The Double Life of My Pregnant Ex-Wife (Carmen and Marco) novel Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Carmen leaned back in her chair, staring at the documents spread before her. Marco thought he could control Arianna, but he was wrong. Arianna didn’t operate within the bounds of loyalty or reason. She was a storm, and anyone who underestimated her would be swept away.

Carmen clenched her fists. This wasn’t just about protecting her marriage anymore—it was about protecting the family she had worked so hard to build.

Marco needed to know who he was dealing with, but Carmen wasn’t naive enough to think he’d listen to her warnings without proof. No, she’d have to confront him with the full weight of the truth, lay out every ugly detail of Arianna’s betrayal until he couldn’t ignore it.

Her mind raced as she planned her next steps. She would make Marco see the danger, even if it meant standing against him. Arianna wouldn’t win—not this time.

As she gathered the documents into a folder, a sense of resolve washed over her. Carmen had faced threats before, but this felt personal. Arianna’s game might have worked on the De Lucas, but Carmen wasn’t about to let history repeat itself.

“This is who you’re dealing with, Marco,” Carmen murmured to herself. “And you think you can control her?”

…

The estate was cloaked in silence, the kind that felt oppressive rather than comforting. Carmen stood outside Marco’s study, her heart pounding. In her hand, the folder containing every piece of damning evidence she’d gathered about Arianna’s past was a tangible weight—a reminder of how far things had spiraled.

With a deep breath, she pushed open the door.

Marco glanced up from his desk, his expression shifting from surprise to irritation. “Carmen,” he said, his voice calm but laced with warning. “What is it now?”

Without a word, Carmen crossed the room and dropped the folder onto his desk with a thud.

“Read it,” she said coldly, crossing her arms as she stood in front of him.

Marco’s brow furrowed as he opened the folder and began to scan the pages. His face hardened as he read, his jaw tightening. When he finally looked up, his dark eyes were unreadable.

“You’ve been digging,” he said evenly, though there was a sharp edge to his tone.

“Don’t make it sound like a crime,” Carmen shot back. “I had to. You weren’t going to tell me anything.”

Marco closed the folder with deliberate slowness, leaning back in his chair. “So now you know. What’s your point?”

“My point,” Carmen said, her voice rising, “is that you’re letting her get close—closer than anyone in their right mind would. Why are you spending so much time with her? What’s your endgame, Marco?”

Marco’s gaze didn’t waver, but his shoulders stiffened slightly. “I told you before—it’s business.”

“That’s not my job to figure out,” Carmen retorted. “You’re the one spending hours alone with her, inviting her into our lives. You need to show me that there’s nothing going on.”

He ran a hand through his hair, his composure beginning to crack. “I don’t know how to prove something that isn’t happening.”

Carmen’s laugh was bitter. “How convenient. You expect me to take your word for it while everyone else is saying otherwise.”

“You’re letting rumors get to you,” Marco said sharply. “This isn’t about us—it’s about keeping the family safe.”

“Safe?” Carmen’s voice rose. “She’s not keeping us safe, Marco. She’s the one tearing us apart. And do you know what people are saying? They’re saying she’s your first love. That you’ve never gotten over her. Is that why you’re risking everything for her?”

Marco’s face darkened, his voice dangerously low. “Don’t start, Carmen.”

“Why not?” she demanded. “Because it’s true? Because you don’t want to admit that she still has some kind of hold over you?”

“That’s enough,” Marco growled, slamming his hand on the desk.

“Is it?” Carmen pressed. Her voice dropped, each word laced with venom. “Have you slept with her?”