grin that spread across my face, feeling the slight lifting of the weight on my shoulders.

With renewed vigor, I quickened my steps. The elevator opened. I walked out, passing the nurse station on my way to the ICU.

“Mrs. Hunter.” The nurse greeted me.

“Hi. How’s Noah?” I asked the nurse, feeling a little fatigued.

“Still the same. Mr. Hunter has not woken up yet.” The statement dampened my enthusiasm. Still, I marched to my husband’s bed, took the chair, and sat down.

The nurse left to give us privacy.

I looked at the dearly beloved face of the man I loved, and longing pierced my heart. Involuntarily, my hand lifted to touch his face. I let the tip of my finger trace his eyelids before brushing the lock that fell down his forehead.

I noticed he needed a haircut and a shave, too, and made a mental note to bring his personal barber next time.

“Noah. Wake up. It’s been weeks.” I murmured, feeling a wave of desolation gripped me as I saw the pallor on his face.

At the same time, I pressed the palm of my hand to my lower abdomen. It was an unconscious act I had been doing since I learned about the pregnancy.

“Please open your eyes. There is something you need to know.” I told him, trying to stifle the excitement in my voice despite our situation.

Noah had been confined in the ICU the night of our third wedding anniversary following a vehicular accident that also claimed his parents’ lives.

It was a trauma I never wanted to relive again.

I was at the house at the time. I clocked early from work because of a headache but was waylaid later by an impromptu meeting.

Noah stayed at the office and promised to pick me up so we could go to our anniversary venue together, but he never came.

Our housekeeper later informed me that the police were waiting for me outside. I was so scared when they told me my in-laws passed away and that my husband was in critical condition.

At first, I was confused, and then I was shocked until tears started welling in my eyes, and they ran down my cheeks in torrent.

My phone rings, cutting me off from my musings.

It’s the company lawyer.

Quickly, I wiped the tears that ran down my cheek and took a deep breath to remain calm.

There had been so many things going on at the HUNTER ENTERPRISES. What with Noah’s parents’ untimely death and Noah’s confinement, I had to go back and forth to the hospital and the office to oversee how things were moving. I have to let the business thrive in their absence.

The HUNTER ENTERPRISES is the fruit of the labor of Noah’s parents, and when he took over and married me, we made it even greater.

Absent-mindedly, my hand caressed my lower abdomen, and I realized I did have to go to the office. With my condition, I needed to relegate some tasks, heeding my doctor’s advice to take it easy.

After the call, I got up to drop a quick kiss on Noah’s head. “I have to leave, my love. Mr. Langley wanted to see me. I will be back later.” I told my comatose husband and left.

The company is a good two blocks away from the hospital. The weather is perfect for walking, so I decided to walk. I figured I needed the fresh air. Besides, I am craving for something.

The walk had been good, and after filling my tummy, I resumed my walk. I smiled when I saw the Hunter Enterprises building.

At the entrance, the guards barred me from entering.

“What is the meaning of this?” I asked in surprise.

At first, I thought that guys were pranking me, and I laughed it off, but when they did not join me, that clued me in that something was wrong.

I looked around me and saw heads turned my way. They were eavesdropping!

“Why can’t I enter my husband’s building?” I hissed to cover the sudden shame I felt.

This was the first time I had been humiliated like this in my husband’s building.

“We’re sorry, Mrs. Hunter, but it’s Mr. Bryant’s orders.” My brows shot upwards in exasperation.

Matt Bryant and Noah’s mom are siblings, making the man his uncle.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves, thinking about the baby.

“And I am Mr. Hunter’s wife. I get to say who can or can not enter the building that my husband owns.” I told them impatiently. A hint of anger coloring my tone.

“Not anymore. From now on, you are no longer welcome in Hunter’s Enterprises.” A voice spoke behind me, making me spin around in confusion. It was Uncle Matt.

Then, in my peripheral vision, I saw Mr. Langley, the company’s attorney, rushing toward me.

“Mrs. Hunter, I mean Briana, I am sorry.” He said, handing a folder my way.

I looked sharply at him, but he was evading my gaze.

