William Robinson sat relaxed on a gray sofa in an outdoor-themed café with a monochrome ambiance, occasionally sipping champagne while enjoying the view of the surrounding skyscrapers.
"William..."
A woman's voice caught his attention.
"Clara!" He immediately stood up after placing the elegant glass on the table and welcomed his cousin with a warm hug. "Finally, I get to see you!"
"Yeah... I miss you so much!"
William released the hug and looked at Clara, who seemed so cheerful, but his attention was drawn to her slightly swollen belly.
"Sorry for making you wait," Clara said as she sat down, followed by William. "There was so much I had to do today... It was exhausting but also fun," she continued, placing her bag on the table and running her fingers through her hair.
"Clara... Is this real?" William asked.
"What?" Clara frowned. "What do you mean?" She gave a forced smile.
"Are you pregnant?"
"Oh..."
"How could you?"
"Um..." Clara quickly turned her face away and touched her stomach. "I don't think it's wrong to be pregnant... I have a husband, anyway..." She looked back at William and smiled awkwardly.
"I know that, but..." William shook his head. "I know your relationship with Greyson isn't that good... I mean... You two always seem awkward together, I can tell. I can't imagine how you could even..."
"William..." Clara sighed. "We haven't seen each other for a long time, you've been in London for too long... and that means there are many things you don't know about me and my husband. Everything has changed." She explained, though it was, of course, a lie!
William remained silent and nodded.
"I realized that Greyson is a good husband to me. I won't make him regret marrying me... I have no reason not to like him. I'm trying to open my heart... And everything started to feel right until..." She shrugged and smiled. "We're going to have a baby."
"That's amazing," William murmured, though his eyes still showed doubt.
"Yes, I've never felt this good," Clara replied with a laugh, then glanced at the table. "Ah, damn, you got my favorite champagne!"
"Oh, sorry!" William quickly pushed the champagne bottle aside. "I didn't know you were avoiding alcohol now..."
"It's okay, I should've told you earlier."
"Well, sometimes happy moments make people forget about little things."
"How can you say that?" Clara asked, frowning.
William just smirked and tilted his head for a moment.
"You're important to me, I love you like my brother!" Clara emphasized, patting William's shoulder. "Don't say that again, I don't like it!"
"You're so mad..." William gave a faint smile, glancing at Clara, who was pouting. "It seems like pregnancy hormones are making you really sensitive. You need some fun..."
"What are you going to do to make me happy?"
"I don't know, but..." William pulled out his phone from his gray jacket. "But first, we have to take a photo. My Instagram hasn't had a picture of a woman in a long time."
"You're so narcissistic!"
"And this narcissist is your cousin..."
With reluctance and a fake smile, Clara took several photos with William and let him post them on social media.
At the Apartment
Alexis woke up and glanced around the silent room, then sat up, hugging herself with only a white blanket wrapped around her.
"Greyson? Where are you?"
She slowly sat up with her feet resting on the floor, then her attention shifted to her phone on the table near the bed. She picked it up and saw that it was already 8 PM, along with several unread messages from her father and Serena.
Daddy
Sweetheart, how are you? Have you been so busy lately that you haven't had time to visit me?
I hope you can make time to come tomorrow; there's a lot we need to talk about.
She sighed and quickly replied. Then, she switched to Serena's message.
Serena
It looks like the boss is really angry.
I'm sure he won't stay quiet after finding out you're pregnant.
You have to be careful, don't go to the office until you're really ready to face him.
"Oh my God..." She frowned, thinking about the situation at the office. "What if the other employees find out that I'm pregnant, but I don't have a husband or a boyfriend..."
Confused and anxious, she lay back down and decided to open social media, but her attention was immediately caught by a gossip page's post showing William and Clara at a café.
Breaking news!!! After disappearing from the public eye for a long time, Clara Everett was spotted hanging out at a café with none other than William. But what's even more shocking is William's caption: 'Long time no see, this beautiful lady now has a baby bump. I never expected her to become a mother soon! Maybe she should start learning how to change diapers, lol.'
From that caption, it's confirmed that Clara is pregnant from her marriage to the renowned real estate businessman, Greyson Whitmore…
Unable to finish reading the post, Alexis threw her phone onto the bed, her breath quickening, her face filled with panic.
"He... Is this the reason he can't divorce her? She's carrying his child... But how? He always said their marriage was cold, like a friendship... that they never even had sex..."
"Hey..."
A voice from the door startled her, revealing Greyson standing there, holding a plate of food and a cup of tea.
"I thought you hadn't had dinner yet," Greyson said as he sat at the edge of the bed, looking at Alexis, who seemed uncomfortable. "What happened? Are you in pain?" He quickly placed the food and tea on the table.
He held her arm, looking at her with concern. "Honey..."
"I'm fine..." Alexis brushed his hand away and stood up. "I think you should leave now."
"What?" Greyson frowned.
"Clara will be wondering where you are."
"Why would you think that?" He looked at her in confusion as she walked toward the dressing room. "Honey... What's wrong with you?" He quickly followed her.
She hurriedly shut the door and locked it, then leaned against it, slowly sitting on the floor. Tears welled up in her eyes as she sobbed, remembering the beautiful moments they shared. She had trusted him, but behind it all, there was a wife who had to suffer.
"I'm so stupid!" she cried, clenching her fists. "How could I be this cruel? I can't force him to divorce Clara… Clara needs him, and even..."
She took a deep breath, swallowing hard as she stared straight ahead. "Why should I keep being with him when he has a family that he doesn't actually want to leave? I'd be so selfish if I demanded that he stay with me after everything he's already given me."
"Alexis... Open the door!"
She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, wiping away her tears. She stood up, opened the door, and immediately turned toward the bathroom.
"You're acting strange," Greyson said, following Alexis.
"It's okay, I'm just tired," Alexis replied as she kept walking. "And actually, I need to see my father."
"This late?"
"Yeah... He texted me."
"Why not go tomorrow?" Greyson stopped at the bathroom doorway.
Alexis turned to Greyson while placing the blanket in a laundry basket. "Do you think I should spend time with you instead? That means I should prioritize you over my father..."
"Baby, it's not like that!" Greyson shook his head, stepping closer to her with a pleading look. "I just don't want you to go out because it's already late..." he murmured, then gently touched her belly.
"And you're pregnant now. I don't want you to be too exhausted," he continued softly.
She took a deep breath, silent, staring into his eyes.
"Go tomorrow instead, I'll take you." He persuaded her.
"Alright..."
"Good girl..." Greyson smiled, then kissed her forehead and hugged her.
She remained still, feeling his warmth as her hands instinctively stroked his back, but slowly, tears welled up in her eyes.