Chapter Six
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Richard remained standing on the sidewalk long after Elizabeth and Ethan disappeared from sight. The pregnancy report was still in his hand. The words echoed repeatedly inside his mind.
For years, his mother had blamed Elizabeth for not giving him an heir. There had been endless comments during family dinners, subtle insults disguised as concern, and constant pressure for him to reconsider his marriage.
Through it all, Elizabeth endured everything quietly and he had allowed it. Now, she was carrying his baby.
The realization should have made him happy. Instead, it left him feeling unsettled because the woman carrying his child wanted nothing to do with him.
Richard finally got into his car and slammed the door harder than necessary. His driver glanced at him through the rear-view mirror.
"Back to the office, sir?"
Richard stared out the window." No."
The driver looked confused. "Then where to?"
Richard hesitated. For the first time in years, he didn't know. Nothing felt important anymore. Not contracts, nor shareholders. His thoughts kept returning to Elizabeth.
The truth was painful because it wasn't entirely wrong.
"Take me home."
The driver nodded. The rest of the journey passed in silence.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth sat quietly in Ethan's car.
Neither of them spoke for several minutes. She stared out the window while her thoughts spiraled.
Seeing Richard again had affected her more than she wanted to admit. She hated that feeling. After everything he had done, her heart still reacted to him.
Ethan finally broke the silence.
"Are you okay?”
"I don't know." Elizabeth managed to let out a weak smile.
Ethan glanced at her briefly before returning his attention to the road.
"He looked shocked."
"He was?" she asked.
"No."
"He looked scared." Ethan shook his head.
Richard Smith didn't get scared. At least not the Richard she knew. That man was always calm, always in control, always ten steps ahead of everyone else. Fear wasn't an emotion she associated with him.
But then again, she was beginning to realize there were many things she never truly knew about her ex-husband.
Back at the Smith Estate, Richard walked directly into his study.
Aaron immediately appeared.
"Sir, your mother called twice."
"I'll call her later." Richard loosened his tie.
"She sounded urgent."
His mother considered every inconvenience a crisis. Richard sat behind his desk and stared at the pregnancy report again.
"Is everything alright, sir?" Aaron noticed the document.
Richard remained silent for a moment.
Then unexpectedly asked,
"Aaron, was Elizabeth unhappy here?"
His eyes widened. Of all the questions he expected, that wasn't one of them.Aaron chose his words carefully.
"Madam always tried her best to be happy.”
"Answer the question."
Aaron sighed softly. "There were days she looked happy."
"And the other days?" Richard waited like his response would change everything.
"The other days, she spent a lot of time alone." Aaron lowered his eyes.
“You can get back now”
Richard leaned back in his chair as he pondered about Elizabeth again.
Elizabeth waited for him at dinner. Elizabeth falls asleep on the couch while waiting for him to come home. Elizabeth smiled whenever he unexpectedly spent time with her.
At the time, he never thought much of it. Now he couldn't stop thinking about it.
His phone suddenly rang. The caller ID displayed his mother as the caller.
"What?" Richard answered.
"Where are you?" Mrs. Smith demanded immediately.
"At home."
"Good. The Harrison family will be here tomorrow evening."
"I already said I'm not interested."
"You are no longer married. It's time to think about your future." His mother's voice sharpened.
Richard laughed humorlessly. "My future?"
"Yes."
There was a brief pause before he replied. "My future is carrying my child."
"Is Elizabeth really pregnant?"
"Yes."
Mrs. Smith sounded stunned. "Then bring her back immediately."
Richard's jaw tightened. Only days ago, Elizabeth wasn't good enough. Now, she was carrying an heir. The hypocrisy irritated him.
"She doesn't want to come back."
"What do you mean she doesn't want to come back?"
"She said no."
His mother's voice rose immediately. "Then make her understand her responsibilities."
For years, Elizabeth had fulfilled every responsibility expected of her. Maybe that was the problem. Everyone expected things from her, but nobody ever asked what she wanted, including him.
"I have work to do."
Before his mother could continue, he ended the call.
- Writer
