I hid out in Paris for over a month.
09.54
My days were a blur of wandering through flower markets, eating pastries, and obsessively scrolling through entertainment news from back home. I was terrified of seeing a headline about Teddy and his actress girlfriend, Chloe, breaking up. No matter the reason, it wouldn’t be good
for me.
Then, the news broke. Paparazzi had spotted Chloe shopping at a high–end jewelry store with the eldest son of the Song family—Teddy’s fam ly. The headlines screamed that a wedding was imminent, that Chloe’s dream of marrying into a wealthy dynasty was about to come true.
Though the photos were taken from a distance, you could clearly see them looking at diamond rings.
A weight I didn’t even know I was carrying lifted from my shoulders. I booked a flight home.
I hadn’t been feeling well lately–no appetite, constantly tired. The day after I landed, I went to the hospital.
After a series of tests, the doctor’s words hit me like a physical blow.
“You’re four weeks pregnant. Do you want to keep it?”
The world spun, a roaring in my ears. I don’t even remember walking out of the doctor’s office, the pregnancy report clutched in my hand. Every step felt like I was walking on clouds.
I’distinctly remember taking the morning–after pill the day I arrived in Paris.
“Cara?”
A familiar voice. I looked up and saw Max and Ava, hands linked, looking cozy.
Ava approached me, her voice dripping with faux concern. “Cara, are you not feeling well? Why are you at the hospital all by yourself?” She leaned into Max. “I told Max I’d be fine coming alone, but he insisted on being here with me.”
This was classic Ava. A soft tone, a casually cruel remark, all designed to make me lose my temper.
But now that I didn’t love Max anymore, her words didn’t sting. They were just… annoying.
“I’m sure he has to help you pee at home too, since you’re so helpless,” I said flatly.
One sentence, and the battle was over. Ava’s eyes filled with tears. Her gaze dropped to the paper in my hand.
“You’re… pregnant?!”
Tears streamed down her pale cheeks. Max, who had been silent until now, stepped in front of her protectively.
His brow furrowed, his expression cold as ice. “Deal with it. Don’t make a scene.”
I shot him a chilling glance. “It’s not yours.”
Max’s face darkened, a storm brewing in his eyes.
I didn’t have the energy to decipher his moods anymore. I walked past them and left.
By the time I reached the parking garage, Max had caught up to me, his hand clamping around my wrist.
“I didn’t want to upset Ava back there,” he said, his voice low. “Keep the baby. I’ll forget about everything that’s happened.”
He was just saying whatever he wanted, his tone one of magnanimous charity.
was laughable.
“Mr. Cole, do you have a problem with comprehension?”
“The baby is not yours.”
I wrenched my arm free, done with this conversation.
8
09:54
Chapter 2
09:54 00
“Not mine? Don’t tell me you’ve been seeing someone else.” Max’s smile was thin, his voice laced with disbelief.
He couldn’t imagine me with another man. All those years of my unconditional tolerance and endless patience had been the bedrock of his confidence, his superiority.
Today, I was shattering that foundation with my own hands, and I had to admit, there was a strange thrill in it.
“Mr. Cole, it says I’m four weeks along. Do the math. Could it possibly be yours?” I smirked, holding the report right up to his face
The moment he saw it, the smug smile froze on his lips. He snatched the paper from my hand, his eyes scanning it over and over, his face com torting with rage.
He ripped the report to shreds.
“Whose is it?!” he roared. “Cara! How dare you cheat on me! When did this start?! How long have you been with him?!”
The sudden revelation of my infidelity had thrown him completely off balance. He was shouting at me in the middle of the parking garage, losing all his composure. In his world, I was the loyal dog who would never stray. The fact that my night with Teddy happened after we had called things off was irrelevant. To him, it was the ultimate betrayal.
“Not long,” I said calmly. “But it was enough to make up for my seven years with you.”
“Now I finally know what it feels like to be truly wanted…”
“It was… pure bliss. Body and soul.”
Because I had loved him, I knew exactly how to hurt him.
I delivered the final words with a light, airy tone.
The color drained from Max’s face. He had never looked so lost, so defeated. He just stood there, stunned into silence.
He didn’t move until I had already driven away.
Watching his forlorn figure shrink in my rearview mirror, I didn’t feel triumph or sadness.
Just a strange emptiness, a space hollowed out where something used to be.
The seven years were well and truly over. The feeling was… indescribable.
9
I had just pulled out of the parking garage and rounded a corner when a sports car screeched to a halt in front of me, blocking my path.
Teddy got out and strode towards my car.
He leaned down and pulled open my driver–side door, his tall frame radiating an intense, intimidating energy.
His face was a mask of stone. “So it’s not his,” he said, his voice a low growl.
“Which means it’s mine?”
“You were planning on running away with my baby?”
“Cara, you really know how to play the game.”
He knew?!
I fought down a wave of panic and went on the offensive. “Are you following me?!”
How else could he have known what I said to Max?
“I followed you to Paris for a month. You’re only just noticing now?”
What?!!
