I Was Pregnant, But He Still Chose Her

Chapter 5

No one answered Hilary's question.

Colin appeared in the doorway, his whole presence radiating coldness. "Take them both up to the rooftop."

The two security guards flanked Hilary, one on each side, lifting her off while one of them clamped a hand over her mouth.

She had just finished her finger rehabilitation and still had bandages wrapped around her hands, every movement sending sharp pain through her until her vision went dark.

But Colin's men did not care about any of that. They hauled her up like she was nothing more than a piece of cargo and slammed her down onto the concrete floor.

Colin lit a cigarette. "Hilary, every bit of what is happening today is your own doing. I need to make sure you understand what kind of consequences your willfulness brings down on the people around you."

One of the guards grabbed Cathy by the hair and dragged her across the rooftop to the bucket near the edge.

The bucket was filled with ice water, a thin layer of ice floating on the surface and wisps of white vapor rising from it in the freezing wind, cold and menacing.

"No!"

Hilary lunged forward, but one of the guards grabbed her and yanked her back before she could get anywhere.

Cathy's head was forced down and shoved into the bucket, water splashing everywhere as she thrashed and struggled, but the other guard's hand stayed clamped down on her, relentless.

Hilary fought like she had gone mad, trying to break free. "Let her go! Colin! Take it out on me instead!"

Colin stood there unmoved, lighting a cigarette and taking a slow, deliberate drag like he had all the time in the world.

It was only when Cathy's struggles started to weaken that the guard finally hauled her head back up.

She coughed violently, her face pale and tinged with blue, barely able to catch her breath.

But before she could even steady herself, the guard shoved her under again.

"No! Please stop! Colin! Please!" Hilary was groveling by then, her voice so raw and hoarse that it barely sounded like words anymore.

Colin just watched, his face cold.

Only when Cathy's head came up for the third time did he finally speak, "Enough."

The guard let go, and Cathy crumpled to the ground like a ragdoll, her breathing faint and shallow.

Hilary stared at her, frozen in place, her entire body trembling uncontrollably.

Colin walked over and let out a low sigh. "Are you ready to calm down and listen to me now? First, there are a lot of people out there who are outraged on your behalf, who think Tiffany doesn't deserve to be with me, so I need you to let those rumors stand and not even think about trying to clear your name."

He went on. "Second, focus on resting and stop making trouble. I need you to show up at the company's annual gala in two days. Third, at the gala, in front of the whole company and all the media, you're going to offer your blessing to Tiffany and me."

Hilary's unfocused eyes slowly sharpened as she studied the man before her once more.

From 12 to 27, 15 years.

He had stuffed candy into his pocket and let it melt there instead of eating it, because he remembered how much Hilary liked it.

He had stood in the rain for three hours just to bring her an umbrella.

He would quietly make her a cup of warm milk and leave it at the corner of her desk whenever she stayed up late working.

All those small, tender moments had once made her believe that this was what forever looked like.

In an instant, everything from the past flashed before her eyes like scenes from a life passing by.

Then, without warning, Hilary found herself crying, the tears falling beyond her control.

They fell in silence, just like the quiet breaking of her heart.

Colin let out a sneer. "There's no need to play the victim. Tiffany's delicate nature is something she was born with, not like you."

He went on. "When you try to imitate her like this, it just puts me off. I was planning to let you and her switch positions back in two months, but it looks like you're going to need some more time to think about what you've done, so let's just push it to next year."

Just then, his phone started ringing, and when he picked up, a sweet, syrupy voice came through the line. Tiffany said, "Colin, I want to change the wedding room to pink. The cool tones we have now feel so uninviting!"

A doting smile tugged at Colin's lips. "Sure, I'll call the decorators tomorrow."

"Yay! I love you so much, Colin!" she said.

The smile on his face only grew wider as he spoke to Tiffany in a soft, coaxing voice, without sparing a single glance at Hilary, who was still collapsing on the floor like a mess.