Chapter 2

I could only hate myself for taking the easy way out back then. I made up my personal info, half real, half fake.

The company and my name were legit, but my contact details had been changed ages ago. I thought I'd never see him again in this lifetime, but the world really was tiny.

We'd just turned around, barely taken two steps, when the exam room door clicked open behind us.

A well-defined hand, sporting a metal watch, snagged the back of my collar with uncanny precision.

I froze, like someone had hit the pause button on my life.

A voice, both familiar and strange, came from above me, cool and tinged with amusement. "Miss Reed, right?"

I turned around mechanically and met a pair of familiar eyes.

But those eyes that used to always smile at me were now as cold as a frozen lake.

Ethan was dressed in a perfectly pressed white coat, a stethoscope hanging from his neck, and my medical file in his hand.

He was so tall, I had to tilt my head up just to catch his expression.

And he showed no emotion. He glanced at me indifferently, then looked at Lily standing beside me, and finally, his gaze lingered on my flat stomach.

Ethan's gaze felt like a surgeon's scalpel. It was so precise and sharp that he could slice me open and expose every secret I had.

Ethan said calmly, "Your appointment was ten minutes ago. Since you're here, just come in."

With that, he released my collar and walked back into the exam room, leaving behind nothing but his cold, indifferent back.

Lily and I exchanged a glance, and in each other's eyes, we both saw the same message: "There's no way out of this."

Lily and I shuffled into the exam room like two lambs being led to the slaughter.

Ethan sat behind his desk, fingers laced together and resting casually on the surface. He didn't even look at me, just kept typing away at his computer, all business.

"Name, Angela Reed. Age, twenty-six," he said without looking up. "When was your last period?"

My mind went completely blank, and I just stammered, unable to answer.

Lily, quick as ever, jumped in and gave the date for me.

Ethan's fingers paused on the keyboard for a split second, then he kept typing.

He asked again, "Any allergies? Any family history of genetic diseases? Have you taken any special medications recently?"

He fired off the questions one after another, all business and coolly professional, like we were just strangers.

But the more detached he was, the more nervous I got.

I could sense that beneath that calm surface, there was a volcano about to erupt.

I kept my head down the whole time, feeling like a kid who'd just gotten in trouble. I answered every question he asked, one by one.

Lily stood behind me, her hand gripping my arm tightly, giving me the strength to get through it.

After he finished all the routine questions, the exam room was swallowed by an awkward silence.

The only sounds were the clacking of the keyboard and the hum of the printer kicking in.

Ethan printed out a form, stood up, and handed it to me. "Go get all these tests done. Ultrasound, routine blood test, HCG... Don't miss a single one."

I reached out to take the form, and my fingertips accidentally brushed against Ethan's hand.

His hand was cold, almost like smooth stone. I jerked my hand back like I'd been shocked.

His lips twitched for a split second, so fast I almost thought I'd imagined it.

"Take it," Ethan said, pushing the form into my hand, his voice low. "Come back when you're finished."

I clutched that thin piece of paper, feeling like it weighed a ton.

"Mr. Lewis," I finally managed, forcing myself to look up, "is it possible for me to switch to a different doctor?"

Ethan lifted his gaze from the file and locked eyes with me. He stared at me for a full ten seconds.

Those ten seconds felt like I was being judged and dissected, piece by piece.

Then, Ethan gave a tiny smile. It was so subtle, it barely counted as a smile, just a slight twitch at the corner of his lips.

"Sure," he said.

A rush of joy shot through me.

"But," he added, his tone shifting, "Miss Reed, you booked an appointment with me.

"Unless you have a special reason, no other doctor will take over your case. That's hospital policy."

Ethan paused, leaned forward a bit, hands pressed against the desk, and the whole room seemed to fill with his intense pressure.

"Of course, you can always tell me what your 'special reason' is," Ethan said, putting extra emphasis on those words.

He had me completely cornered. I couldn't get a single word out, and my face flushed bright red.

Seriously, what excuse could I possibly come up with?

Was I supposed to just say it to his face: "Because you're the father of the baby in my belly, and I never intended for you to ever find out."?'

"If you don't have a reason," Ethan said, straightening up and going right back to being icy and aloof, "then hurry up and get your tests done. My time is precious."

I practically bolted out of the exam room, like I was running for my life.