He Thought I Loved Him, I Only Loved His Face Chapter 03

He Thought I Loved Him, I Only Loved His Face Chapter 03

The days that followed went exactly as Rowan said. He barely left the hospital. Taking care of Piper.

When something urgent came up at the company, his assistant brought the laptop and paperwork to the hospital room.

Piper wanted a specific fruit. He had it flown in fresh from California. Washed. Cut. Placed in front of her.

To coax her into eating more, he promised her a diamond bracelet for every full meal she finished.

The stories floated around social media and gossip accounts for days.

Maya watched them scroll past. She smiled, calm and quiet.

Columbia’s anniversary celebration came around. Maya was invited as a distinguished alum.

She checked in at the gate. The first thing she saw was the two brightest figures in the crowd.

Rowan and Piper. Here.

They’d already spotted her. She had no choice but to walk toward them.

Piper clung to Rowan’s arm, smile radiant. “Maya? What a coincidence. You went to Columbia too?”

Maya glanced at her. Said nothing.

Rowan frowned. “What year?”

“2017.” Maya’s gaze had already moved past him.

Piper looked stunned.

“Wait. Then you were in the same year as Caleb?”

“Did you know Caleb? I heard he had a girlfriend back then. He apparently adored her. Spoiled her rotten. Was about to bring her home to meet the family. Too bad…”

Piper’s voice trailed off.

She realized she’d said something she shouldn’t have.

Caleb’s death was the one topic the Cross family never touched. Everyone avoided it deliberately, like refusing to name a wound meant it didn’t exist.

Maya forced her body still. Her fingers dug into her palm so hard, she felt the sting beneath her sleeve.

Her chest tightened like an invisible fist had closed around her lungs. She could barely breathe.

Rowan’s face darkened.

But because it was Piper who’d said it, he let it go.

“We’ve seen enough here. Let’s eat.”

The three of them went to a restaurant.

Rowan ordered entirely for Piper’s palate. Every dish was her favorite. Throughout the meal, he was meticulous. He peeled shrimp for her without being asked, cut her steak into exact bite-sized pieces, and when the server brought the fish course, he quietly confirmed there were no spices Piper disliked.

Halfway through, Maya went to the restroom. She heard Piper on the phone inside a stall.

Maya had zero interest in Piper’s private business. She was about to knock to announce herself when Piper spoke Rowan’s name.

“Of course. If I didn’t play it this way, would Rowan be this devoted to me?”

“His wife? Please. What kind of wife is she? Everyone in our circle has seen how Rowan treats her all these years.”

“Relax. I know what I’m doing. The push-and-pull game? I’ve mastered it. As long as I pretend I don’t know he’s in love with me, we can stay in this delicious gray area forever. Men want what they can’t have. The harder it is to get, the more they obsess.”

“Understood?”

So this was what Piper really thought. All along.

Maya smiled to herself.

Rowan’s precious white moonlight. Not so pure after all.

The stall door opened.

Piper stepped out and saw Maya at the sink, adjusting her clothes. Her face went pale in an instant.

“How long have you been standing there? How much did you hear?”

Maya said nothing.

Piper bit her lip. “Don’t even think about running to Rowan with this. He won’t believe you.”

Watching her switch masks so fast, Maya just felt tired.

She dried her hands and turned to leave.

Piper grabbed her arm from behind.

Before Maya could react, Piper slammed herself against the wall and crumpled to the floor, sobbing.

The noise brought Rowan running.

He rushed in and saw Piper on the ground. Red swelling on her forehead. Tears streaming down her face. Maya standing right there, expression cold and detached.

Rowan pushed past, gathered Piper into his arms, and shot a razor-sharp glare at Maya.

“You pushed her?”

Maya opened her mouth, but Piper’s sobbing cut her off.

“Rowan, my head hurts so much… I think Maya really hates me.”

Seeing Piper injured ripped away whatever reason Rowan had left. He scooped Piper up and headed for the door.

Maya moved to leave. He shoved her hard to the side.

She was right at the top of the staircase.

Her foot met air.

She tumbled down, body crashing against the stairs, world spinning into chaos.

When she finally came to a stop, her bones felt like they’d been shattered and reassembled wrong.

She pushed herself up on shaking arms. Her hand slipped. She looked down.

Blood. Thick and wet, pooling beneath her.

The baby.

Her voice came out in a trembling scream.

“Rowan! Don’t go—call 911!”

At the top of the stairs, the man looked down at her. His gaze was cold. Brutal.

“You dared lay hands on Piper. This is the lesson you earned.”

He turned. Walked away, Piper still cradled in his arms.

Maya watched his back until it disappeared completely. Her heart splintered.

She could take any injury.

But her child could not take this.

The blood spread beneath her. The vivid red sent her spiraling into a panic so deep, she couldn’t breathe.

Her hands shook violently as she fumbled for her phone. She dialed 911.

She forced out her location with the last shreds of her strength. Then the darkness swallowed her whole.

In the long, deep unconsciousness, she dreamed.

Caleb was there. Like he used to be. Gentle. Patient. Right beside her.

He touched her belly, his voice warm with adoration.

“Maya, do you think our baby will be a boy or a girl? Whatever it is, I’ll love them.”

“When the baby’s born, will they look more like you? Or more like me?”

“More like you, I hope. You’re the most beautiful.”

His face was so vivid in the sunlight. Like he had never left her at all.

She reached for him with trembling fingers. She wanted to touch his face.

Her hand met cold air.

When she opened her eyes again, she was in a hospital bed. Bandages wrapped her wounds. A doctor was changing her dressings.

Seeing her awake, the doctor looked both relieved and distressed.

“You’re pregnant. How did you fall down such a steep flight of stairs?”

“You were lucky. The baby survived. Have your husband come in to handle the paperwork.”

Maya stared at the ceiling.

“I don’t have a husband. The man I love is dead.”

The door to the room slammed open.

Rowan stood in the doorway, face dark as a thundercloud.

“Who’s dead?”