“Because your husband made a mistake,” he said, opening the door for me, “and you should not pay for it.”
I should have run then, but I got into the car instead.
He took me to his estate outside the city, a place so large and controlled it felt like stepping into another world entirely.
A composed older woman named Margaret greeted us and led me to a room that was larger than my apartment, and everything inside it felt carefully arranged for comfort.
I tried to process everything, but exhaustion pulled me under quickly.
When I woke up, something was missing from my purse.
“The test,” I whispered, already knowing the answer before I asked.
“He found it,” Margaret said gently, not pretending otherwise.
Soon after, I sat across from Ethan at breakfast, the pregnancy test placed carefully between us like a truth neither of us could ignore.
“Does Julian know?” he asked.
“No,” I said, forcing myself to hold his gaze.
“Do you intend to tell him?” he continued.
“I intended to leave first,” I admitted, my voice steady despite the weight of the words.
Ethan studied me for a moment, then nodded.
“You are staying here,” he said, not as a command but as a decision already made.