No Love, Only Contract

Chapter 2 Breaking the Agreement

Ethan stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her with a cold expression. "You haven’t forgotten our marriage agreement, have you?"

Eleanor nodded, her voice barely audible, like a whisper. "I haven’t forgotten."

She knew exactly what Ethan meant—everything could be negotiated, every condition could be discussed, but never, ever expect to have a relationship with him.

Ethan had been the charismatic figure in high school, while Eleanor had been invisible, like a background character in a story, silently watching the lead couple's sweet romance.

She had secretly harbored feelings for him for so long that she had almost forgotten when it started.

Ethan didn’t even remember they were high school classmates, let alone the time she had mustered the courage to confess her feelings to him.

After Ethan left, Eleanor sat on the bed in the dark bedroom, the lights off.

She couldn’t help but touch her stomach. It was hard to imagine there was already a tiny life growing inside her.

This was her and Ethan’s baby.

But she also knew that Ethan wouldn’t be happy about it, because he didn’t like anything that caught him by surprise.

She was almost certain that if she told Ethan that she was pregnant, he would immediately arrange for a hospital and an abortion.

Once Ethan made up his mind, no one could change it.

When they first married, Eleanor had wondered if Ethan might gradually come to love her.

But reality proved that it was purely a fantasy on her part.

Eleanor didn’t want to think about it anymore. The more she pondered, the more it hurt. She lay back down in bed, closed her eyes, and forced herself to sleep.

Eleanor dreamed she was back in high school.

In the dream, Ethan passed by her classroom window every day. He was the most popular guy in school, and wherever he went, people would steal glances at him.

Eleanor watched him over and over again. When she woke up, there were tears on the corners of her eyes.

The sky outside had already brightened.

She walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and opened it.

She didn’t see Ethan’s car in the yard. He had left in the middle of the night.

Eleanor didn’t feel disappointed, though. After breakfast, she went to the office and on the way, stopped by a pharmacy to buy a few pregnancy test kits.

Eleanor was so busy in the morning that she didn’t even have time to drink water.

When she finally got a break, she tightly held the pregnancy test kits in her bag, grabbed one, and hurried to the bathroom.

Following the instructions she had read yesterday, Eleanor took the test again. A few minutes later, she nervously looked at the test strip in her hand. The two bright red lines were unmistakably clear.

Her heart sank. She was overwhelmed with thoughts—should she tell Ethan about this?

Maybe she could quietly quit her job, run away to a place where no one knew her, and have the baby in secret.

But if the baby was born and Ethan found out, what would he do?

Eleanor’s mind was a mess.

When she returned to the office, she was still distracted.

Charlotte suddenly appeared at her desk, whispering some gossip. "Someone on the 20th floor is pregnant."

Eleanor’s breath caught for a second, but she kept her face calm. "Who?"

Charlotte shook her head. "I’m not sure."

She continued, "The cleaning lady said she found a pregnancy test in the trash yesterday. It was hidden away. Maybe someone’s having an office romance? If Mr. Grant finds out, that person might be fired."

Eleanor was relieved that she had thrown the test stick into the toilet and flushed it away just to be safe.

She cleared her throat. "I don’t know. Probably not."

It was just around lunchtime, so everyone stopped gossiping and went downstairs to eat.

As usual, Eleanor walked to the staff cafeteria and ordered her favorite steak.

But when she received the steak, she suddenly felt nauseous. The beef smelled off, making her stomach uneasy.

Eleanor resisted the urge to vomit and just wanted to finish her lunch quickly and return to her office to rest.

As soon as she took a bite of the steak, she couldn’t hold back her physiological gag reflex. She pressed her chest and rushed to the nearby trash can to vomit.

After drinking some water and rinsing her mouth, Eleanor looked up and suddenly realized something was off.

Ethan’s dark, profound eyes were calmly fixed on her, as inscrutable as ever.

Eleanor’s heart skipped a beat, and her face turned even paler. She was afraid he might have noticed something.

Ethan looked thoughtful and asked, "Why did you vomit?"

Eleanor replied, "My stomach’s been a little off lately."

"I don’t remember you having stomach issues."

Eleanor tried to remain composed. "I think it was the cold drink I had a few days ago."

Ethan was silent for a moment before casually asking, "Did you take the medicine last time?"

Charlotte was confused, but Eleanor understood.

Ethan was referring to the time at the hot spring resort.

He was always so perceptive; even the smallest detail could give him away.

Under the pressure, Eleanor lied, "Yes, I did."

In the afternoon, Eleanor received the stomach medicine that the executive assistant had bought for her.

Only Ryan Carter, Ethan's assistant, knew the truth about their relationship.

"Mr. Grant asked me to make sure you take care of yourself," Ryan said, giving her a look before hesitating and adding, "He also asked me to schedule a check-up at the hospital for you."