Chapter 193:The Weight of Betrayal

Alexander paced around the room, his footsteps echoing the turmoil churning within him. Each step felt heavier than the last as he tried, once again, to get through to Emma. The phone in his hand felt like a lifeline, but every time he pressed the call button, the line went dead, met only with the automated message that her phone was switched off. The realization that she was deliberately avoiding him tore at his heart. His thoughts raced, struggling to find a way out of the mess he had found himself in. Should he call Rachel? The thought crossed his mind more than once. Rachel had always been a steady presence in their lives, someone he could count on for advice. But what could he possibly say to her? How could he explain that Emma was refusing to pick up his calls because he had managed to get his secretary pregnant? He felt a wave of shame wash over him, the weight of his mistake pressing down on his shoulders. How had things spiraled so out of control? The memory of that night wi