“What’s this?” I immediately checked the papers he handed me.

Uncle Matt looked on gloatingly.

My nerves prickled at the arrogance of the man. I tried to ignore it while shuffling the papers inside the folder before a frown marred my face. I don’t understand.

I turned to Mr. Langley.

He looked apologetically at me while beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

He self-consciously used the back of his hand to wipe them while I looked on.

“I am sorry, Brie. Noah’s firing you as his executive assistant effective immediately. He also ordered me to draft your divorce papers.” Mr. Langley explained while I looked on with that big question mark on my face.

It was like he was talking alien. His words do not make sense.

“What do you mean Noah ordered this?” I demanded, gripping the divorce agreement hard.

“My husband was still in a coma. How can he do this?” I fired, shooting Uncle Matt a glare.

From the looks of it, I can surmise that this is his handiwork.

Mr. Langley cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his head.

“He’s awake, and this is his first order to me.” Mr. Langley replied. “He’s divorcing you.”

Chapter 2. No Longer Mrs. Hunter

Brie POV

Two things came to my head at once. My husband is awake, and he is divorcing me.

“It does not make sense,” I said to Mr. Langley who looked so much like he wanted the ground he stood on to swallow him. His body language screamed of guilt and pity.

I can’t stand it anymore.

There had to be a misunderstanding somewhere, and the only person who could clarify and explain the questions in my head was my husband, who, I believed, was still lying in the ICU bed.

Immediately, I asked one of the company drivers to get a car ready for me, but no one was moving. It looks like everyone knew about Noah’s decision to divorce me except me.

I could not help feeling bitter, seeing how these same people who used to bow down in my presence suddenly turned cold and uncaring. How have the tides quickly turned?

I pivoted on my heels and started walking back to the hospital. But before I could do that, Uncle Matt called me.

When I turned around to inquire, I was shocked when he upended a box and let its contents drop to the floor. Anger rose inside me when I noticed those were my office things he was throwing. My favorite pens, my mug – one of the couple’s mugs I bought for Noah and me, several notepads, and my framed wedding picture, which previously sat proudly on my desk.

I dropped to my knees to collect them, glaring at Uncle Matt’s smirking face.

Mr. Langley took the box Uncle Noah threw to the side and handed it to me so I could put my things into it. The mug was in disrepair, as was the glass on the frame. Still, I took everything with me.

I thanked him and walked away.

With the box in my arms, I half-run to the hospital and went straight to my husband.

“He was transferred to the ward.” The ICU nurse told me, unaware of my inner turmoil.

Noah Hunter was awake from a coma, and the first thing he did was to divorce me.

Even so, I could not help saying a little prayer in my head for this bit of good news.

Hurriedly, I left the box I was clutching in my arms at the nurse station and proceeded to my husband’s room. My heart thudded in my chest.

A small gasp escaped my lips when I saw him standing by the window. I almost cried at this miracle. How I despaired in the past few weeks when Noah’s condition did not show any improvements.

I drank on the sight of his back.

“Noah,” I called to get his attention.

“I knew you would come.” He told me, still refusing to look my way.

A sudden yearning invaded my senses. I wanted to see his face.

I tried advancing to the room, but my feet would not carry me. I suddenly find it hard to step forward.

“I believe you have our divorce papers?” He asked while his back was to me.

His position denied me a glimpse of his face.

“Why?” I asked in a hoarse voice.

There were a few moments of impenetrable silence between us until Noah broke it.

“Simple. My parents are dead. I no longer have to endure keeping you around. You must know that I did not marry you for love.”

The ruthless words were so not the Noah I know. It was like he was a different person now.

My chest tightened.

“Noah.” I said, trying to make an appeal.

“My parents insisted I marry you after they found you in my bed.” He reminded.

Yes, I knew it had always been his parents' idea for Noah to marry me. They had been open about it since they took me from the orphanage.

They groomed me to be his perfect little wife.

I have no complaints. I loved Noah the first time I saw him.

But Noah does not share my feelings. He opposed the idea. He left home and did not return for years.

I also knew he loved someone else while he was away.

