I Was Pregnant, But He Still Chose Her

Chapter 4

Colin's voice came from the end of the hallway.

He strode over, grabbed Tiffany by the arm, and hauled her up before stepping in front of her with a guarded look aimed right at Hilary. "Hilary, Tiffany already feels guilty enough as it is, so why can't you just find it in yourself to forgive her?"

Hilary's voice came out dry and rough. "Did I even lay a hand on her?"

Colin's expression went dark. "I saw it with my own eyes, so what exactly is there for you to argue about?"

He turned back to Tiffany and rested his hands on her shoulders. "Whatever she did to you, however she pushed you, you go ahead and push her back the same way. You're going to marry me. As a CEO's wife, you can't afford to be this soft."

Tiffany flinched and shrank back a little. "I don't think that's a good idea. I wouldn't dare..."

Colin gave her a gentle nudge forward. "Go on. I've got your back."

Tiffany made her way over to Hilary with timid steps, but for a split second, something vicious flickered deep in Tiffany's eyes. Tiffany picked a spot where Colin could not see before putting her full weight into her wrist and shoving Hilary.

Still recovering from her injuries, Hilary had no control over her body as she staggered backward, catching her lower back on the fire extinguisher box before tumbling down the stairs.

Pain exploded up her spine, and right as her vision began to blur, she caught a glimpse of Tiffany tucked against Colin's chest, flashing her a triumphant smile.

But when she lifted her eyes toward Colin, Tiffany's expression had already shifted into one that looked like she was about to cry.

"Colin, I really didn't push her that hard," Tiffany said.

Colin held her closer. "I believe you. You're way too gentle and timid to ever have that kind of strength in you."

Standing at the top of the stairs, he looked down at Hilary. "It's just one flight of stairs. Once you're done with the act, you can get up and head back on your own." Then he turned and walked off without so much as a backward glance.

Hilary, who had been waiting for him to come and help her, had once again been left behind like some kind of joke.

*****

Hilary woke to a searing pain tearing through her body, the window outside already swallowed by the night.

A figure sat by the bed, its outline blurred by the shadows in the dim light.

"Colin?" The name slipped out before she could stop it, her voice coming out so hoarse that it barely sounded like her own.

The figure went rigid.

Then the lights flicked on, bright enough to make Hilary squint against the sudden glare.

Sitting beside her was Cathy again, her eyes rimmed red like she had been crying.

As Hilary's hazy awareness slowly sharpened back into focus, she managed to pull together a faint smile. "Why the tears?"

Cathy's voice caught in her throat. "Hilary, please stop wasting your feelings on Mr. Paisley. He's a total jerk!"

Hilary blinked in surprise.

When she had been pushed down the stairs, there had been no one else around to see it happen, and there was no way Colin would ever admit to something like that in the first place.

So if Cathy was this upset, something else must have happened.

"What did he do this time?" Hilary asked.

"You had a fall, and your fever spiked to 104°F," Cathy said. "I called to tell him about it, and he said you should stop playing these games because it was only going to make him resent you even more. And then, at the press conference earlier, when a reporter asked if those kidnappers had done anything to violate you, he just let the question hang there and didn't deny a thing. Now everyone's saying you're tainted, that no wonder Mr. Paisley let you go and picked Tiffany to take your place."

Even though Hilary had braced herself for whatever Cathy was about to say, each word still landed like a hammer straight to her chest.

Hilary forced herself to take a deep breath and keep her composure. "Get me in touch with a streaming platform and tell them I want to go live, and I want them to push as much traffic my way as they can."

Cathy's eyes lit up. "Got it. I'll take care of it right away!"

After all the years Hilary had spent navigating the business world, her connections were easily a match for Colin's, and if she was being honest, most of his own social circle had been introduced to him by her in the first place.

Getting a streaming platform on board was hardly going to be a problem for her.

But not long after Cathy left to handle it, she was marched back in by a group of security guards.

Hilary's face went cold. "What do you think you're doing? Let her go!"