Chapter 106

Chapter 106

I threaded my fingers through his, looking over at him in the backseat of the car. He smiled at me,

bringing our interlaced hands to his lips. I closed my eyes, leaning my back into the expensive leather

of the seat.

“Are you ready for this?” he asked.

“As ready as I’ll ever be. We’ve been waiting to announce the pregnancy and now that I’m past the first

trimester I think we’re in the clear now.”

We were heading to a fundraiser and we were going to use it as our opportunity to announce to the

world that we would be expecting our first child.

I was excited but I was also nervous. We had held onto this secret for months and now we were going

to be sharing it with the rest of the world.

“Are you feeling okay?”

I nodded. “Yeah, I just want to get through this night and just be there for you.”

“She may be there you know?” There was the raging elephant that I had been avoiding all day, “We

don’t have to go.”

“This is your night and you love this organization. I don’t want her to steal our joy. All I know is that I’m

going to be here for you and if we happen to see her we just ignore her. We’re together now. That’s all

that matters.”

“Okay, my love.” He leaned over the console and kissed my cheek. “Tonight is about.”

Exactly.

***

I thought that the red carpet would stress me out but it turned out fine. I was wearing a long coat to hide

the small bump that was now visibly there. And the dress I had chosen was skin-tight and showed it off

even

more.

When I handed the coat to Damon and I placed my hand over my bump the flashes went insane.

Everyone was going crazy and screaming out their congratulations. I was sure the entire internet would

be abuzz with

the news within the next ten minutes. After those pictures of him and Angela had leaked, the world

thought that he and I were over.

They had called me for comments but instead of feeding into their fire I simply went on my stream and

posted a picture of me and my husband in our bed with just the sheets covering us. I was not leaving

him but they didn’t deserve my comments. They were only looking for a story.

When we had snapped a few more pictures we walked into the large museum that they had converted

into a full gala experience. There were tables and a stage where a string quartet strummed classical

music.

As soon as we made it inside everyone’s heads turned to us. I made sure to keep my head held high

and my hand firmly clutched in my husband’s.

The hardest part was done and now it was time to get through the rest.

“Ready?” He leaned his mouth right by my car.

“As I’ll ever be.”

We moved across the room mingling with everyone. They all congratulated us with wide smiles. I didn’t

have a fear that people would hate the fact that I was pregnant. But it was just the fact that this little

bundle of joy growing inside of me had been my little treasure. And telling other people of their

existence meant that they were going to be able to be scrutinized by the public.

I loved my job and who I was married to. But the abuse and the magnifying glass you had to live under

could be intense and on the worst. of days borderline painful. Everyone felt like they had a right to

criticize

you.

“You are absolutely radiant, Adelaide,” Arthur, one of my husband’s longtime friends said with a large

smile on his face. “Children are such at light in our world. I remember when Greta and I found out about

our first one. I was scared out of my mind but I was so happy. When he came out all covered in goo

and gunk I fell in love.”

The way his eyes softened told me that he truly did love his child deeply.

“It was love at first sight for me.”

“I know that it will be the same for us. If our baby is half the person my wife is, then I know they will be

great.” My husband looked down at me with this small glint in his eyes .”Seeing her grow a life has

been the most

eye-opening and magical thing I’ve ever experienced.”

“Damon.” With my hormones all over the place, the slightest things.

turned me into a gushing waterfall. “Now you have my tearing up. I need to go fix my makeup.”

He kissed the top of my head and drew me closer to his side. “You’re fine, my love.”

I rolled my eyes and detached from him. “I’ll be right back.”

I walked away from the two men and made my way up the stairs to where the bathrooms were located.

Since I had reached my second trimester I had been wanting to pee like every hour on the hour. It was

bothersome but if it was the result of growing my baby then I would endure it all.

I had just gotten out of my stall when I paused after seeing a woman by the sink.

“Angela,” I said in a deadpan tone. “So nice to see you. Enjoying the gala?”

Her icy blue eyes narrowed in the mirror and she stared at me with the kind of fury that held murder. I

was sure that she wished she could shoot lasers out of her eyes so she could put me down.

I walked over to the sink and washed my hands, the silence in the room. was thick.

“He kissed me, you know?”

I had been waiting for her to open her mouth so that I could put her in her place.

“Who kissed you?”

“Let’s not act like you don’t know I’m talking about Damon. He doesn’t want you. What don’t you get

about that?”

I scoffed, “You truly are delusional.”

“No, you’re the one who’s delusional. The pictures were there. The man doesn’t want you. I don’t know

how much more clear he has to be. He may not want to hurt you because of that baby you trapped him

with. But his heart belongs to me.”

I rolled my eyes. I looked her up and down like she was far below me. I

was done playing nice now.

“No,” I lifted my left hand. “I am his wife. I have his name, I wear his ring and I have his baby inside of

me. You have nothing, and you continue to have nothing. You’re just a sad, pathetic woman who can’t

find anyone to love them so you cling to the love you think you deserve.”

Her nostrils flared.

“I win, Angela. You tried to become me by dying your hair and changing your clothes. You tried to erase

me by driving a wedge between me and my husband but as you can see we came back stronger than

ever. And now you get to watch while I ride off into the sunset and you stay in the sad and lonely pit

that you crawled out from.”

I plastered an overly sweet smile on my face. “Ciao. I need to head to my husband. It’s his big night

after all.”

I made sure to brush my shoulder against hers, almost knocking her to the ground. I couldn’t deny the

sweet sense of victory that flooded into my body.

This felt like my checkmate move.

As I walked down the hallway toward the top of the stairs I heard the clinking of her heels against the

marble. When I turned I saw her rage-filled face.

“You bitch!” she said before she reached out and shoved me hard at the top of the stairs.

My eyes went wide, and my stomach dropped to the floor. I tried to claw at her arm to hold me steady

but I couldn’t get a good grip. My body fell backward, my back hitting the stairs first before I tumbled all

the way down.

When I hit the ground, every bone in my body felt like it was on fire. I could see people running toward

me in my peripheral vision but the only thought that flooded into my mind was my baby.

My abdomen was cramping and I was in this immense kind of pain. I couldn’t formulate real words. All I

kept thinking about was my baby.

“Adie! Adie!”

“D-Damon…” I had no idea if I was whispering or shouting. All I could think about was the fact that my

baby was in danger. I knew they were, I

Chapter 106 could feel it.

“The baby…”

His face came into view but my vision blurred, my mind slipping me into a state of unconsciousness.

The last thing I remember was being lifted into his arms and the pain that filtered its way into my chest.