Chapter 7

The color drained from Ciara's face, but she recovered quickly.

She even walked over calmly and asked, "What are you doing at the hospital? Are you feeling unwell?"

It took everything in me to hold back the urge to slap her.

I said, "I'm fine. Just visiting a friend."

I smiled. "What about you? What are you doing here?"

Ciara let out a breath, but something unnatural flickered in her eyes. She glanced away, then back. "Visiting a friend too."

I looked at her face, the way she could lie without so much as a blink, and only one thought ran through my head. 'How could she act so well?'

'But I couldn't be bothered to call her out anymore. And so what if I did? Would she admit the child was hers and Neil's? Or would she snap at me for being paranoid?'

"Well, don't let me keep you." That was all I said before I turned and walked away.

Ciara stood there, watching me leave.

She wanted to call out to me, but her mouth opened and nothing came out.

That evening, Ciara came home with a vintage watch from an auction. "The moment I saw it, I knew it would look perfect on you."

She put it on my wrist herself, her voice as tender as if nothing had happened.

I looked down at the watch on my wrist.

How could I not know this was her guilty conscience talking, that she was doing everything she could to make it up to me?

I smiled the way I always did. "Thank you."

Ciara relaxed and reached out to hug me.

I let her, but when she tried to go further, I said I was tired and went to the guest room.

The moment I closed the door, I took the watch off and dropped it straight into the trash.

That night, I got a message from an unknown number: [Here, take a look at our baby's heartbeat. The doctor says he's perfectly healthy.]

Attached was an ultrasound image, a blurry little outline in the middle.

I stared at the picture for a long time.

My fingers were shaking, my chest was on fire, but I had no tears left.

I couldn't cry for Ciara anymore.

I opened Vivian's chat window.

Sean: [Still need someone for that vacation?]

The reply came in less than three seconds: [Larkhaven or Rosevale?]

Sean: [Rosevale.]

In the days before we left, I was like a different person.

Vivian sent over a brooch, and to match it, I even had a whole line of luxury boutiques send their latest pieces to the house for me to choose from.

Ciara walked in right in the middle of it.

The living room was covered in racks of clothes, shoes, and watches. I was standing in front of the mirror in a deep-V suit, nothing like my usual style, studying my profile in the glass.

Something suddenly felt off to her.

I had never gone to this kind of trouble to dress myself up before.

She stood by the doorway, watching me change from one outfit to another.

Every piece looked good, but the unease inside her kept growing.

Finally she came over and asked softly, "Have you been hiding something from me lately?"

I glanced at her in the mirror and shook my head. "No. I just think we should be better to each other."

My tone was so natural, so calm.

But it didn't put Ciara's doubts to rest. If anything, it left her more confused.

She could vaguely sense that something had changed, but she couldn't put her finger on what.

She stood there, watching me smile at myself in the mirror. It was a beautiful smile.

The day before we left, it was my birthday.

Ciara made a point of coming home to spend it with me. Cake, candles, red wine. Everything was the same as every other year.

But I had barely blown out the candles when her phone buzzed.

She glanced down, her expression shifting slightly, and stood up. "I'm sorry, Sean. Something's come up at the office. I promise I'll make it up to you next time."

I looked at her and nodded. "Okay."

The moment the door closed, I sat there in the candlelight, not moving.

I looked at the cake, still uncut, and let out a small laugh.

Then I stood up and walked out too.

My car followed Ciara's.

Of course she didn't go to the office. She went to the building where Neil's luxury apartment was.

From a distance, I watched her get out, get back in with Neil, and drive off in the direction of the hospital.

I didn't follow anymore.

I only said it silently to myself.

I told myself, "Ciara, we're done."

*****

Meanwhile, Ciara took Neil to the hospital.

Then she personally flew with him to Havenport.

Once they were there, she spent several more days playing tourist with him around Havenport.

Neil laughed easily, and watching him, Ciara felt her own mood lift.

While she went with him through the luxury boutiques, the salesclerks kept up a steady stream of flattery. "Ma'am, you're so lucky. Your husband's so handsome, and you love him so much."

Ciara only smiled and didn't answer.

She was lucky.

A gentle, easygoing husband who understood her; a young lover who was obedient and knew his place.

As for the baby, she would never let Sean find out about it.

She was still lost in thought when Neil suddenly shouted, "Ciara. Look, Vivian actually has a boyfriend."

Ciara frowned and looked at his phone.

The top trending post read: [Vivian's Mystery Boyfriend Exposed.]

The photo was clearly a candid shot. Aside from the deep V-neck suit the man was wearing, you couldn't make out his face at all.

Ciara clicked her tongue.

She'd never really liked Vivian, but Vivian had brought profit to the Shaw Group, so she couldn't very well interfere.

Now, though, she finally had a reason to make Sean break the contract.

She practically couldn't wait to call me, but no one picked up.

Several calls, all the same.

For no reason she could name, Ciara started to feel uneasy.

After a few minutes, she started making video calls, over and over.

After who knew how many attempts, I finally picked up.

"Something you need?" My voice was flat.

I turned the camera to the side, keeping it on my face only.

Ciara was about to speak when she suddenly froze.

The camera shifted slightly.

The deep V-neck suit I was wearing stood out sharply.

That suit was identical to the one on Vivian's "mystery boyfriend" in the trending photo.