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VIVIAN’S POV

I forced myself to leave my comfort zone and kissed my mother on the head. It was time to perform my wifely duties, but as I crossed the threshold of the hospital’s entrance, my body shook. 

This dinner was a trap, and I could feel every part of me begging me not to go. Not to allow Nate or his mother to discover the deadly secret I was harbouring.

As I contemplated calling a cab to avoid the dinner altogether, my eyes caught a familiar figure. The skies darkened abruptly, releasing heavy raindrops that soaked me within seconds, causing me to shiver uncontrollably.

“Hurry!” Ethan frantically motioned to me, but I remained frozen in place as the rain intensified.

Realizing I wasn’t going to move, he ran towards me, enveloping me in his arms while shielding us both with his umbrella. The warmth of his body comforted me instantly, and for a brief moment, I allowed myself to lean into his embrace before pulling away. What was wrong with me? This was Nate’s younger brother.

He handed me the umbrella, guiding me towards his parked car. “If I didn’t know better,” he chuckled, opening the passenger door for me, “I’d say you were playing Little Mermaid in the rain.” He closed the door and moved to the driver’s side.

A smile tugged at my lips, appreciating Ethan’s kindness—a stark contrast to the Stuart family’s tradition of coldness.

Some apples just fell far from the tree.

Ethan settled into his seat with a sigh of satisfaction. “Nate’s house?” he asked, starting the engine as the heater kicked in.

I noticed Ethan’s slight shiver, drawing my attention to his wet clothes. Guilt washed over me instantly and he noticed placing a slightly cold hand on mine, making my attention rest on his eyes that bore no coldness.

“Your clothes--” I began.

“It’s nothing, Vivi,” he said affectionately, cutting me off. “We all have to be Eric sometimes, right?” He joked, continuing with the Little Mermaid reference, and I found myself laughing at the inside joke while muttering a thank you.

His hand lingered on mine longer than necessary before he withdrew it, clearing his throat and beginning to drive. 

Ethan was kind and considerate, everything his brother wasn’t. Yet, a desperate part of me still longed for Nate’s touch and affectionate words, wishing that Ethan was Nate in that very moment.

Within minutes, dread settled in my soul as he pulled into the garage of Nate’s house. My belly coiled with barely restrained terror. My hands, cold and clammy, shook as I reached for the car door.

I could never be mentally prepared to face Judy, Nate’s mother. 

A familiar hand rested on mine and I flinched, whipping my head to look Ethan square in the eye.

“Vivi,” he began, the air in the car suddenly holding weight.

His mouth opened before he hesitated.

“Vivi, I…” he trailed off, looking over my shoulder as his face turned to a mask of stone. I was about to ask if he was alright when my car door opened.

Nate stood there, a few inches from me, his face unreadable as he offered his hand towards me.

Ethan snatched his hand away from mine quicker than lightning.

I accepted Nate’s hand and I gasped at the right way he held my hand when I alighted.

“Thanks Ethan. You can see your way out, I’m sure,” Nate said stiffly and I frowned. 

What was wrong with him? 

I discreetly tried to tug my hand away but the grip was too strong.

Suddenly angry and hurt as the hospital scene played before my eyes, I snatched my hand stylishly from Nate’s grasp and bent my head to take a glimpse of Ethan whose face immediately curved into a smile.

“Thanks, Eric,” I lightly said and he gave a breathy laugh before he gave a curt nod to Nate who all but slammed the door. Ethan drove off quickly.

I turned to look at Nate when I realized the death grip on my hand was gone and so was Nate. 

With no other choice, I dragged my feet towards the room that was always reserved for dinners and occasions with the Stuarts, confusion muddling my thoughts. What was the deal between Nate and his step-brother?

I opened the door and the first thing i noticed was the dress, the colour was sexy against the untouched bed, my breath came out in short waves as i walked to where it was, a stark reminder of my duties.

My hands trembled as I put it on, feeling it suffocating me and as I walked towards the dinner hall, my eyes caught the unwelcoming fleeting glances from the staff and the tension that settled in the air with my presence.

“Do you not know how to tell the time, Vivian?” Judy’s voice suddenly echoed harshly and my throat constricted, words failed me as I realized that I had arrived late and the table had already been set.

“Sit down before you bore us to death,” She spat and I found myself rushing towards the table where I found my plates empty while everybody else dug into their meal. A strong aroma of fish caught me by surprise and my stomach churned in agony.

“Don’t stand and stare, get a plate. Nobody serves you when you pick your own dinner time,” she said.

The moment I opened the buffet, bile rose to my throat faster than I could breathe and I moved quickly, not bothering to ask Judy for permission to be excused.

“For heaven’s sake, where are you going now?”I heard Judy echo harshly behind me.

She should be grateful I didn’t spew my stomach contents on her carpet.

I threw up into the sink, vomit and spasms rocking my body as I coughed violently, the nausea reducing while I started to grow pale, my body feeling weak all of a sudden.

“Fuck, not now” I managed to whisper to myself as my body trembled weakly.

The heart and knees were heavy, the secret was heavier but I knew that all I had to do was get through this dinner without hiccups and everything would be alright for a while.

I was on my way back to the dinning hall when I heard hushed whispers.

I stopped moving and strained my ears.

 “Are you sure she isn’t pregnant?” Judy asked, her voice barely a whisper. My body froze in panic and I quickly cut in.

“No, I’m not pregnant,” I answered from where I stood, the lie tasting bitter. My voice was loud enough for Judy to realize that I had heard what she said.

