Chapter Four

Rosalie

Staring at the pregnancy stick, I observed the two vivid lines confirming my pregnancy. Trying to recall the conception time, I shut my eyes, realizing I'd forgotten to take my birth control pills twice due to stress from my mother's illness and other things.

"Why now? You came at an inopportune time, baby," I muttered to myself, my hand unconsciously on my lower abdomen. 

Despite my happiness, I wondered how Adrien would react to the news. If I told him, he'd likely hate me even more and blame me for trapping him in an unwanted marriage.

"I don't know what to do. Should I tell him? Will he want this baby or force a miscarriage?" I pondered, growing increasingly scared. "I can't tell him. He hates me, and I won't let him hate my baby. This child will be mine alone."

A knock on my bedroom door and Serena's voice checking on me had me rising, concealing the stick, rinsing out my mouth and washing my hands before opening the door.

"What should I do about dinner? Mr. Vasanten left without eating," Serena asked.

"I don't know, Serena," I leaned against the door. "Maybe throw it out or give it away. Do whatever you want with it."

"Are you okay, Allie? You look pale."

"I'm fine. I need to sleep for a bit, but before I do that, I need your help," I told her.

"With what?"

"Come in." I moved aside for her to come in, shut the door, and led her to sit on my bed. I joined her. "This is going to be a shock to you, but I hope that you're not too surprised," I said.

"You're making me anxious. Did something happen? I thought I heard you and Mr. Vasanten having an argument earlier in his office?" Serena inquired, concern lacing her voice.

"Um... Yes," I nodded. I took a deep breath and let it out. Sooner or later, she'd find out the truth, so it wouldn't make any difference if I told her now. "Adrien and I are getting a divorce."

"So soon?" She gaped at me in shock.

"It's for the best," I said. "That way, he'll be free to be with whoever he wants, and I'll no longer feel like I'm in a self-imposed prison."

"But..."

"Thank you for everything you've done for me, Serena." I pulled her in for a hug, drew back, and held her hands in mine. "I'll never forget you."

"Why are you telling me this? Are you leaving?"

"Yes." I rose to my feet. "That's why I am telling you this; I'm saying goodbye, Serena."

"Where will you go?"

"I'll figure it out. I need to pack my bags tonight so I can leave tomorrow," I told her. "I don't want Adrien to meet me here when he gets back tomorrow."

"Did he throw you out?"

"I chose to leave." I smiled at her. "Help me, please."

"Of course." Serena rose to her feet and crossed the room to my closet to get started.

I remembered Adrien's words about sending my account details to his personal assistant. I grabbed my phone from the nightstand, went through my contacts for Norman Fraser, found it, and typed in my message, then pressed send.

"Serena, please don't bother with the dresses Adrien got for me. I'll only be taking the ones I bought with my money," I informed her. "Including the shoes, bags, jewelry, etc. Leave everything behind."

"Yes, ma'am," Serena responded.

Staring at my wedding ring with a rueful smile, it suddenly hit me that I'd never seen Adrien wear his wedding band since the day we got married. His ring finger was always bare, and I vaguely wondered where he'd kept it or if he'd just thrown it away.

"I'll never know," I muttered, sighing deeply. "But I know one thing... It'll be like I never existed in your life. We'll never meet again, Adrien Vasanten. I'll make sure of it."

My phone pinged with a message, and I looked down at the screen. It was a credit alert of one hundred and thirty thousand dollars from Adrien's bank. He'd held up his end of the deal as promised, and I'd hold up mine by completely disappearing from his life tomorrow.

~~~~~~

The next morning

Entering the hospital with a renewed sense of hope, I paid the fee for my mother's surgeries before heading to her room to share the good news. Seeing her awake, I waited for the nurse to finish checking her vitals before giving her a hug.

"You look happy. Did something happen, my dear?" Mom asked.

"Yes, Mom," I nodded, taking a seat by her bed. "I've paid the fee for your surgeries, so you're going to get even better soon."

"That's good news. Thank you, my dear." Mom smiled wanly. "Did your father finally hand over the money to you?"

I sighed. "No, Mom," I replied. "Adrien gave me the money." Swallowing hard, I continued, "Um... I'm sorry for lying to you, Mom, but I had to at the time."

"What are you talking about?"

"Adrien and I are getting a divorce. I've not been happy in my marriage for two years now. He doesn't treat me well, and I've had enough of his cruelty," I informed her. "I think it's for the best."

"It is, indeed," Mom agreed. "You are doing the right thing. I support you one hundred percent."

"Also, I have something else to tell you," I smiled.

"What is it?"

"I'm pregnant," I whispered.

"What? Really?" Mom's eyes widened in excitement. "You're going to have a baby?"

"Yes. I found out last night after I took the pregnancy test."

"That's awesome. Will you inform Adrien?"

"No, I don't intend to tell him anything. He wants nothing to do with me, and I know he'll feel the same about my baby. I'm going to raise this baby all by myself," I responded.

"We're going to raise this baby together. I intend to fight so I can also get to meet my grandchild," Mom smiled. "I'm so happy for us. We'll leave this place behind and go somewhere we can finally be happy."

I laughed. "Yes, Mom. Once your surgeries are over, and the doctor says you can leave, we'll get out of here," I agreed.

I'd called Kevin early this morning to inform him about my divorce and my pregnancy. He'd arranged with his friend who worked in a real estate agency to get us an apartment for the time being until after my mother's surgeries. He was happy that I'd finally had enough and decided to leave and promised to always be there for me. I couldn't have asked for a better friend.

~~~~~~

A week later

Mom's surgeries went well, and I was ecstatic when the doctor assured me that she could still have plenty of time before cancer took over. On my way to her hospital room, I encountered Yvette and Adrien seated outside a doctor's office. My attempt to hide failed, and Yvette, spotting me, shot me a smug evil smile as she looped her arms around Adrien's.

Fortunately, he didn't see me, and I knew she wouldn't tell him, so I was safe. They were called into the doctor's office, and I hurried to my mother's room.

An hour and a half later, on my way to the cafeteria, I bumped into Yvette, her sinister smile still in place. Adrien was nowhere to be found, and I was relieved because I didn't want to see him again.

"What do you want?" I asked her.

"My love, Adrien, is waiting for me outside, so I'll make this short," Yvette stated. "Adrien told me that the two of you have signed divorce papers, and he'd speed up the process to finally be rid of you."

"So? I bet you're happy now, aren't you?"

"I'm ecstatic, and you know why?"

"I'm sure you'll tell me," I drawled.

"I'm carrying Adrien's baby. We just confirmed it. After your divorce is finalized, I'll become the true wife of Adrien Vasanten." She fished out a check from her purse and slapped it on my chest, but I didn't take it, and it floated to the ground. 

"From me to you; that's two hundred thousand dollars. Take the money and disappear from our lives, loser!" With that, she pivoted on her Louboutin heels and walked away, leaving me staring after her in shock.