Chapter 9

Pierce stood frozen in disbelief, gently setting me down before bending over to pick up the report. His hand clenched around the paper, shaking with increasing force as his entire body trembled.

Everyone was struck silent, including myself.

My eyes were glued to the words on the report, and just as quickly as my heart had warmed, it turned cold again.

I averted my gaze, lowering my head, struggling to hold back the tears.

Once again, Pierce had deceived me.

His concern, his care from the night before—it had all been a charade, just a bit of fun before his engagement party. But never in my worst nightmares did I think Lucy would end up pregnant.

"Florence, I never thought you'd stoop so low, seducing Pierce the night before his engagement. He’s your uncle—how disgusting."

Lucy strutted forward, her hand resting on her stomach, clearly proud of herself as she stopped right beside me as if flaunting her triumph.

I instinctively took a step back, trying to keep some distance between us.