Chapter 128: She’s Pregnant

Yenik’s face burned red, his temper flaring so fast I could almost feel it snap in the air."Sharp-tongued and gloomy," he sneered. "No wonder no one wants a woman like you."

I laughed lightly. Calm. Certain.

"No one wants me?" I tilted my head. "That’s strange. My mate adores me. Deeply. He isn’t weak or desperate like you think. You wouldn’t understand what it means when two people truly choose each other."

I brushed my fingers over my collarbone, letting the mark show. Faint. Possessive.

"See this?" I said softly. "That’s proof enough."

Yenik stiffened. Hi confidence cracked.

"You wouldn’t even let me hold your hand before," she snapped, voice shaking now. "And now you’re already letting other men "

"What about her?"

The voice came low. Calm. Dangerous.

I froze.

At the end of the hallway, Lewis moved toward us in his wheelchair. Slow. Controlled. Every inch of him carried quiet authority. The kind that didn’t need to shout to be obeyed.

My face heated instantly.

He didn’t hear that... did he?

I couldn’t look at him. My gaze dropped to my hands, my fingers twisting together.

Yenik, on the other hand, shrank.

Even seated, Lewis made the space feel smaller. Tighter. Like the air itself bent around him.

"M-Mr. Hale," she stammered, forcing a smile. "What a coincidence."

His eyes didn’t soften.

"Are you interested in our private life?" he asked evenly.

"N-no, of course not. I was just talking nonsense." his words tumbled over each other. "My fiancé is waiting. I should go. Sorry to interrupt."

He fled.

I watched him disappear down the corridor, heart still racing. She looked like prey that had just locked eyes with something far stronger than itself.

Soon, the hallway emptied. Only Lewis and I remained.

Mom was still inside the examination room. Grant hadn’t been chased out yet, which surprised me.

I sat down on the bench, ears burning, eyes fixed on my hands.

"What are you doing here?" I asked quietly.

"I was worried," Lewis replied. There was amusement in his voice now. Soft. Dangerous in a different way. "If I hadn’t come, I wouldn’t have known I ranked so highly in your heart."

I looked up quickly, waving my hand. "Don’t get the wrong idea. I was just bragging."

He reached out and gently moved a strand of hair from my face. His touch was light, but it sent a strange warmth through me.

"So," he murmured, only for me to hear, "do you want to test it?"

"Test what?" I asked, confused.

He leaned closer. His breath brushed my ear.

"Whether I really have that much stamina."

My face went hot.

"Lewis," I whispered, my voice betraying me.

I had always thought of him as distant. Cold. Untouchable. Someone you didn’t joke with, someone you didn’t challenge. Being near him used to make me hold my breath.

And now... he was smiling like this.

The door opened suddenly.

Grant stepped out, supporting my mother. Her face was pale, her hand pressed to her stomach. She glanced at Lewis and me, her eyes lingering on how close we were standing.

I pulled away at once and hurried to her side.

"Mom, are you okay?" I asked. "What happened?"

Grant smiled, his hand landing heavily on my shoulder.

"Riley," he said, pleased. "You’re going to have a sibling."

My heart dropped.

Now? Of all times?

I grabbed the report without a word. Eight weeks.

So it had happened before they returned. Before everything came apart.

Eight weeks.

The timing felt cruel. Like fate tightening a knot just when we thought there might be a way out.

"Aren’t you happy?" Grant asked, watching me closely.

I met his gaze. Cold. Steady.

"Your child?" I said. "Not even a little."

He bristled but stopped himself when he noticed Lewis.

"Our family needs an heir," he said stiffly. "If your mother can give me one "

I cut him off, turning to my mom instead.

"I’ll take you home," I said gently. "We’ll figure everything out there."

She nodded, gripping my arm.

She had been just a girl once. Eighteen years old. Forced into a bond she never chose. Forced to grow up overnight.

And even now, part of her was still that frightened girl.

I wasn’t going to let anyone hurt her again.

For years, my mother had lived without warmth.

No care from the man she was bound to. No understanding from the family that watched her suffer in silence. And on top of that, she carried the weight of a daughter who struggled just to breathe through each day.

She had walked alone in the dark for so long.

Now she was pregnant again.

I couldn’t imagine the storm in her heart. Fear. Confusion. Exhaustion. Hope she didn’t dare to name.

I couldn’t leave her now.

"It’s late," she said quietly. "You should go home with Lewis."

Lewis looked at me. He didn’t speak, but I felt his pull. Steady. Patient. Waiting without pressure.

"Lewis," I said softly, "I want to stay with my mom tonight."

"All right," he replied without hesitation.

He was like the sea. Deep. Calm. Willing to pull back even when he wanted to stay.

We parted at the entrance.

The moment I got into the car, I sent him a message.

Lincy won’t stop. She’ll keep circling Camilla. She won’t strike hard, but she’ll stir trouble. Have someone watch her.

She wasn’t dangerous on her own. But creatures like her thrived on chaos. They attracted worse things.

Camilla was pregnant. She lived at the Hudson residence. She wouldn’t dare come at me directly but Lincy had never cared about rules.

Lewis and I just needed one crack. One loose thread.

Once it showed, we’d pull everything apart.

His reply came fast.

Okay. Anything else?

I paused.

It’s windy tonight. Remind Theo to close the window.

No reply came after that.

Just before the car moved, I saw someone running toward the hospital entrance.

My mother opened the door and stepped out, Grant close behind her.

The man rushing toward her stopped short.

Nicholas.

The man from the banquet.

The man from her past.

They stood facing each other, only a few steps apart. Same age. Same history. The bond they were never allowed to finish.

"Are you okay?" Nicholas asked, worry written all over his face. "Were you hurt? Why are you here?"

My mother’s lips trembled. The cold wind wrapped around her thin frame, making her look smaller than she already was.

"I..." she whispered.

Grant stepped forward and pulled her into his side, his arm tight around her waist.

"My wife is pregnant," he announced.

That was it.

The tears she had been holding back finally broke free. They slid down her face and dropped into the snow, leaving tiny dark marks behind.

Nicholas froze.

"Pregnant?" he repeated, forcing a smile. "Congratulations."

But his hands betrayed him. His fingers curled into fists so tight the veins stood out.

When he turned slightly, I saw blood drip from his fingertips onto the snow.

One drop.

Then another.

Like tears he couldn’t shed.

Grant smiled, pleased with himself.

"Mr. Soto cares a great deal about my wife," he said mockingly. "I make one call, and you rush to the hospital. But now you know she’s carrying my child. So stay away from her."

My chest burned.

He did this on purpose.

He called Nicholas here just to crush him.

My mother snapped.

She turned and slapped him hard across the face. The sound cut through the air like a crack of thunder.

"Grant," she shouted, shaking with rage. "You bastard."