Chapter 3

Meanwhile, Tiffany was busy making her escape.

She barely set foot in the airport before Alexander's men grabbed her and hauled her right back out.

Sher sat on the floor, looking a total mess, her eyes red as she stared up at Alexander, who was sitting in his wheelchair, looking totally out of reach.

"Alexander, why won't you just let me go? All I want is a peaceful life." She choked out.

As she spoke, tears started rolling down her cheeks, one after another.

But Alexander just frowned, gripped her chin, his patience clearly running thin, and said in a chilling voice, "Tiffany, wasn't this whole performance just for me? You think you can use that baby to tie me down?"

Tiffany turned her face away, shooting him a frosty, defiant look. She wouldn't even dignify him with an explanation.

He leaned in, his voice low and menacing right by her ear. "Tiffany, don't forget—I only kept you around because you reminded me of her. But you crossed the line when you laid a hand on her.

"I'm letting it go for the baby's sake, but if you ever try this again, you won't survive my anger!"

Tiffany looked up at him, with panic in her eyes. "These five years... was there ever a moment you loved me?"

Alexander's eyes flickered with a brief moment of surprise, but then he curled his lip in pure disgust. "Are you even worthy of that?"

Tiffany just sat there on the floor, laughing and crying all at once, as if she had finally let go of everything.

He waved his hand, and his bodyguards, trained to the teeth, dragged Tiffany off to be examined.

"How's the baby?" Alexander asked, his voice tight with tension.

His doctor friend, Sean Miller, looked uneasy. "Alex, Ms. Rivers isn't pregnant."

"What did you just say?" Alexander almost rose from his wheelchair, his voice sharp.

Tiffany's eyes flew wide. "Impossible!"

"Ms. Rivers, I'm a doctor. I have ethics, and the results are accurate," Sean said, trying to sound firm.

Sean met her gaze, but quickly looked away, clearly uneasy.

Alexander glared at Tiffany, his expression dark and menacing. "Tiffany, you've really outdone yourself!"

Back then, Alexander was set up by his own family and got into a car accident that left him unable to walk.

Doctors said he'd probably never be able to have kids.

And Tiffany had lied about being pregnant, just to wreck his wedding with Charlotte Summers.

Tiffany'd hit his biggest sore spot. There was no way he'd ever let that slide.

*****

She got locked up in the basement.

Once everyone was gone, I finally slipped out of my pocket dimension.

Before I could rush over to her, tears ready to pour down my face, she did something I never saw coming.

She pulled out a bottle of eye drops and started drenching her eyes like her life depended on it.

"Ugh, this is way too much. I nearly passed out from all this fake crying," she grumbled.

My heart ached for her. "Tiffany, I can't stand watching you go through this for another day. If you want to pull your disappearing act before I do, you have my full support."

Tiffany gave me a sly smile. "Don't worry. It's almost time. The day Alexander ties the knot, that's when I fake my death and vanish."

She added, "Let's see if he likes the little wedding present I've got for him."

*****

A few days later, Tiffany was let out.

It was all because Charlotte pleaded with Alexander to release her.

No kidding—if Tiffany stayed locked up, how could Charlotte possibly stir up any trouble?

When Alexander showed up in the basement, Tiffany and I were munching on potato chips, chatting about which city we should settle down in.

As soon as I heard his wheelchair, I shoved the packet into my pocket and slipped into my pocket dimension.

Alexander glared at her, his face dark and stormy. "Go apologize to Charlotte."

Tiffany looked like a puppet with no soul, forcing a grim smile. "Fine."

A sudden wave of irritation washed over Alexander. He gripped her chin and pulled her close, his voice icy. "You shoved her into the water. She caught a fever. Apologizing is letting you off easy."

Then his gaze dropped to her stomach, a storm brewing in his eyes.

"Tiffany, why did you use the baby to trick me?" he growled, his voice low and dangerous.

Tiffany just stroked her belly and smiled, gentle but distant. "Does it even matter now?"

He didn't bother looking at her again. He spun his wheelchair around and left, his voice as old as ice. "After this, stay out of my sight."

Tiffany let out a soft, bitter laugh, her voice light and distant. "Alexander, as you wish."