He had someone he wanted to marry but later called off the engagement. I was not privy to the reason. Back then, Noah returned a changed man, I was so sure love changed him drastically.

It took him a while before he came around and accepted me. We became lovers secretly until the morning when his parents found out about the affair.

Noah married me.

I thought it was because his feelings had changed. In our three years of marriage, I never had an inkling that he was faking it.

“I thought you wanted me, too? That you liked me as much as I liked you?”

“Have I ever told you that?” He countered, that shut me up.

Not once in the three years we were together did Noah tell me that he likes me.

My silence was broken by Noah’s sarcastic laugh. What he said next sealed our fates.

“I am pretending to be happy for my parents’ sake. Now that they are no longer with us, I could not keep the pretense anymore. I want you gone. From this day forward, we do not have any connection with each other.”

“I don’t love you. I can never love someone like you.”

I bit my lip when a whimper started to break out.

“Are you sure this is what you want?” I asked.

“Never been surer.” He replied with a hint of arrogance in his voice.

The room became silent after that. I did not speak because I wanted to give Noah a chance to change his mind, while at the same time, I debated with myself on whether to tell him about the baby.

In the end, I did nothing and just nodded and accepted what he wanted.

“Okay,” I said.

There was a knock on the door, and Mr. Langley’s worried face showed.

“You asked for me, Mr. Hunter?” He asked Noah before nodding at me.

“Give Briana the divorce agreement so she can sign.” He told her without looking back at us.

I took the paper.

“Where do I sign?” I asked Mr. Langley in a voice that surprised even me. It was strong and steady even when my world was crashing down on me.

Mr. Langley pointed at the space where he needed my signature and handed a pen to me.

I took it, walked to the retractable table on Noah’s bed to lay down the paper, and signed my name in bold letters. BRIANA JOHNSON.

Staring at my signature, one fact glared back at me. It is a reality that I have to face from now on. I am no longer Mrs. Hunter.

Chapter 3. Chased Out of the House

Brie POV

After signing my name on the divorce agreement, I walked out of Noah’s room as if the devil was after me.

There was something about the air in Noah’s hospital room that had me suddenly feeling suffocated.

“Mrs. Hunter, are you alright?” One of the nurses asked when she saw me pressing my palm to the wall for support, breathing heavily.

The nurse walked up to me and held my arm. “You looked pale. Do you want me to get the doctor?” She asked, sounding concerned.

I shook my head. It was then that I realized I had been crying. “I am alright. Thank you.” I told the kind-hearted nurse and hurriedly wiped at my tear-stained cheeks.

I winced, feeling a sudden overpowering sense of nausea.

“I have to go,” I told her.

“Your box.” She reminded.

I looked at the box in repugnance and shook my head, my chest constricting in pain. That box represents painful memories of today. I cannot take it.

“Can I leave it here? You can throw it away for me.” I said.

The elderly nurse looked at me with a frown.

But maybe she saw something in my face.

“You are a strong girl. Whatever problems you are facing now, know that it’s only temporary.”

I nodded and walked away with her words playing in my head.

“This too shall pass,” I murmured to myself.

Outside the hospital, I hailed a cab and asked to be sent to the house I shared with Noah.

From the outside, the mansion looked the same, but knowing that it would no longer be my home starting today, it felt different from afar. It was like looking at someone you love and before your eyes that someone turned into a stranger - like Noah.

An unexplainable ache gripped me.

“Are you going out?” The driver asked. He was a kind gentleman.

The car had been parked outside the gated mansion for a while, but I didn’t dare get out.

I let my eyes roam outside the house, committing it to memory. For three years, this mansion had become my home. It was our nest.

We had so many memories here. As it turned out, all of those were a hoax.

My husband never loved me and was just pretending.

That had to be one of the most excruciatingly painful realities I had to deal with.

“I am sorry, miss, but I have to go. I have another client waiting.” The driver called my attention. A look of hesitation was on his face.

Reluctantly, I opened the passenger door and got out.

At the gate, I rang the bell.

A maid opened the door for me, but her face showed a coldness that wasn’t there when I left the house that morning.

