Chapter 237

If Lily had known what was inside that box, she would never have risked bringing it back.

Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.

Now, returning it unnoticed seemed impossible.

She'd probably lost all access to her worthless father's house forever.

Fine. She'd just stash it beneath her bed.

Just a stupid CD and some random paper—nothing worth fretting over.

By the time Dominic stepped into the bedroom after putting the laptop away, Lily was already fast asleep.

In the adjacent room, Evelyn lay wide awake.

Maybe it was because she'd slept too much earlier that she couldn't drift off now.

Insomnia always made her thoughts spiral.

Right now, her mind was consumed by Dominic.

His sharp jawline, the way his eyes darkened when he was serious, even the warmth of his hands—all of it haunted her.

If he hadn't found her that night, she'd either be dead or fighting for her life in the ICU.

So much to say, yet no right to speak any of it.

Dominic wasn't hers anymore.

Sophia held his heart, and Zoe clung to his side.

Evelyn? Just an ex-wife.

No rewinding their story now.

Tears burned down her cheeks as she squeezed her eyes shut, forcing the memories away.

Perfect lives didn't exist.

She had Henry and Lily. She had her company.

More blessings than most could claim.

Greed had no place here.

Three days later, Zoe realized her period was late.

A full week.

Alarm spiked—her cycle never faltered.

She rushed to a pharmacy at dawn, grabbing a pregnancy test.

Bypassing home, she ducked into a public restroom.

Fifteen minutes later, she stumbled out, face bloodless, fingers clawing the wall for support.

Pregnant.

She was actually pregnant.

One reckless night with Julian at that hotel, and this happened.

Her teeth sank into her lower lip until it bruised purple.

Violent tremors wracked her body.

Why was fate this cruel?

She was meant to be Mrs. Dominic Blackwood, not shackled to Julian!

Of all men, why did it have to be Julian's child?

Her nails carved half-moons into her palms, but the physical pain barely registered.

This was a knife twisting in her chest.

She found a secluded spot and dialed Julian.

He answered after several rings, voice thick with sleep.

"Yes, Dr. Montgomery?"

"I'll murder you, Julian Whitmore!" she seethed. "Get here now. Ten minutes. One second late, and I'll strangle you myself!"

Julian bolted upright, sheets damp with cold sweat.

"Dr. Montgomery, what—"

The line went dead.

Zoe collapsed against the wall, silent sobs shaking her shoulders.

Dominic could never find out.

She had to stay with him.

She'd abandoned her career abroad for him.

Everyone envied her as Dominic Blackwood's girlfriend.

This child couldn't ruin everything.

But fertility had always been fragile for her. An abortion might mean no second chances.