Chapter 4

I knew Edward would come looking for me.

The video had blown up out of nowhere, and with a kid involved, there was no way he wouldn't want answers.

What I didn't expect was for him to show up so fast.

By the time I got to my building, he was already waiting there.

Through the night, that tall silhouette was just like five years ago.

Back then, whenever Edward saw me, he would always open his arms, ready for me to jump into them.

But now, he just stood there, so distant that I didn't dare to approach.

Nancy looked worried and gently tugged at my arm as I got out of the car.

I turned back with a smile. I said, "It's fine. If he wanted to do something crazy, he wouldn't need to get his hands dirty."

"Yeah, true," Nancy sighed, then reminded me to talk things out with Edward. "You've survived the worst already. Things are finally getting better, so don't go complicating things for yourself again."

I nodded with a smile.

Once they were gone, I made my way toward Edward.

I walked calmly, as if I were just meeting an old friend.

But only I knew that in those last two steps, my heart sped up uncontrollably.

After all, I had once loved him with all my heart.

I loved him so much that when the fire broke out, and he abandoned me in a heartbeat for Charlotte, I nearly lost the will to survive.

Edward knew why I ended things with him.

But he never said a single word to defend himself.

Because I dumped him in front of everyone and made him lose face, he let me endure years of public scorn and ridicule.

Who was I to fight back? He had money and influence.

Even though I knew who was really to blame, I still ended up being the first to speak. I said, "Mr. Sinclair."

Edward frowned, his voice dropping. He said, "I'd rather you call me Edward, like you always did."

I used to call out to him all the time.

"Edward, rehearsal's over. Let's grab dinner."

"Edward, you've been away for a week. When are you coming back?"

"Edward, I miss you so much."

Even after five years, I could still remember exactly how I used to whine and tell him how much I missed him.

A wave of regret I shouldn't have felt crept up inside me. I shook my head and said, "Ms. White said you two are about to get married. It's not really my place to call you by your name anymore. Congratulations."

Edward raised an eyebrow, asking, "Do you really think I can still get married after all this?"

Even if Charlotte was still willing to marry him and take on the whole stepmom thing, her family still cared a lot about their reputation. There was no way they would agree to it now.

Guess I ruined things for him again.

"I'm sorry," I quickly apologized.

"Where's the kid?" Edward finally asked.

He finally brought up the real reason for tonight, the child who was suddenly revealed, but whom no one had ever actually seen.

His tone grew much heavier, a clear edge in his voice. He asked, "Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?"

I didn't even know myself at first.

By the time I realized, we had already broken up.

"I didn't want the baby to mess things up between you and Ms. White," I said.

Edward scoffed, his voice icy. He said, "You hid it for five years, and look how it blew up anyway. Did keeping it secret really make the fallout any less?"

"I'm sorry," I murmured.

For a moment, I was at a loss; those words were all I could manage.

Back when I first started dating Edward, someone told me he was into girls who always played nice.

But playing the good girl just wasn't me.

I was young then, thought falling in love meant it would last forever.

Who could keep up an act forever, anyway?

So with Edward, I would get a little moody or stubborn sometimes.

He wasn't the type to sweet-talk me or fuss over my moods, but he never made a big deal out of it.

Once I had my little outburst, I would be back to normal.

Back then, I was full of life, passionate and unfiltered, not like the person Edward saw now, smoothed-over, holding back, nothing genuine left.

Edward asked again, "Where's the kid?"

"There is no kid," I replied.

From the moment I learned I was pregnant, I never thought about keeping the baby.

A man who didn't love me would never care about our child either.

And I never wanted to be a single mom.

So I had it taken care of.

For a moment, something sparked in Edward's eyes, breaking through all that darkness and finally showing me the emotions he had been hiding.

He actually cared about the unborn baby.

I never thought he would care.

Was it because he cared about his own kid?

Or maybe, just maybe, he really did love me, even a little?