Chapter 8: Have you fallen in love with Anne?
Tania's eyes widened in disbelief. "Are you serious? Didn't you see how she treated you? She doesn't want you anymore!"
Denis snorted, shaking his head dismissively. "Anne's just angry. She loves me too much to walk away for good. She can't live without me." He folded his arms across his chest, smugness creeping into his tone. "I'll talk to her, calm her down. She'll understand and come back to me."
Tania's stomach churned with fury, her nails digging into her palms. 'He has fallen for that bitch.' The bitter thoughts flooded her mind, fueling her resentment. 'Anne, you'll never come between me and Denis. I won't let you.'
Swallowing her anger, Tania softened her tone, reaching out once more. "Denis, please." Her eyes glistened with feigned vulnerability. "I'm pregnant with your baby. Doesn't that mean anything to you? Can't you take me back?"
Denis stepped back, increasing the distance. Guilt flickered across his face. "That night... I was drunk. I didn't mean for it to happen. It was...a mistake."
Shock froze her in place, disbelief written across her features. "Mistake?" she echoed.
Denis averted his gaze, clearly uncomfortable. "Tania, it's not that simple. I didn't mean—"
But she cut him off, her patience snapping. "You want her, but you don't want me," she spat, her desperation bleeding into anger. "Then why have you been with me all this time? Ignoring her, spending your nights with me—sleeping with me. What was I to you? A mistress?"
"That's not what I meant. You are important to me. But..." He hesitated, struggling to find the right words. "Things are different now. Anne is..."
Tania didn't let him finish. Her composure shattered entirely. "Why the hesitation?" she whimpered, tears of fury welling in her eyes.
"You don't love her. If you did, you wouldn't have kept your relationship with her a secret all this time. Admit it—you only chose her because I wasn't around. She was nothing more than a stand-in. Now that I'm back, you don't need her anymore."