“Carla.” I greeted her.

“Sorry, Mrs. Hunter.” Carla cut me off before I could say anything. And then she half-run to the mansion, scared stiff like a mouse.

I followed her uniformed figure with my eyes as it disappeared inside the house and squinted when I noticed my things strewn outside the main door.

Dorcas, our head housekeeper, had been standing by the door with her hands on her hips. A disdainful look covered her face. She was blocking my entry.

“Mr. Hunter’s orders.” She informed me even before I get to ask my question.

She had been with the Hunters for as long as I can remember, and her loyalty will always be with Noah.

I remembered how Uncle Matt threw my things outside Hunter Enterprises’ building and grimaced.

Hunter may have divorced me, but do I deserve to be disrespected like this? I felt like a piece of sh*t nobody wanted.

It was too much.

The anger that was simmering inside me at the treatment I received from my husband and his people started to boil my blood.

I took my phone from my bag and dialed Noah’s number.

“I presume you already evacuated the house?” His cold voice greeted me when the call connected.

“Do you have to humiliate me just to make sure that I leave your house and company immediately?” I could not help the bitterness that frothed off my mouth as I asked in a grave voice.

I could not believe Noah, the man I loved with all my heart, could be this cruel!

While tears started to blur my vision, Noah’s taut and clipped voice came to the other line.

“You should be thankful that’s all you got from me. I could have thrown you to jail, but I figured humiliation is enough.”

“What do you mean? What have I done to warrant throwing me in jail?”

Noah snorted. “Don’t play innocent on me, Briana. You may have fooled my parents with your innocent act, but you cannot fool me. Are you sorry that you did not kill me, too?” He sneered.

From his voice, I could feel how hard Noah was restraining himself. He was so angry.

I was angry, too.

“What?” My brain could not process what he said.

“Are you trying to imply that I was the perpetrator of your parent’s death and the reason you were in the hospital for a coma? What motive do I have?”

Noah snorted.

“Do you want to go to court so they can extract that from you? We could go public if you want.”

He was threatening me, and something inside me rebelled.

I also wanted to prove my innocence. How can Noah think that way of me?

But I figured Noah, with all his wealth, could easily make life a living hell for me. I should settle for what he was offering because fighting him on this would be exhausting and detrimental to my baby.

If it were just me, I could do it. But I have my child to think of.

Chapter 4. Suspect

Brie POV

Noah must have assumed that I had accepted his accusation with my silence because when he spoke his words were full of venom.

“Facts won’t lie Briana. And the report said that someone deliberately caused the accident. Someone tampered with the car.”

“It wasn’t me!” I argued in my defense. My voice came out harsh because I never thought that I would become a suspect in the accident.

Not in my wildest dreams.

“You have the motive.”

“What motive?”

“Don’t tell me you have forgotten about your lover? Didn’t you plan this whole thing with him so you would be left to inherit our family’s fortune once we were gone?” His voice held his contempt, and my brows furrowed, recalling when I had ever had a lover.

“You know I can never kill them. I love Marsha and Danny too much!” I tried to grope for the right words to say to make him see that what he was suggesting was preposterous. I can never kill the two people who took me in from the orphanage when I was young. The ones who had taken the role of my parents?

“I love your parents. I love you,” I said, my voice sounding flat.

There was a tense silence following my outbursts before Noah laughed insultingly in response.

“Lies. They were all a bunch of lies. Too bad I believed them.” Noah hissed.

“I never lied to you, Noah.” I insisted.

“Do you think you can still fool me? Be gone, and don’t show yourself to me ever again.” Noah shouted before dropping our call.

I looked at the black screen with shock on my face.

How could this happen to me?

How can my life vanish in a flash?

This is not how Cinderella’s story went. She lived happily with her prince, why can’t I?

I looked heavenwards and saw that the sky had started to darken. Moments later, the sky started crying, too.

“Lord, what have I ever done to deserve this?” I implored the skies while tears streamed down my face.

Three years ago, Noah married me. That time, I was the celebrated one.

I was the proverbial Cinderella who got her prince.

