I turned to Felicity. 「He loves you so much, and he still won't even give you his name!」
The color drained from Felicity's face. She grabbed Frederick's sleeve, looking wounded.
「Frederick, my baby can't be illegitimate.」
Frederick glared at me. 「Her baby won't be illegitimate. Once we're married, the kid goes under your name. You tell everyone you're the one who gave birth to it.」
「Why the hell would I do that?」
「Gwendolen! Do you still want to marry me or not?!」
「No!」
I shoved Frederick aside and walked out.
The penthouse was his.
After our engagement, I'd all but thrown myself at his doorstep to move in. Pathetic, looking back.
I moved back to my own place.
I lay on the couch, both hands resting over my stomach. Five weeks. Barely anything, and already mine.
Could he accept being born without a father?
Wait. I sat up straight.
If I had this baby in the country, Frederick would find out.
With his resources, getting rid of the child would be nothing to him.
No. I had to leave.
I started packing.
Frederick sent me two messages.
The first: If you won't claim Felicity's baby, we're done.
The second: And remember to go get that abortion!
I didn't reply.
Once I finished packing, I booked the earliest flight I could find.
I didn't care where it went. I just needed to be gone.
The plane landed in France.
I bought a small house there and hired a Chinese housekeeper to take care of my daily needs.
During that time, Frederick sent me countless messages.
Telling me to stop being dramatic and come home.
He said Valentine had found out about Felicity and ordered her to get an abortion.
He said Valentine had thrown him out of the Sanchez estate, and now he and Felicity were renting a place together, barely scraping by.
He said, Gwendolen, how can you be so heartless? Felicity's pregnant and alone, and all I asked was for you to raise one child. Why can't you just agree?
After that last one, I blocked Frederick on his messenger and didn't look back.
Out of sight, out of mind.
The baby was developing well. Nine months later, I gave birth to a healthy boy in France.
I named him Cyril Sullivan.
The moment the baby was born, I came home.
France was beautiful, sure, but nowhere felt as easy as my own city.
I never expected that when I took Cyril in for a checkup,
I'd run into Frederick and Felicity right outside the pediatric wing.
Frederick saw the baby in my arms.
His face twisted with contempt.
「Gwendolen, you actually hid this from me and had the baby!」
「And even if you did, I'm not claiming him!」
I gave him a flat look. 「Frederick, who said this child is yours?」
