Chapter 3

"Your mother thinks this child is a bastard. He is no longer a Whitaker."

After Margaret stormed out, I shoved Grant's arms away.

He stared at me, his jaw tight. "Tessa, do you hate me that much? You won't even keep our baby?"

"I do," I said, staring dead into his eyes. "I hate you."

A flash of anger crossed his face, and his voice turned ice-cold.

"You are staying in this estate until the baby is born."

He turned and practically fled, as if he couldn't bear to meet my gaze for another second.

From that day on, he locked me up.

He confiscated my phone and ordered the estate's security to watch me around the clock. I wasn't allowed to step foot outside.

A few days into my house arrest, Lila barged in with her mother, Denise, and a few men in tow.

The moment she walked in, she sneered, "Still playing Mrs. Whitaker while carrying some random bastard?"

"My daughter is pregnant with Grant's child. If you know what's good for you, you'll pack up and leave before things get ugly," Denise chimed in.

Lila was pregnant?

I looked at Lila. She avoided my eyes and hurried upstairs.

Denise immediately started barking orders at the maids to clear a room for her daughter.

"My daughter is carrying the heir to Whitaker Holdings. How can she stay in a guest room?"

"Throw all of Tessa's trash out and move Lila into the master bedroom."

The estate staff had already heard the rumors, and Grant hadn't been home in days. Eager to suck up to Denise, they began violently tossing my belongings out of the master suite.

"Stop it!"

The heirloom emerald bracelet my mother gave me hit the marble floor. It shattered into a dozen jagged pieces.

I grabbed a baseball bat from the corner and swung wildly at anyone who came near me.

Denise stumbled back, shrieking curses.

Amidst the chaos, Grant finally arrived.

"What the hell is going on here?"

The maids who had been trying to grab me froze, looking at him in terror.

With red eyes, I walked over to the shattered emerald bracelet and slowly knelt, picking up the broken shards one by one.

"Tessa."

Grant saw the bracelet. He knew it was an heirloom from my mother.

Thinking Grant would side with her, Denise immediately spoke up. "My daughter is pregnant with your child. When are you going to marry her? Kick this cheating slut out already!"

"Shut up!" Grant roared, his eyes bloodshot. "I will never divorce Tessa, and I will never marry Lila!"

Denise tried to argue, but Grant had security drag her out.

He walked over to me, his voice trembling. "I'll get the best jewelers in the city. We'll fix it. Please, Tessa, stop crying."

I looked down at the sharp green fragments cutting into my palm.

"It's broken. You can't fix it."

Grant's face went deathly pale.

"No."

He pulled me into a bone-crushing hug, muttering frantically, "I'm taking Lila to Geneva in a few days. Once this whole thing blows over, we'll go back to the way we were. I promise."

Chapter 3

"Your mother thinks this child is a bastard. He is no longer a Whitaker."

After Margaret stormed out, I shoved Grant's arms away.

He stared at me, his jaw tight. "Tessa, do you hate me that much? You won't even keep our baby?"

"I do," I said, staring dead into his eyes. "I hate you."

A flash of anger crossed his face, and his voice turned ice-cold.

"You are staying in this estate until the baby is born."

He turned and practically fled, as if he couldn't bear to meet my gaze for another second.

From that day on, he locked me up.

He confiscated my phone and ordered the estate's security to watch me around the clock. I wasn't allowed to step foot outside.

A few days into my house arrest, Lila barged in with her mother, Denise, and a few men in tow.

The moment she walked in, she sneered, "Still playing Mrs. Whitaker while carrying some random bastard?"

"My daughter is pregnant with Grant's child. If you know what's good for you, you'll pack up and leave before things get ugly," Denise chimed in.

Lila was pregnant?

I looked at Lila. She avoided my eyes and hurried upstairs.

Denise immediately started barking orders at the maids to clear a room for her daughter.

"My daughter is carrying the heir to Whitaker Holdings. How can she stay in a guest room?"

"Throw all of Tessa's trash out and move Lila into the master bedroom."

The estate staff had already heard the rumors, and Grant hadn't been home in days. Eager to suck up to Denise, they began violently tossing my belongings out of the master suite.

"Stop it!"

The heirloom emerald bracelet my mother gave me hit the marble floor. It shattered into a dozen jagged pieces.

I grabbed a baseball bat from the corner and swung wildly at anyone who came near me.

Denise stumbled back, shrieking curses.

Amidst the chaos, Grant finally arrived.

"What the hell is going on here?"

The maids who had been trying to grab me froze, looking at him in terror.

With red eyes, I walked over to the shattered emerald bracelet and slowly knelt, picking up the broken shards one by one.

"Tessa."

Grant saw the bracelet. He knew it was an heirloom from my mother.

Thinking Grant would side with her, Denise immediately spoke up. "My daughter is pregnant with your child. When are you going to marry her? Kick this cheating slut out already!"

"Shut up!" Grant roared, his eyes bloodshot. "I will never divorce Tessa, and I will never marry Lila!"

Denise tried to argue, but Grant had security drag her out.

He walked over to me, his voice trembling. "I'll get the best jewelers in the city. We'll fix it. Please, Tessa, stop crying."

I looked down at the sharp green fragments cutting into my palm.

"It's broken. You can't fix it."

Grant's face went deathly pale.

"No."

He pulled me into a bone-crushing hug, muttering frantically, "I'm taking Lila to Geneva in a few days. Once this whole thing blows over, we'll go back to the way we were. I promise."