Chapter 2

But somehow, when the news reached Andrew, he totally misinterpreted it.

When he heard I was carefully planning a party, he was sure I wanted to patch things up with him.

He tried to reach out to me several times, but I just blocked him without a second thought.

He even thought I was playing hard to get, telling everyone I really knew how to play the game.

Every time my friends recounted the story, I just scoffed coldly.

One day, while I was making a formula for my son, my stomach suddenly twisted uncomfortably.

I dashed into the bathroom, and when I came out, I was holding a pregnancy test showing two lines.

After telling Alexander, I drove to the mall to buy baby clothes. I didn't expect to run into Andrew there.

"Isabelle," Andrew called out.

I turned around and saw Andrew standing not far away, his eyes locked onto the baby clothes in my hands.

He had that look like he'd just proven himself right, and there was even a hint of satisfaction on his face.

"Already buying baby clothes before we're even married? Didn't know you were so ready to have my baby," Andrew said.

Then his tone changed, and he looked genuinely awkward.

"But you're jumping the gun. Charlotte wants her own biological child, but she's afraid of the pain, so you'll have to be the one to carry the first baby through IVF," Andrew said.

I was about to shut down his delusions when I heard a sharp, familiar female voice.

"Well, look who it is. Isabelle, you really are something else!" Charlotte said.

Charlotte had a mean smirk on her face, her eyes lingering on my stomach with a nasty look.

"So, some random guy got you pregnant and now you can't find anyone to play daddy, so you came crawling back to Andrew?" Charlotte sneered.

She snuggled up to Andrew's arm, her voice sickly sweet.

"Andrew, don't let her fool you! My friend saw her waltzing into the women's clinic yesterday. God knows who knocked her up," Charlotte sniped.

If I'd known I'd run into these two walking disasters today, I would've brought my bodyguard.

"You're just too nice for your own good, Andrew, still hung up on her. Who knows how wild she's been these past three years?" Charlotte sneered.

"Charlotte, shut up!" I snapped, my voice sharp with warning. "You'd better watch your mouth. I'm letting it slide today, but if it were the Grants, you wouldn't be walking out of here in one piece."

Andrew was momentarily stunned, his expression shifting from shock to something much darker and grim.

He jerked his arm free from Charlotte, staring hard at my belly.

"Is what she said... true?" Andrew asked, his voice laced with humiliation. "Are you really carrying another man's baby?"

I looked at the fury burning in his eyes, and honestly, the irony was almost laughable.

What gave him the right to look at me like I was the one who did him wrong?

"Andrew, my life is none of your business," I said coldly.

"None of my business?" he snapped, his anger boiling over. He grabbed my wrist so hard it felt like he was trying to break my bones.

"Isabelle! I swallowed my pride and came back to marry you, and what do you do? You act like you want to get back together, but you're carrying some bastard's baby. What am I to you?" Andrew shouted.

I struggled hard, but he wouldn't let go. "Let go of me. Andrew, you have no right to ask about my child!" I snapped.

"No right?" he sneered, his eyes a little crazy. "Fine, that's just perfect! Isabelle, you think I'd ever let you have that bastard? Dream on."

He dragged me out with brute force, while Charlotte's face twisted with malice. "Perfect timing. I've been stuck on my rose piece lately. Maybe sacrificing this little brat will finally spark some inspiration."

Realizing they wanted to hurt my baby, I clung desperately to the door handle and shouted, "Andrew, I'm with Alexander Grant now! If you touch me, he'll make you regret it."

Andrew paused, then gave a mocking laugh. "Alexander Grant? Seriously?"

He scoffed, squeezing my wrist even harder. "Isabelle, you'll make up any lie just to keep that bastard, huh?"

"Who do you think Alexander Grant is? He's the king of Southvale. You really think he'd want the leftovers I tossed aside? Keep dreaming!" Andrew sneered.

His eyes were full of contempt, clearly thinking I was just throwing out Alexander's name to scare him. "Move! We're going to the hospital right now. That kid's not coming into this world!"

Andrew snapped, losing all pretense of patience as he practically dragged me toward the mall exit.

People nearby stopped in their tracks, gawking and gossiping, shooting us curious looks and whispering behind their hands.

I knew trying to go toe-to-toe with him right now would only make things worse for me.

I shoved down the terror and forced myself to keep it together.

"Andrew!" My voice shook. "Let go of me. Even if you don't buy it, do you really want to bet on what Alexander will do if he finds out?"

He froze, his eyes cold and dangerous as he stared me down, clearly thinking it over.

I let out a silent sigh of relief.

Seizing his moment of hesitation, I softened my voice, adding a touch of compromise. "I'll go with you. But you're hurting my hand. Let go, I'll walk on my own," I said, trying to sound reasonable.

First, I had to keep him steady if I wanted a shot at escaping.