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Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Nineteen
Vanessa’s POV
I clutched the pregnancy test in my hand, its two red lines plunging my heart into a pit of despair. I was pregnant, This was what I had desperately wanted.
People always warn: be careful what you wish for.
I slid to the cool tiles of the bathroom floor.
Memories of the past months flashed through my mind. Damien had hardly touched me since his divorce. In those rare moments when he gave in to desire, I could still feel his coldness and rejection. I felt lonelier and more sexually frustrated when he was done.
In a moment of reckless vengeance and need, I’d hired a male escort.
I spent that night satisfying my craving and filling the emptiness with the most skilled escort Damien’s money could buy. But I hadn’t used protection.
Those two red lines glared at me.
Was the child Damien’s like I had planned?
The uncertainty left my head spinning. If he discovered my infidelity, he wouldn’t forgive me, and I’d be left raising a child alone without his money.
It was a disaster. I only wanted this child to tie him down.
I was pushing myself off the floor when my phone rang. It was so late. It must be Damien letting me know he’d be home soon. I wasn’t prepared to face him yet, but he’d be angry if I didn’t pick up.
I blew out my cheeks in frustration.
But when I fetched my phone from the counter, it was Celeste’s name on the screen.
The mortification and fury I’d felt at the reunion came flooding in. This nosey bitch had ruined my reputation and turned the entire jewelry industry against me. I even had a pending disciplinary hearing at our college.
My ringtone continued playing as I hesitated.
There was no reason to hide. I was better than her in every way.
I accepted the call.
“Hello, Vanessa.” Her voice was clipped. “Come pick up your man.”
“Excuse me?”
Was this pathetic woman seriously giving me orders?
“Damien came to disturb me, drunk out of his mind, and is currently lying unconscious on my mother’s lawn.” Celeste said matter–of–factly. “Personally, I don’t care if he spends the night outside, but I don’t want him waking up and bothering me.”
My mouth fell open.
“Come fetch him, or I’ll have to call the police.”
“No, don’t.” I said in a rush.
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Chapter Nineteen
Damien would kill me if I let him spend the night at the police station. He’d never forgive me for damaging his reputation as a respectable and successful CEO–and I didn’t want my status to drop, either.
I spat between my teeth. “I’m coming.”
“Wise choice.” She said, and I could hear her smirk. “You remember where my mother lives? Be here in twenty minutes or I’ll report him.”
Celeste ended the call, and I hurried out of the bathroom.
I threw a coat over my nightgown and slipped on a pair of sneakers before running downstairs. Grabbing the car keys, I shut the front door and raced down the driveway. The car was pulling off when I slammed on brakes.
I had forgotten about Bonnie.
I checked my phone. There were only fifteen minutes left, and the drive was at least that long. My eyes darted between the house and the time.
Fuck it.
The engine roared as I sped down the street. Bonnie was fast asleep. She wouldn’t even notice I was gone.
The tires screeched as I stopped the car in Celeste’s mother’s driveway. Claire had never liked me and wasn’t shy about it. I hoped she was sleeping.
I threw open the door and rushed out. My eyes popped out of my head when I saw Damien lying on the grass like a piece of trash.
How dare that jealous slut treat my man like this?
I stormed
furious.
up to the house and pounded on the front door louder and louder until Celeste swung it open. I was
“What were you doing with Damien late at night?” I screamed.
“Vanessa, keep your voice down.” She admonished me like I was a child. “You’ll wake up the neighborhood.”
Who did she think she was?
I raised my voice higher. “Did you try to get him drunk so you could seduce him? And then you threw him out when he didn’t want you?”
Celeste rolled her eyes and sighed.
“Damien came here already drunk and harassed me.” She sounded calm and vaguely annoyed. “I knocked him out in self–defense.”
“You expect me to believe you?” I scoffed. “You’re just being petty because he chose me.”
Celeste looked exasperated.
“Vanessa, it’s late and I’m tired. Damien’s all yours. Just get him off my mother’s lawn.”
The door closed with a click.
I yelled at the door before walking down to Damien. I nudged him, and he turned over, moaning
“Babe, it’s me.”
He gurgled something that sounded like my name. I nudged him again, annoyed I had to fetch him from here in
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Chapter Nineteen
the first place.
He waved me away with a hand and curled onto his side.
That’s it.
I leaned over him and gave him a lightning slap across the face. He bolted up, eyes half closed. I smirked before guiding the stumbling oaf to the car.
When we got home, I settled him into bed and he passed out as soon as his head hit the pillow. I peeped into Bonnie’s room and sighed. If she’d woken up and gotten into trouble, Damien would end me.
Or maybe not.
My hand flitted to caress my stomach. If the baby growing in my womb was his, it would make him forget all about Celeste and Bonnie. But I couldn’t be sure who the father was.
I hung up my coat, then slipped off my shoes. Careful not to wake him up, I undressed him and threw his clothes on the floor. When I was satisfied, I climbed into bed and tucked myself into his side.
This baby was Damien’s, and that was the end of it.
Snuggling closer, I was determined to make sure he believed it.