Everybody loved me.

Now, I feel like the discard nobody wanted. Suddenly, everyone does not know me. No one came to my rescue when my husband threw me that dismissal letter, firing me from my job or forcing me to sign those divorce papers.

And now this! It was like everyone rejoiced in my downfall.

I felt so alone and scared.

I caressed my belly – an unconscious act – that was also a way to remind myself that I was not alone. I have a baby to protect at all costs.

I dropped to my knees and started picking my things up, carefully choosing the important ones and intending to leave the rest.

“If you wouldn’t take them all at once, I am afraid I will have to put them in the dump,” Dorcas told me when she noticed what I was doing.

“Noah does not want to see anything belonging to you when he returns from the hospital.” She added.

That brought a bitter smile to my face. Of course, what else would I expect from the same man who quickly dismissed his wife without talking it out?

Why was it so easy for him to believe in the evidence rather than talk to me?

“It’s alright. You can throw everything away.” I told her bitterly.

“I only needed my documents,” I added.

I loathed to bring all the things that Noah paid for.

The elegant dresses, the jewelry, the bags, and the shoes – all of those - were gifts from Noah, and I do not need them anymore.

Dorcas looked at me strangely.

“Those are Noah’s gifts. Are you sure you wanted me to throw them away?” I saw her falter while she asked, and something in her voice changed, but I was too hurt to even give it so much attention. All I want is to get away from here.

I nodded. “What was the use? Noah bought them for his wife. He did not buy them for me.” I said contemptuously, causing a frown to form on Dorcas’ head.

Then my eyes accidentally caught sight of the wedding band on my ring finger. I took it while Dorcas looked on.

“I forgot to return this to Noah,” I told her, putting the ring into her palm.

At first, she refused to take it, but I insisted.

That ring was no longer relevant to me, and holding on to it meant I was still holding out for Noah to change his mind.

I do not have any illusions now. Not after what Noah did and said to me today.

He believed I killed his parents. He believed I caused the accident.

My shoulders started shaking as I tried to control the sobs that wracked my body. I do not want Noah’s household staff to see me like this.

I walked out of the house slowly because my chest felt too stuffy, and I felt light-headed.

At the gates, I have to hold on to the frame to keep my balance.

“Are you okay, Briana? Do you want me to call a cab for you?” It was Dorcas. I did not know she followed me here.

I shook my head no and smiled my thanks.

“I can manage. I don’t want you to get in trouble with Noah.” I told her.

She did not smile back, but her look was probing. I waved at her.

“Thank you for your kindness in all the years I stayed in the Hunters,” I told her and left.

Outside, the rain was pelting hard, but I didn’t mind. It seemed as if I was numbed off by what happened today.

I opened my mouth to inhale because my nose was clogged. My vision became blurry, and I suddenly swayed to the side.

Blackness took over.

Chapter 5. Rescued and Safe

Brie POV

When I came around, the overpowering smell of antiseptic was the first thing my mind noticed.

I opened my eyes to be greeted by a white ceiling before my sight wandered to take in the white walls, door, and blanket covering half of my body.

This time, I already had a fairly good idea about where I was.

It was also by this time that I acknowledged the presence of a cannula tube connected to the IV drip and attached to my hand when I got up from bed to sit up.

The door burst open, and in came four young handsome, and tall men I haven’t seen before, but their presence suddenly made me feel safe.

Their presence was enough to make me feel comforted. I did not feel so alone anymore.

“Are you alright?” One of them asked. He had black eyes and brown hair just like me, but my hair color was slightly paler.

It felt awkward when I noticed the four of them looking at me, and all I could do was nod yes in response.

Their faces looked strikingly similar.

“I am Charles Ford.” The same man who asked me about how I was informed.

“I am Rowan.” Inserted another one wearing a gold-framed eyeglass.

Then, he gestured toward the other two behind him. “And these two are Flint and Marcus. We are your brothers.”

Another man came in. He looked different from the four, but he was equally handsome, if not more so. I think he could make the runway models a run for their money.

