TWENTY ONE

"I should go," Liza says, breaking the heavy silence that has settled in the room since Cara walked in on them. "Call me," she whispers, loud enough for Cara to hear, before placing a kiss on Xander's cheek.

As she walks toward Cara, Liza's lips curve into a victorious smirk. "See you around," she murmurs, her voice dripping with smugness as she saunters past.

Xander stares at Cara, his expression unreadable. He's torn between explaining what just happened and letting it go. But Cara decides for him with her next words, "We should go. Our appointment is in 20 minutes." She tries to keep her voice steady, but the bitterness seeps through.

Before Xander can respond, Cara turns and swiftly leaves the office. She pauses outside, near the receptionist's desk. Now it makes sense why the woman hadn't tried to stop her from entering. Cara bites down her frustration, refusing to give the receptionist the satisfaction of seeing her upset. She walks briskly to the elevator, pressing the button repeatedly until the doors finally slide open.

Inside the elevator, Cara takes a deep breath, trying to get her emotions under control. But before she can gather herself, Xander slips inside just as the doors close.

"Great, just great," Cara mutters under her breath.

---

"The babies are doing great," Gwen says as she moves the Doppler over Cara's stomach. Cara and Xander are fixated on the screen, their expressions softening with awe.

"Do you want to hear their heartbeats?" Gwen asks.

"We can do that?" Cara's voice is a whisper, her eyes glued to the screen.

"Of course," Gwen replies, a smile in her tone as she prepares the Doppler.

Moments later, the room is filled with the rhythmic sound of their babies' heartbeats. The sound is magical, pulling at Cara's heartstrings. Tears well up in her eyes, the reality of their growing family settling in.

Xander reaches for her hand, holding it gently as they listen. For a fleeting moment, everything feels perfect—like they're living in a fairytale. But the illusion shatters as Cara pulls her hand away, the memory of Liza's kiss still fresh in her mind.

Xander glances down at her, realizing that she's still upset.

---

"We could have lunch at your favorite place," Xander suggests, breaking the awkward silence in the car.

The roles have reversed—usually, it's Cara trying to spark conversation or annoy Xander into talking. Now, he's the one trying to get her to open up.

"I'm not hungry," Cara mutters, staring out the window.

"That's hilarious," Xander comments, knowing how much Cara loves food.

Cara turns to him, her expression flat and unamused. When it becomes clear that he's not going to drop it, she shifts closer to the edge of her seat, leaning forward to talk to Marco, their driver.

"So, Marco, how's your wife?" Cara asks, cutting Xander off.

"She's fine, Madam," Marco replies, his tone nervous.

"For the last time, it's Cara."

---

Cara is a storm of emotions—angry, hurt, and above all, feeling like a fool. She keeps asking herself if Xander and Liza are getting back together. Liza's cockiness suddenly makes sense; she knows she has Xander wrapped around her finger.

But Cara can't vent because she feels like she has no right to. They've slept together, sure, but they haven't defined what they are. How can she yell at him without looking ridiculous?

If she's this angry and spiteful, she intends to make him feel the same way. Cara comes up with a plan—a not-so-helpful one, but she's determined to see it through.

Dressed in a barely-there blue sundress that barely covers her bump, Cara descends the stairs. She has no intention of going out but every intention of making Xander think she is.

In the living room, Xander is seated with a box of pizza and a glass of wine, watching a dull business documentary.

"I'm headed out," Cara announces, making sure her presence is known.

Xander checks his watch without looking up, "It's almost midnight, where..." His words trail off as his eyes travel from her feet to her face. In a second, his calm demeanor vanishes, replaced by a seething anger. His veins bulge with fury.

"Where do you think you're going in that?" he yells, standing up so fast that the pizza box tumbles to the floor.

"Don't you yell at me!" Cara matches his tone, turning to leave, but Xander is quicker. He sprints to the door, slamming it shut before she can reach it.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Cara shouts, shoving him, but her attempt barely moves him.

"You're not going anywhere," Xander says firmly, his voice laced with authority, which only fuels Cara's anger.

Cara lifts her leg, pulling off her slipper, and hurls it at him. Xander ducks, but the second slipper hits its mark, landing squarely on his chest.

"You are such a caveman!" she screams.

Xander is astounded by how easily she can provoke him. He used to be in control of his actions, but with Cara, all his composure flies out the window.

"And you are not leaving this house at this hour or in that...thing you call clothes," Xander retorts.

"You don't tell me what to do! You're not my boyfriend!" Cara yells, her voice cracking with emotion.

"Thank God for that—you're insane!" he fires back.

"And you're an asshole!" she counters, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"You're a brat!" he snaps.

"I hate you!" Cara cries, pushing him again, then resorting to pounding his chest with her fists. "I fucking hate you!"

"Stop!" Xander says, grabbing her wrists to halt her attack. "As long as you're carrying my kids, I'll have a say in what you do," he says, his voice cold as he lets go of her hands.

Without thinking, Cara's hand flies across his cheek with a resounding slap.

Xander turns back to her, shock and hurt flickering in his eyes. For a moment, Cara can't believe what she's done.

"Why don't you say why you're really mad and stop acting like a child?" he spits before storming out of the living room to instruct the staff not to let Cara leave the house.

Cara stands there, staring at the closed door, feeling completely stupid for what she just did. She got what she wanted—she yelled at him—but she feels no better. Instead, she feels like her heart has been ripped out.

She collapses onto the couch, pulling out her phone to call the only person who might understand.

"Hey," Cassie's voice comes through after a few rings.

"I'm so stupid, so fucking stupid," Cara mutters, wiping away her tears.

"Shh," Cassie coos gently. "What happened?"

"I did something stupid, like I always do."

"There's nothing stupid you can do that will be—"

"I saw them kissing," Cara interrupts, the image of Xander and Liza replaying in her mind.

"Who did you see?" Cassie asks, her voice confused.

"Xander and that bitch Liza," Cara spits, venom in her tone. "I hate her. And most of all, I hate him."

"No, you don't."

"I do. I really do. Are they getting back together or what?" Cara snaps.

"That's a conversation you should have with him," Cassie advises.

"Why does it hurt so much? Every time I think about it, it hurts. I shouldn't feel this way, right?" Cara chokes on her words, the pain too much to bear.

"I think you're falling for him," Cassie mutters gently.

---