To Save My Daughter, I'll Bear His Child Again

Chapter 3

I took out a box of pills and swallowed one in front of him.

Steven froze. "In seven years together, you never took a single pill."

Of course, I hadn't forgotten.

It was just that I had changed, and so had he.

During our intimate nights, he'd always been the one to take precautions, never rough with me.

Hailey was merely an accident—that night we were both drunk, lost in the moment.

Steven had probably long forgotten his promise back then, when he kissed my forehead and told me to keep the child if I got pregnant.

He said he'd be the best father in the world.

It was precisely this tenderness that made me fall deeper for him. The day the truth was revealed, it shattered my heart completely.

"I'm here for the money. I have to act professionally." I quickly put the pills away.

I knew his cold, calculating side too well. He would never let the daughter of his enemy carry his child.

But what I'd taken was just a vitamin, a trick to fool Steven.

Impatiently, Steven scribbled out a check and threw it on the ground.

I picked it up, glanced at the amount, and couldn't suppress my elation.

The sum was huge. Was he trying to keep me?

This would significantly increase my chances of getting pregnant.

I asked eagerly, "Next time, where?"

Steven's face turned icy. "Enough! Do you think I don't know why you're back? For the three years you were in prison, I had you watched."

Ice water flooded my veins.

How had I not considered this?

He was the one who put me there. Of course, he'd monitor my every move.

Could it be that Steven had known all along about my pregnancy and the birth of our daughter?

Cold sweat drenched my back, my heart pounding so hard it threatened to leap from my throat.

Before my release, I'd bribed the warden to erase the birth records.

But Steven could bend this entire city to his will. Discovering the truth would be effortless for him.

I forced myself to appear calm. "Steven, you're lying."

Steven had a habit. When lying, he'd stare intently into the other person's eyes.

Just as he was doing now.

His voice dripped with sarcasm. "I don't care about the dirty things you've done. But if I want to investigate, you can hide nothing from me."

I sighed in quiet relief.

Sure enough, Steven still didn't know I'd gotten pregnant and had a daughter. Otherwise, given how much he hated the Shepard Family, he would never have let me bear his child.

Steven seized me, about to toss me out. "Get out."

I gave him a sly smirk. "Mr. Jones, don't forget to refer me to other clients."

Steven gritted his teeth. "What are you trying to do?"

I replied, "I need money. Seven years with Steven—that brand should bring in plenty of clients."

The truth was, I wasn't interested in anyone else. But if I didn't mention money and kept clinging to Steven, it would only make him suspicious.

Steven was far too clever. The only way was to play on his possessiveness, let it override his reason again and again until I had another chance to sleep with him.

His fingers dug into my throat, choking off my air.