I nodded at him. I knew him. He was probably the only man in this room I knew because he was the person who got in touch with me to tell me about my brothers' existence.

“Goldstone,” I called out his name.

“You’re crowding my patient.” A woman’s stern voice rang out, and automatically, all our eyes riveted to her.

She looked cute and had almond eyes that crinkled at the corners when she smiled, and her curly hair complemented her face.

“How are you feeling?”

“Fine,” I replied and looked at the glass window with a view of the sky, noticing it was very bright outside.

“How long have I been out?” I asked the doctor.

“Thirty-six hours.” She replied.

“Mr. Goldstone found you sprawled on the pavement. He brought you here and called your brothers. By the way, I am Jenna Ford. I am married to one of your brothers.” She gestured toward the man who introduced himself as Charles.

Again, my eyes went to the four men who bore a striking resemblance to each other.

My eyes started to water.

I remember the last time I talked to Mr. Goldstone. He was the lawyer representing my four brothers. He mediated for a reunion between us five, but I declined.

“What is the point? I already have a family. The Hunters took me when no one else did.” It was my anger talking.

The shock of finding I have four older brothers was too much to process.

For years, I had longed for a family. I was in the orphanage since I was a baby and until I was six before Marsha and Danny Hunter took me in.

Though the couple stopped short of adopting me, they cared for me like I was their real daughter. They were the only family I knew.

Now, Marsha and Danny are gone. And Noah divorced me. I had no one. The bitter thought made me sad.

“Don’t cry. It would be bad for the baby.” Jenna told me.

“She is pregnant?” My four brothers asked in unison, and Jenna had to shush them while I tried very hard to stifle my laugh at the comical look on their faces.

“And what is so shocking about that? She was married.” Jenna told them.

They all gawked at me as if they found the idea of me getting pregnant ridiculous.

My awkwardness was of another level. I was mulling the fact that I was divorced and pregnant. It was not a life I had envisioned for my child.

“Is the baby okay?” Someone asked to break the ice.

My eyes widened in recognition.

“You're Marcus Ford, the model!” I exclaimed.

He nodded, and the knowledge got me excited.

I remembered I had drafted a proposal letter for him a few months ago.

“The Hunters were about to sign you up as our hotel endorser,” I informed him.

My excitement plummeted when I remembered I was no longer part of the Hunters.

All the years I put in working my ass off shot down the drain.

“Not anymore. I already declined the offer yesterday.” He told me.

I noticed the grave voice he used and saw his face hardening. In response, my stomach tightened.

Did he do that for me?

The answer was on his face that it did not shock me anymore when he confirmed.

“I was only there for you."

Deep gratitude filled my heart.

“Thank you,” I said, eyes tearing, knowing I had an ally.

Then, my eyes encompassed the other three. I do not have just one, but four allies.

My chest felt stuffy as I felt a sense of deep longing in my heart for them.

"Even when the world was against you, you have us, Briana," Rowan promised.

I bit my lip.

The guys knew Noah divorced me and was assuring me.

I wonder, what else do they know?

My hand immediately searched my lower abdomen, and a slow smile spread through my face.

‘We are going to be fine.’ I told my child silently.

Chapter 6. Who's Cheating Whom?

Brie POV

Two days later, I was discharged from the hospital.

I could have left the hospital that day when I met my brothers for the first time, but my brothers insisted I had to stay for another day.

When it was time for my hospital release, I was surprised because, outside my room, men in black were standing in attention.

“Is there a VIP confined on this floor?” I asked Jenna, who only laughed and commented,

“Your brothers are crazy.”

Then, she gripped the handrail of my wheelchair to push me out of my room.

At the hospital entrance, I was amazed at the number of similar-looking cars parked outside.

When they spotted us, the first car moved forward until it stopped in front of me while the others followed close behind.

I could not believe my eyes. “S*it! Are you telling me this is for me?” I asked the four men when it finally dawned on me that the cars and the suited men were in their employ.

“No one but the best for our little queen.” My brother Marcus said before he lifted his arm and gently nudged me with his elbow.

I took his cue and curled my fingers to his proffered arm.

On my other side, so that they were now flanking me, Flint did the same.

