After He Jilted Me, I Married Someone Else

Chapter 3

I straightened up and fixed my gaze on Ruby's face, that mask of fake innocence. "Yeah, I'm pregnant."

Alistair froze for a split second, then let out a short, sharp laugh, like he'd just heard the punchline to the dumbest joke ever. "Kiara, stop messing around. We've never been… together like that. How could you possibly be pregnant? You're still pissed at me, aren't you? Saying this just to get under my skin." He sighed, his tone melting back into that familiar, indulgent softness. "If you really want a baby, we can start trying the moment we're married. A year from now, you'll be a mom too."

Ruby jumped in right on cue, her voice dripping with sugar. "Exactly. Don't go spreading crazy rumors about yourself just because you're jealous I had a kid. My child will be raised to treat you like a real mother anyway. You don't have to turn everything into a competition with me."

I didn't bother responding. Slipping my phone out of my bag, I dialed a number and hit speakerphone. "Dr. Ross, could you send my latest prenatal report to my phone?"

A warm, gentle voice came through the speaker. "Of course, ma'am. One moment."

The smile on Alistair's face faded, degree by degree, as he locked his eyes on my phone screen, waiting for some grand con to unravel.

The file landed.

I flipped the phone around and aimed the screen right at him. "Alistair, if you won't take my word for it, surely you'll take Dr. Ross'?"

There it was, printed in black and white, my name, my age, the gestational age, and that fuzzy little embryo image on the ultrasound scan.

At the bottom sat Dr. Ross' electronic signature. Alistair knew her well. She was the private physician he'd handpicked for me years ago.

He took the phone and stared at it for a long, heavy moment. When he raised his head again, his eyes were nothing but a storm of disbelief and fury. "Whose child is it? Kiara, I was gone for what, less than two years? And you couldn't keep your legs together?"

Ruby chimed in right on cue, her voice sugary-sweet and dripping with feigned hurt. "Kiara, what happened between Alistair and me was just a mistake. He was drunk that night, he never meant to betray you. For the next two years, he stayed faithful to you, never laid a finger on me… But how could you, how could you carry another man's child? How could you do this to him?"

Alistair sucked in a sharp breath, then tossed the phone back into my arms. "Have you no shame? You actually dared to betray me. I'm telling you, I will never accept that child. You find a way to handle it. Now. Or else… I'll deal with it myself, and I won't be gentle." His gaze darkened, the threat hanging in the air like a blade.

My breath caught in my throat, and I gripped the phone tighter. "Alistair, lay a single finger on my baby and you'll regret it!"

This child was Quentin's treasure. If he dared to harm them, Quentin would grind him to dust.

Alistair's lips curled into a careless smirk, his eyes brimming with contempt. "Just a bastard. Watch me."

I stepped forward at half a pace, my voice dropping to a low, dangerous tone. "Shut your mouth. This is my husband's child, and you have no say in this!"