Chapter 2

Grant dragged me back to the Whitaker estate, with Lila trailing right behind us.

The moment I stepped into the living room, I noticed the changes.

My throw pillows had been replaced by the pink ones Lila picked out. The potted plants I had carefully tended were gone. And by the custom entryway cabinet sat a pair of women's slippers that definitely didn't belong to me.

"She's terrified of hotels after what happened," Grant explained cautiously. "She's staying here until we find her a suitable place. Then she'll move out."

I didn't answer. My face was completely blank.

Grant stared at my emotionless expression, looking entirely at a loss.

At dinner, he tried to appease me by serving my favorite dish. I just watched blankly as he pushed the plate in front of me.

That night, I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.

Before long, the mattress dipped. Grant reached out and wrapped his arms around my waist.

I swatted his hand away.

His eyes were red, his voice dropping low like a man who knew he had messed up. "Tessa, don't treat me like this."

A crack of thunder boomed outside the window. I looked at his bloodshot eyes, about to speak, when frantic knocking shattered the silence.

"Grant! Grant, please!"

Grant's expression shifted instantly. He let go of me, jumped out of bed, and threw the door open.

Lila threw herself into his arms, her face pale, eyes wide with terror.

"I kept thinking about that night, Grant. Stay with me. I'm scared."

"Okay. I'm here."

He patted her back gently, then looked over his shoulder at me, his tone laced with apology.

"Tessa, it was a thunderstorm that night too. The thunder is triggering her trauma. I have to stay with her."

Before I could say a word, he scooped Lila up and walked out.

I slowly lay back down, closing my eyes to trap the tears.

Grant, I'm terrified of thunder too.

You once promised me you would hold me through every storm.

But the moment Lila needed you, you forgot.

I rested my hand on my flat stomach. The tears I had fought so hard to hold back finally slipped down my cheeks.

I'm sorry, baby.

Your father has changed. He doesn't deserve to be your father anymore.

The next morning, Grant had breakfast with Lila and me before rushing off to the office.

Not long after he left, his mother, Margaret Whitaker, swept into the estate.

The moment she walked through the door, she slapped me across the face.

Caught off guard, my head snapped to the side. My cheek burned instantly.

She glared at me, her eyes dripping with disgust.

"I knew you were a jealous bitch, but I never pegged you for a cheap whore."

"The Whitaker family doesn't need someone like you. Tomorrow, you and Grant are getting a divorce."

"And as for that bastard in your belly, even if you give birth to it, we will never acknowledge it."

I tasted copper in my mouth, swallowed the blood, and looked at her calmly.

"Perfect. I don't want to have Grant's child anyway."

"Tessa, what are you talking about?"

Grant rushed in, sweating profusely, just in time to hear my words. The color drained from his face.

"I won't accept a divorce. That baby is mine."

Margaret snapped, "Who knows whose bastard she's carrying!"

Grant pulled me into his arms, visibly exhaling in relief when he realized Margaret hadn't had me dragged away yet.

Margaret glared at him. Grant's eyes darted around, his lips parting and closing several times.

Watching his hesitation, a tiny, pathetic spark of hope flared in my chest.

Just clear my name. Even now, just tell her the truth.

But in the end, he only said, "I love Tessa. I know it's my child, and I don't care what people outside are saying."

"I will raise the child in her womb as my own."

I froze, staring at him in sheer horror.

For Lila. To protect Lila, my husband had forced me to take the fall for a filthy scandal, and now he was willing to let his own mother believe he was raising another man's bastard.

In that moment, whatever love I had left for this man completely died.