We walked toward the car, a red BMW. “This is yours,” Marcus told me before he helped me inside.

Ensconced with my two brothers in the backseat of the BMW, I heard the synchronized opening and closing of doors. It was the sound of affluence.

“From now on, you will leave like a pampered queen. We will make up for the lost years, Briana.” Marcus promised and winked at me.

From the hospital, we went straight to the airport, where a chartered flight to Woodside City awaited us.

Not used to this unimaginable luxury, my eyes widened in shock.

We spent the eight-hour-long flight getting to know each other. They filled me in on what happened to our family.

In flight, my phone rang. It was my best friend, Hanna.

“Is it true?” Hanna sounded like she was crying.

“What did you hear?” I asked her, having had an idea that the humiliation I suffered from Noah Hunter and his uncle had already reached out of proportion.

“Noah divorced you. He kicked you out of your home and job.”

There was silence on my part because it was that one thing that I would rather forget. Still, I allowed myself to remember what happened that fateful day. How I have suffered emotionally, bearing the shame and embarrassment Noah slapped me with.

“Yes. We divorced." I confirmed.

My friend choked back a sob.

“The company grapevine is feasting on the purported news that you cheated on Noah."

My chest constricted. Noah never gave me the chance to redeem myself in the eyes of our people. He made sure to shatter my reputation into pieces until nothing was left.

“It’s a lie,” I told Hanna while trying very hard to contain myself.

“Where are you? Are you safe? I wanted to see you. Can I see you?” I shut my eyes because her kindness brimmed my eyes with tears.

“I left Redwood City,” I told her. “Don’t worry about me. I am going to be fine.” I added, trying to comfort her.

“I am sorry I was not there.”

“It was not your fault. Besides, there's really nothing you can do. ”

Hanna just got back from a business trip abroad. She could not have known this would happen.

We were both silent after that.

I know I shouldn’t ask, but I could not help myself.

“How is Hunter Enterprises?”

I heard Hanna’s long, indrawn breath from the other end.

“The company is fine, but it felt different without you and Noah.”

Something flickered inside me.

“What happened to him?” I said with a quickened breath. Even when he did something bad. I could not help feeling concerned.

I have loved Noah for years. Even when he hurts me, that love will not disappear in a snap. It will fade in time. I knew that. It will die one day, just not now.

“Hanna…” I prodded.

“Matt Bryant was appointed OIC.”

“And Noah?” I asked. My heart thumps fast.

I felt my two brothers stiffen at the mention of his name, but I ignored their reactions. I wanted to know. Unconsciously, my hand went to press my stomach.

“I heard Noah left the country to recuperate.” She told me. “It’s all over the news.”

We cut our call, and I retreated to my seat. My brothers must have understood my need to be alone, so they let me be.

I took my phone from my bag and started searching. I first checked the news for Hunter Enterprises. I found a news report confirming what Hanna told me. Hunter Enterprises’ board of directors voted for Matt Bryant to be OIC, allowing Noah Hunter, its CEO, time to grieve the loss of his parents.

The news report mentioned that Noah was beside himself after learning about the demise of his parents and was inconsolable.

His grief, it said, was compounded when he woke up to learn that his wife cheated on him.

I had to smile at that. It was so convenient to paint a dark picture of me without proof.

The news also mentioned the trip is to help Noah clear his head and heal emotionally from the trauma of his loss.

I was about to close the page when I noticed another news item. This one was short and with a picture attached to it.

It says Noah Hunter was spotted at the Redwood City International Airport with international model Britney White.

Reading her name from the article and seeing her with Noah had the corner of my lips curling contemptuously.

So, this is what he was up to. Now, the real reason he divorced stared back at me.

Noah wanted a reunion with his ex-fiancee. That bitter thought made me want to puke.

After making sure he crushed my spirit and life to smithereens while he was trying to build a new one with his true love.

Now, who is cheating whom?

Chapter 7. Not Someone To Mess With

Brie POV

I thought I had already tackled my worst nightmare. I thought since Noah had dealt me with a blow, he could never hurt me anymore, but this betrayal was the worst thing he could have done to me.

