My hand tightened around the phone as I hung up. When I turned around, I met Leo’s slightly nervous gaze, and my chest tightened with a mix of bitterness and pain.
“It was a friend,” I said. “He’s about to become a father… Do you want to be a father?”
Leo visibly relaxed. He stepped forward and pulled me into a deep embrace.
“It’s okay,” he said gently. “I’m not in a hurry.”
A bitter taste spread through my mouth.
He’s not in a hurry? If he wasn’t, why was he so eager to get Ariel pregnant?
The affection in Leo’s eyes looked the same as always, warm and sincere.
“Life is better with just the two of us anyway,” he continued. “I’ve bought tickets for us to go on a cruise three days from now. Let’s travel around the world together, okay?”
The itinerary he described was tempting. However, in three days, I would be leaving him.
I gently pushed him away, suppressing the ache in my chest as I asked, “Leo… what if I gave you a child?”
My hand unconsciously rested against my lower abdomen. This unexpected pregnancy had caught me completely unprepared. Even though I had decided to leave, I didn’t want to lie about the child’s existence. Leo was the father. He had the right to know.
Instead, he fell silent, and that hesitation sent a chill straight through me.
“Fawn,” he said, “we’re still young. Let’s talk about children later.”
I felt a jolt in my heart. It took a long moment before I forced out a quiet response.
“Okay.”
Since the child was not wanted by its father, there was no reason for me to reveal its existence. I would leave with it. Even without a father, it would still be the most precious thing in my life.
Leo clearly let out a sigh of relief. Thinking we had reached an understanding, he happily took out an exquisite diamond necklace.
“The moment I saw this at the auction, I knew it belonged to you,” he said.
He looked at me tenderly and fastened the necklace around my neck with his own hands. Just as his lips were about to brush my cheek, the bedroom door was suddenly shoved open.
Ariel stood in the doorway, one hand supporting her pregnant belly. Her face was pale, and when her gaze landed on us, her body swayed weakly, as if she were about to faint.
Leo’s expression changed instantly. He strode over and pulled her into his arms, while I was caught off guard and knocked to the ground, my knee slamming hard against the edge of the table. Tears spilled out from the pain. However, Leo’s attention was entirely on Ariel. He didn’t even spare me a glance.
“You’re pregnant. How could you run around like this?” he scolded Ariel. “What if something happened to the baby?”
He guarded her carefully, the tenderness in his eyes stabbing straight into mine, making it hard for me to breathe.
Ariel clutched his collar tightly as she nestled against him, her voice trembling with tears. “I was scared all alone in the room…”
Leo soothed her, then turned to me with a helpless expression.
“Fawn, you know how important this pregnancy is. Nothing can happen to the baby. I’ll get her settled and come right back.”
I stayed silent for a moment, then nodded obediently.
His gaze softened even more, and his voice grew gentle. “Get some rest. I’ll be back to keep you company once I’ve taken care of Ariel.”
With that, he supported Ariel and hurried away. At the very last moment, Ariel turned her head and shot me a provocative glance. Stealing my husband seemed to bring her great pleasure.
Without realizing it, my feet followed after them. Perhaps, unless I saw Leo’s betrayal with my own eyes, I wouldn’t be able to leave him once and for all.
