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She clearly hadn't anticipated me caving so easily.
Ethan's intense, dark stare locked onto mine.
He said nothing.
Just as he had always been, he remained silent.
I forced a tight smile.
"You two can catch up now. I'll get going."
A sharp cramp twisted my stomach.
I desperately needed some fresh air.
Immediately. Ethan frowned, noticing my pallor.
"Zach will drive you."
Zach Miller.
His notoriously efficient, low-key and sarcastic assistant.
Back when I used to visit the office, he'd always find an excuse to interrupt with "urgent reports."
I'd once teased him, "Zach, no woman is ever going to gonna put up with that permanent scowl on your face."
Without missing a beat, he'd deadpanned, "I don't care about women, my top priority was always my job, Mrs. Grant."
I'd been speechless.
Ethan had actually laughed backed then.
Zach's expression hadn't changed one bit.
...
But earlier today?
He'd stalled me in the hallway, his face looked embarrassed.
"Mr. Grant is… occupied."
Very occupied.
He always knew Ethan's heart.
Always had.
In the car, I closed my eyes.
Zach caught my gaze in the rearview mirror. "Are you feeling alright, Mrs. Grant?"
"I'm fine."
"And don't call me that."
The title wouldn't be mine for much longer.
The moment I got home, I raced to the bathroom, threw up violently holding onto the toilet.
I 've been secretly two months pregnant.
Today was supposed to be our happy surprise.
But life is cruel.
His perfect first love had returned.
I stared at my reflection in the mirror.
Red-rimmed eyes.
Pale skin.
Evelyn was right about one thing, at least.
The marriage began as a transaction, a union for the families, a trade.
But after five years?
I'd deeply fallen for him.
It was difficult to get close to him.
The first two years were all polite distance between us. Separate bedrooms. He was still in love with a shadow.
Then, on our third New Year's Eve... there was wine.
The glittering city lights. Fireworks exploding over the sparkling bay, a snow on our head.
And Ethan kissed me.
Maybe it was the champagne. Maybe the magic of the moment. I kissed him back.
After that, everything changed.
He became incredibly attentive to me.
The whole company knew we are in love.
Employees would whisper rumours, their envy obvious.
I once had it all.
His brief, wholehearted love, and that was enough for me.
Now, Evelyn was back.
The dream was over.
A fantacy of happy faces on the surface of a bubble.
I placed a hand on my belly.
If Evelyn found out, she'd pressure him to...
terminate my babe.
I could survive losing Ethan.
But I would not survive losing his child. I packed a bag together and left before he returned home.
I still had a tiny studio in the city from before we were married.
It was dusty, but it was totally mine.
I hired a cleaner online and booked a hotel room for the night.
Completely drained, I collapsed into bed and was asleep by 9 pm.
The phone's insistent ringing jarred me awake.
Disoriented, I answered.
It was Ethan's voice, tight with ice-cold anger.
"Olivia. Where the hell are you?"
