Under the Veil I Rule novel Chapter 5

Amara clutched the blanket tightly, her voice barely above a whisper. "I thought you tossed it away."

She didn't dare glance at Finnian's face, sensing his surprise through the heavy silence that hung in the air. Then came his voice, a slight lilt at the end. "It’s good, why would I do that?"

Amara pressed her lips together, staying silent. Every time she had tried to bring him a meal, he'd refuse to see her. She'd even witnessed his assistant tossing out the food she'd lovingly prepared.

"Why so quiet?"

Finnian's voice broke the silence, as deep and resonant as a cello in the night.

"It's nothing. Let's just sleep," Amara murmured back.

There was no point in dwelling on why Finnian might have drunk the soup she made. They were heading for a divorce, after all, and fussing over these things wouldn't change a thing.

What mattered now was figuring out how to navigate life afterwards.

Morning broke bright and clear.

Amara woke up groggily to a buzz from her phone on the nightstand. Instinctively, she reached out and saw a message from Cedric Zade, [We've cast the lead actress. She's a new starlet this year. Let me know what you think.]

Amara was a professional screenwriter, and her latest script, "Whispers of Winter", was about to begin filming. Casting was in full swing.

She opened the photo and stared at the image of a gorgeous woman with cascading curls. It was none other than Liliana, Finnian's first love, whom she'd seen at the mall yesterday.

Amara's body convulsed, her phone nearly slipping out of her hand.

Finnian's phone buzzed on the other side of the bed. It was his personal phone without any trade secret contained, which wasn’t set to hide notifications. Amara couldn't help but see Liliana's message flash across the screen, [Finn, I'm pregnant. We're going to have a baby!]