Chapter 4

Eight Months Later

Alice leaned against the hospital pole, one hand on her bulging belly. The fresh air caressed her skin as she let out a breath, fatigue crawling deep into her bones. She was accustomed to being alone now. Ryan had retreated into work, hardly checking in. The last time they had met face-to-face was months before, on the night before the IVF procedure. Since then, he had only responded to her messages with curt, impersonal answers. She had expected this. This was a deal, after all. Nothing more.

But the emptiness stung. The knowledge that her fairy tale princess wedding was over because of her step mother's ego and love of money and her husband unfeeling and unforgiving to her. The baby kicked, making her let out a thunderous growl, her hand smacking against the stomach. A life is growing in her, healthy.

She turned her weight, tugging at the light cardigan on her shoulders and set out in the parking lot direction. The second she stepped out, a familiar voice cut through the air.

"Alice?"Her heart tightened. Clara.

Alice turned over, her gaze focused on the figure that called her name, and there she was—her stepsister, dressed in an expensive purple, stained gown that hugged her form. Her golden hair was pulled back in a high ponytail, and her green eyes widened in shock. But only for a moment, before they curled up at the edges into a scowl.

Clara's gaze landed on Alice's swollen belly, and something wicked flashed across her features. She smirked.

"Ahh, ah," Clara scoffed, crossing her arms. "I thought you left the country in shame, and now here you are. Pregnant." She cackled, thine with sarcasm. "Now, Alice, come on: who is the father? Or are you still dreaming into believing Ryan would ever lay his hands on you? pathetic"

Alice prepared herself. Her heart thudded hard in her ears, but she found it hard to remain calm. She had been through too much to be put off by Clara's comments at this point.

Clara produced her phone. The screen throbbed as she held the phone out toward Alice, recording.

“What will Ryan say when he finds out his perfect little contract wife got knocked up before the wedding? Imagine the scandal.”She laughed, her eyes glittering with malicious delight. “You’re nothing but a disgrace, Alice.”

Alice’s grip tightened on the strap of her purse. Her patience snapped.In a swift motion, she grabbed Clara's wrist and twisted it, making her stepsister yelp in agony. Clara's phone slipped from her grasp, crashing onto the ground with a sharp clatter.

Alice's voice was even, but her eyes burned with fury. "I'm not the weak girl you tormented anymore, Clara."

Clara's face contorted with rage as she tried to struggle loose, but Alice refused to release her. Then, in a swift movement, Alice raised her hand—a resounding crack echoed through the air as her palm hit Clara's cheek.

Clara stumbled backward, her eyes open wide, one hand shooting up to her face. Her cheeks flushed red, not just from the slap, but from embarrassment.

"Y-you hit me?" Clara gasped, shock and fury churning in her eyes.Alice took a step forward, her voice firm. "I am no longer your family. You lost the right to pester me the day you took everything from me."

Relief flooded over me and the sweet sensation coursing through me made me smile.

Clara clenched her fists, her fingernails digging into the webs of her hands. Hate glowed in her eyes, made more intense.

"You'll be sorry," she spat. "You think carrying his child makes you special? Wait and see."

Alice didn't flinch. She stared back at Clara, unafraid and unmoving. "I'm not afraid of you anymore, Clara. And if you do anything to hurt me or my baby, you'll be the sorry one."

Spinning around on her heel, Alice left, leaving Clara trembling with anger behind

----

Clara burst into the Harper mansion's huge living room, her heels thudding angrily against the marble, her face twisted with anger. Victoria, her mother, lay on the soft sofa, sipping tea with an expression of distant detachment. But as she saw Clara's tearful face, she set the cup aside.

"Mother," Clara fought her way out, her voice breaking as she collapsed onto the couch. "She's pregnant. Alice is having Ryan's baby."Victoria's face darkened.

"What?"Clara's fists clenched. "She's having his baby, Mother. And Ryan—he's not going to die. I checked.".

Victoria was quiet for a moment. She then clutched the porcelain cup so hard that a hairline crack formed around the rim."I will not let that happen," Clara whispered, desperation in her body language as she shook with fear. "I cannot let Alice win. The world will be laughing at me if she has Ryan's baby while I bear nothing. She is going to end up with the richest man in our country while I remain here, my beauty wasted. Mother, you cannot allow that to happen."

Victoria exhaled sharply, her calculating gaze meeting her daughter's. Then she grabbed her phone and dialed a number.

In an instant, she said, her voice smooth and commanding. "I need a favor. There's a woman in labor at Westwood Hospital. I want you to make sure. things don't go as planned."

Ending the call, she turned to Clara and gave her a reassuring smile. “Prepare yourself, darling. Ryan is going to belong to you.”

---

Nine Months Later

The pain was unbearable. Alice clutched her belly, breathing in sharp, labored gasps as contractions wracked her body.

She fumbled for her phone, fingers trembling as she dialed.Ryan picked up after the third ring.

“Ryan—” she gasped, her voice raw with pain. “It’s happening. The baby—” A sharp cry escaped her lips. “Please, come.”

There was silence. Then, Ryan’s voice, clipped and unreadable. “I’ll be there.”

Alice cries again, her throat tightening with pain. "Do everything for you to be here Ryan. You can't be the father but not here with them. I need you"

I heard Ryan's sigh of breath. " I am never going to miss my first fruit Alice and hold on tight. I booked a charter flight. Will arrived at once" Ryan reassured me.

Alice barely managed to make him out as another contraction left her breathless.

The mansion staff rushed to take care of her. Two of the maids helped her into the waiting car, while the chauffeur floored it, racing towards the hospital.

Alice clenched her teeth, the nails biting deep into the leather cushion as drops of perspiration broke out on her forehead. She clenched her jaw, refusing to cry out.

As they arrived, hospital personnel came rushing out in a wheelchair. Alice was wheeled in, gasping for air in short, shallow breaths.

She barely even noticed the look of a female nurse before she quietly took out her phone and sent a message.

The wheelchair went through the double doors, and as Alice was wheeled into the ward, the nurse's message had already been sent.