He Let Her Replace Me So I Walked Away

Chapter 3 Eight Weeks

"I'll get her a towel," he said.

I stood where I was, watching Adrian stride toward the pool.

He took off his suit jacket and wrapped it around Lila, his movements gentle, almost reverent, as if he were handling something precious.

Lila leaned into his arms and looked at me with a small, triumphant smile.

The Imperial Jade Necklace shimmered at her throat beneath the crystal lights, while my diamond choker lay quietly in her palm.

Adrian glanced back at me. "What are you standing there for? Go get a blanket."

His tone was so natural, as if ordering me around were the most ordinary thing in the world, just as he had taken my place on the dance floor, my heirloom, and my dignity without a second thought.

I turned and walked toward the guest room. My eyes burned, tears threatening to spill, but I bit down hard on my lip.

I couldn't cry. At least not in front of Lila.

In the hallway mirror, I saw my pale face and red-rimmed eyes, and a faint mark lingered at my collarbone where the necklace had pressed into my skin, like a brand of humiliation.

From outside came Lila's laughter, bright and unrestrained, mingling with Adrian's low voice. They were playing by the pool, splashes echoing again and again.

I drew the curtains shut. It did nothing to block the sound.

On the bedside table lay tomorrow's schedule. Lila's name was written where mine should have been. Adrian's signature sprawled across the page, marked with a decisive "Approved."

I threw up until I couldn't breathe.

The bathroom tiles were icy against my knees as I knelt on the floor, my stomach twisting violently.

"Serena, are you alright?" Lila's voice came from outside the door, sweet to the point of cloying.

I forced myself upright and splashed cold water on my face.

"Oh!" she exclaimed suddenly. "Why didn't you lock the door?"

She was holding up her phone, the camera pointed straight at me.

I raised a hand to cover my face, but it was too late. The shutter clicked.

A faint smile curved her lips.

"What are you doing?" My voice came out hoarse.

"Adrian asked me to check on you," she said lightly, waving her phone. "He said you haven't been feeling well lately."

I reached for it, but she stepped aside with ease. Her heel came down on my medical report.

The paper had already been crumpled when I brought it back from the hospital. Now it tore completely.

"Eight weeks pregnant?" She bent down to pick it up, her eyes widening in exaggerated shock. "Oh my god."

I snatched the report back, my chest rising and falling sharply.

But Lila had already taken out her phone, her fingers moving quickly across the screen.

"Don't—"

The sound of the message sending was crisp and final. She blinked at me, smiling. "Oops. I accidentally sent it to the Socialite Circle Chat."

My phone exploded with notifications. Messages flooded in, one after another.

A: [Congratulations!]

B: [The Hawthorne family is getting an heir!]

C: [When's the wedding?]

The last message came from Lila herself.

Lila: [Serena says she'll announce it after the three-month mark, once everything's stable.]

My whole body trembled. Darkness crept into my vision.

Lila hummed softly as she touched up her lipstick, her reflection in the mirror dazzling and almost blinding.

"Lila." Adrian's voice came from the hallway. "What's taking so long?"

She ran out immediately, wrapping herself around his arm. "Adrian, Serena has good news!"

Adrian frowned and looked toward me.

I clutched the torn report, my throat tight.

"Is that true?" He stepped closer, reaching for it.

I took a step back until my back hit the sink.

His gaze darkened. He grabbed the report anyway, the paper making a faint tearing sound in his hand.

"Eight weeks." His eyes stayed on the page, his expression complicated. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Lila leaned in. "Adrian, I didn't mean to tell everyone."

"Out," Adrian said.

She froze. Adrian didn't even look at her. "Lila, go outside."

The door closed behind her.

He reached out and placed his hand on my abdomen, his palm warm and his touch impossibly gentle.

"Keep it," he said, his voice low and rough. "I'll marry you."

My nose stung. My vision blurred as tears threatened to fall.