The Billionaire's Forgotten Wife
Chapter 73: Clearing Up the Misunderstanding

Chapter 73: Clearing Up the Misunderstanding

After she had calmed down a little, Cassidy pulled away from Zeke’s embrace. Her face was red, her eyes still wet with tears. She looked away, embarrassed that he had seen her so broken. It felt like he had seen too much of her today, too many of her weaknesses, too much of the side she tried so hard to hide. Slowly, she shifted to the side, putting a little space between them on the sofa.

Then, in a quiet voice, she said, "I’m sorry... for hiding my pregnancy from you. I’m sorry for keeping Claire a secret. I know it was wrong. I don’t have an excuse. There’s nothing I can say to defend what I did."

She looked down, regret clouding her eyes.

Zeke let out a long breath. He leaned back and stared up at the ceiling for a moment before speaking, his voice low and calm.

"You know, when I first found out Claire was my daughter, when I heard it over the phone, I was furious. I wanted to scream at you. I wanted to yell. I was so damn angry."

He paused, then looked at her.

"But then I heard you crying. And suddenly, all that anger disappeared. I couldn’t say a word. I just... broke with you."

Cassidy turned to him, but didn’t say anything. She just listened.

Zeke continued, "I kept asking myself why. Why you did it. Why you kept something that big from me. On my way to the hospital, I went through every reason I could think of... and none of it made sense."

He sighed. "But now, maybe I get it. Maybe I made it hard for you to trust me. I wasn’t a good husband. I wasn’t even a decent roommate. I was cold. Distant. And I didn’t give you a reason to believe in me."

He ran a hand over his face. "I’m sorry too, Cassidy. If I ever hurt you, if I failed you during our marriage, I truly am sorry."

Cassidy took in his words slowly, as if each one carried weight.

She looked down at her lap, twisting her fingers nervously. "You didn’t fail me," she said softly. "We just... were never really right for each other. Everything between us felt like an arrangement. A role we had to play for the sake of our families."

She hesitated. "But you weren’t cruel. Cold, yes. Emotionally unavailable, definitely. But never cruel. I just never knew how to reach you. And by the time I found out I was pregnant, we were already drifting apart."

She fell silent for a moment. Then, as if deciding to finally tell the truth, she looked at him again.

"Do you remember the call I made... about the Dior bag?"

Zeke nodded, his brows pulling together slightly. "Yeah. I remember."

Cassidy let out a quiet, bitter laugh. "Before I made that call... I actually went to your apartment. I was going to tell you I was pregnant."

Zeke froze. His body stiffened as he listened, already sensing where this was going.

"But then I saw a woman leaving your apartment," she said. "The same one I’d seen with you before. She looked like she belonged there. Like she was comfortable being in your space."

Cassidy swallowed hard.

"And just like that... I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t walk in and tell you. I turned around and left."

Her voice grew smaller.

"But later that day, I felt guilty. I kept thinking you had a right to know. Even if we didn’t love each other. So I called."

There was a pause. Cassidy’s shoulders tensed slightly as she breathed in, then let it out slowly before speaking again.

"A woman answered. She said you were in the shower. That’s all. But that was enough. I thought... maybe you’d already moved on. Maybe you were happy. And I didn’t want to ruin that. I didn’t want my pregnancy to mess up your new life."

Zeke sat back, rubbing both hands down his face. The memory hit him like a truck. He remembered that exact day.

And suddenly, everything made sense.

This everything had started from one massive misunderstanding.

And it was his fault.

He looked at Cassidy, regret in his eyes.

"The woman you saw... that was Arielle," he said quietly. "She’s not who you thought she was. She’s my niece. My half sister Nicole’s daughter."

He let out a slow breath.

"You saw me with Arielle that day. And a few days later, you asked for a divorce."

Zeke looked down.

"And I let it happen. I didn’t explain. I could’ve. I should’ve. But I didn’t."

He met her eyes again.

"Maybe because I thought you were done with us. You looked like you wanted to get out. Like you couldn’t wait to be free from the marriage. And since there was no love between us... I didn’t stop you."

Cassidy’s eyes widened, her lips slightly parted. Feeling a deep sense of regret. She wished she had just gone in and talked to him. Instead, she let a misunderstanding decide everything.

"And the woman who answered the phone?" Zeke added, voice heavy. "That was Nicole. Arielle’s mother."

He ran a hand through his hair.

"Arielle had been asking to see my apartment for a long time. She was curious. But I always said no because we were still married. You were still living with me. It felt inappropriate."

His voice softened.

"After the divorce, I finally let them come over. That’s all it was."

Zeke looked down for a second, then back at her.

"I should’ve told you. I should’ve cleared it up. But back then... I didn’t think it mattered. I didn’t think you cared."

Cassidy sat in stunned silence.

Zeke let out another breath. "If I had just said something, if I had explained, maybe all of this could’ve been avoided."

The room fell quiet. The weight of the truth hung between them.

And for the first time, they both understood.

Everything that happened... was just a misunderstanding.

"Now we know what really happened," Zeke said quietly. "It was just a misunderstanding. I want to be there for Claire. I hope we can raise her together."

Cassidy nodded slowly, her eyes softening as she looked at him. "Of course," she said quietly. "I want that too. I’ve always wanted what’s best for Claire. And I hope... we can do this together."

***