“And why the hell not? Is it till hell freezes over?” she nearly screeched.

I was short on words, my throat tightened and sweat clamped down on my hands and my forehead, my palms turned to fists.

“You have been married to Nate for three years and yet all you do is move from one luxurious apartment to another, buy cars and dress in the latest clothing! If Nate won’t tell you, then I will! You are a barren and a useless woman and Nate should have picked someone else to carry on the family name, not someone who is only after her appearance!” she spat and the air in my lungs got knocked out of me, tears filled my eyes and it hurt from being in-shed.

“I should have my lawyers help Nate draft a divorce agreement, maybe you would be better off do--”

“Enough!” Nate shouted, cutting her off, pounding his hand against the dinner table as tears leaked from my eyes.

“Vivian has her reasons why she doesn’t want children and I accept her the way she is. She’s my wife. Don’t disrespect her, mother.” Nate warned.

My hands trembled as the irony of the truth that I held in my stomach weighed on me.

What would he do if he found out that I was pregnant and what would she do if she found out that it was actually Nate who didn’t want kids? 

Somehow his attempt at standing up for me made me sadder.

The rest of the failed dinner passed by as a blur. By the end of the night, I was back to my apartment, which was sad because couples were expected to be together but not Nate and I. After that one night of drunken intimacy, he became distant enough to move me to another apartment under a lease that felt as cold and loveless as our fading relationship. 

A chill crept up my spine as I sat down, the room spinning slightly around me. I glanced at the thermometer: 120 degrees.

I had a fever. Great!

Exhausted, I collapsed onto my bed, letting the darkness cradle me as I drifted into sleep.

In the grip of a vivid dream, I found myself in a sunlit room filled with laughter. My mother was there, looking healthier than I had seen her in years. Beside me, a small cradle rocked softly, the rhythm syncing with the heartbeat of the child within me. I almost cried out of happiness.

But the scene darkened abruptly. The light dimmed, and the gentle rocking of the cradle stilled. I turned to find my mother’s chair now empty, the hum of her life support machine replaced by a haunting stillness. The once reassuring heartbeat of my child now felt distant. A figure whose touch had once brought warmth, now turned away, his silhouette receding into the darkness. Nate…?

I woke up with a gasp, drenched in cold sweat.

My heart was pounding as I stumbled into the dark living room. Flicking on the light, I grabbed a glass of water.

All of a sudden, fear coursed through me as Nate stood up from my couch, his eyes holding a mixture of anger and something else.

“Oh F…” 

My throat was suddenly dry and my body went limp as he looked at me colder than ever.

“We have to talk,” he said and my body went into an automatic defence. 

My heart was hammered. He had no right to be here, not now, especially not with the baby's secret hanging in the air like a thick fog.

“What are you doing here?” I managed to ask, my voice tinged with panic and rising anger.

“I own this building or did you also forget that?” he asked, and started to pace. 

Nate was furious. Why? I didn’t know. Maybe Eve had done something to piss him off. Either way, I didn’t have his energy.

“It’s late, what is this about?” I asked him, my voice falling flat.

“You’ve got guts, Vivian,” he snapped. “My brother isn’t as simple as you think. He’s no Prince Eric. You don’t know him like I do. Jumping ship now is quite stupid, don’t you think?” His words were like daggers, his accusations making me feel both stupefied and confused.

“I saw you guys!” He declared.

“What?”

“He dropped you at the house and you were late to dinner. You are never late to dinner, so what business do you have with my younger brother?”

Shock clamped my lips shut.

“Aren’t you too old for him? Do you like your fun that way?” he sneered and my anger increased but my lips remained shut.

I watched my silence anger him further.

Nate closed the distance between us, his presence imposing yet strangely magnetic. As he leaned in, his breath was a warm whisper against my ear, his hand grazing my neck to press me back against the wall. The slow, deliberate slide of his other hand from my shoulder down to grasp mine sent a wave of unexpected warmth through me, our bodies nearly touching, the faint brush of fabric between us the only barrier.

I saw his eyes darken, my throat went dry, desire ripping me apart as my breathing changed from slow to fast, there was a build in the air, something drawing us close before he pushed himself out of my grasp.

His scent engulfed me and tears sprung to my eyes. This was too much.

“I own you and the house you are standing in, I own everything you have” he said menacingly and I scoffed.

“Congratulations to that but I don’t have to explain anything to you, Nate. Ethan was doing what you were too busy to do. He was there! Unlike you, rubbing hands with a woman who you can’t get over!” I spat and his eyes narrowed to dangerous slits.

“You own the house, you own my clothes, you even own me, is that why she is back into your life? The woman who left you for nothing like the gold digger she is or has your little contracted wife bore you out?” I spat and his eyes hardened.

“Don’t you dare.” he said slowly and anger welled up inside of me.

“No! Don’t you dare!”

The fever made me bold.

“How dare you come into my apartment and then accuse me of what exactly? Ethan and I are friends, which is worth more than what you and I can ever become.” I spat.

“Now, leave.” I ordered and Nate scoffed and stormed out of my apartment.

I breathed a shaky sigh of relief and held on to the wall for support as my hands brushed my flat abdomen, the chaos inside of me breathing life.

I clutched my stomach lovingly as I realized the one thing that Nate could not own.

This baby was mine and I would keep it, whatever the consequences which I feared would be far more terrible than ever.

My phone beeped on the sofa beside me. Drowsily, I picked it up.

My eyes widened in fear as I read the message on it before I collapsed into the chair.