To realize that he devised a seamless plan to get me out of his life for good and made me look like I was the guilty one in our marriage is a low blow.

He even placed the death of his parents on my shoulders!

No wife who served him faithfully like I did deserves what he did to me.

To think that I even shunned all efforts of my brothers to reunite because I thought I already had a family in him.

I almost laughed aloud at my naivety.

What a shame!

What a waste!

I loved him!

I trusted him!

And what did he repay me?

Betrayal!

My chest felt constricted from the pain.

How can Noah do this to me when all I ever did was love him?

How can he be this ruthless?

I gripped the sides of my seat, trying to control my anger, feeling sweat beading on my forehead.

Now, I was thankful that I never mentioned the baby. I can never trust someone like him with my baby.

Over my dead body.

“Briana? Briana?”

I looked at my brother's panicked face, not understanding what happened. They were talking simultaneously - with worry etched on each of their faces, but I could not understand what they were saying.

It was as if I had suddenly gone deaf.

My gut twisted, and I cried in so much pain.

“Blood!” I read the lips of one of my brothers.

In reflex, my gaze went down, feeling a trickle of liquid on my legs.

When I looked back at their ashen faces, it made me realize one thing.

“My baby? Don’t let me lose the baby!” I cried as fear engulfed me.

My mouth parted in panic. Fear blocked my throat.

Fortunately, the plane landed, and an ambulance met us on the tarmac. One of my brothers lifted me to run down the airstairs.

I was immediately transferred into a trolley bed and carted inside the ambulance.

My four brothers got in right after.

I grabbed my bespectacled brother’s arm. “Rowan, please. Don’t make me lose the baby.”

“You are not going to. I promise you.” Rowan replied, to which my other brothers chorused aye.

I nodded, and my gaze went to their tightly clenched hands until everything around me became a blur.

“What a sick b*stard!”

I heard Jenna's comment when I came to.

Charles shushed her.

“I didn’t realize that a man like that existed. He was not a man. He was a coward. A spineless, manipulative j*rk!” I heard Jenna’s voice again, ignoring her tirade.

There was the sound of the chairs scraping the floor and shuffling feet until there was silence.

I remembered what happened, and my eyes flew at the same time I jolted in bed.

My hands went to press my lower abdomen to check for anything unusual.

Then, I saw the emergency call button and started pressing. All at once, my door opened, and I heard the sound of hurried footsteps.

“You’re awake,” Jenna said when she spotted me.

“How’s my baby?” I asked Jenna when I saw her from the bunch of male muscles with a frown marring my face.

“The baby is fine. Don’t worry.” Her assurance allayed my fears.

I breathed a relieved sigh and leaned back on the bed.

“I thought I was going to lose it. ” I said, twisting my fingers in inner turmoil.

I do not know what I would have done if I suddenly lose the baby. I already lost my husband and the only parents I had ever known. I cannot afford to lose more.

Jenna patted me on the back. “Stop stressing and concentrate on your and your baby’s health. That’s all you need to do. Don’t think about that bast*d ex of yours.” She reminded.

I nodded.

“He’s not worth your tears, honey. No man is ever worth the heartbreak.” Jenna added, and she was right.

“Even my brother?” I asked, though my face was contorting.

Noah’s betrayal was still fresh in my memory.

Jenna sat down on the edge of the bed and took hold of my hands in hers. “Charles had his share of tears. The most he cried about is you. In fact. All of your brothers weren’t truly happy until they found you. All of them love you and want you to be happy. That is the greatest gift you can give them. And of course, this baby in your womb.”

I nodded.

“Does Noah know about the baby?”

I shook my head. “I didn’t tell him.”

“If you asked me, you had a clean break. Noah Hunter will never know about your baby or your secret identity. Let him think the worst and shock him one day.”

Jenna and my brothers left the room when they thought I had been sleeping. When the door closed on them, I slowly opened my eyes, and a plan started to work in my head.

One day, I will shock Noah Hunter and all the people who believed the lies he concocted about me. He shouldn't have messed up with someone like me.