Defeated by Love: The Unexpected Bride

Chapter 2

"Did Carter get someone pregnant?"

As soon as the question was asked, Carter quickly turned around to see his parents standing there with suspicious expressions. He lied back with an annoyed face, recalling the recent events he had just learned.

"There's no one, Mom."

"How can it be no? I heard you talking on the phone just now."

"A friend was just playing a prank."

"Carter! Tell the truth." His father, who had been listening quietly, could tell his son was lying. He spoke sternly and pressed for the truth with a serious demeanor to make his son feel intimidated. Carter let out a heavy sigh and, with irritation, told the truth.

Even though he didn't want to say it, because he didn't want it to become a big issue...

"A woman I slept with said she's pregnant with my child, but I'm sure it's not mine because I was careful."

Carter answered confidently, knowing he hadn't made a mistake. His parents were taken aback by his response, not expecting their son to be so selfish and lacking in responsibility, dismissing the issue without knowing the truth.

Chandra then spoke to Carter with a stern voice, her expression more serious than ever.

"Bring that woman to talk to me at home."

"Why waste time talking, Mom?"

"If it's not really your child, then what are you afraid of? Or are you afraid of being a man who takes responsibility?" His father's mocking words, which he had never heard before, made Carter, who usually didn't care about others' feelings and was self-centered, snap back with displeasure.

"If you really want to talk, I'll arrange a meeting. But if it's not my child, I want a year off work." With that, Carter stormed off to his sports car and sped away, his driving mirroring his turbulent emotions, while his parents watched with stoic expressions and sighed heavily at their eldest son, who had been spoiled to the point of having an irreparable bad attitude.

***

On the other hand, when Carter hung up, Amanda didn't contact him back because she was focused on the recording of his voice on her iPad. She then transferred it to her mobile phone as evidence for the day he would deny her, while her full lips muttered.

"You must be dreaming if you think you can leave me to struggle alone while you live comfortably."

After lying down, unable to decide what to do about the whole situation, her small hand picked up another person's business card to look at it again. Upon seeing the company name on the paper, Amanda quickly searched for it. Once she knew the location of Carter's company, she pondered whether to confront him there.

But doing that might not be a good idea...

"Let's keep that as a last resort." Feeling exhausted by the situation, her phone suddenly rang. Amanda reached for it and saw Kim's name on the screen, so she quickly picked up.

"Hello."

(How's it going? Have you talked to that guy yet?)

"I have," Amanda replied, trying to listen to Kim's voice over the loud music at the bar where they worked. Kim seemed to realize this and quickly said,

(Hold on, I'll walk to the back of the bar first.) Amanda didn't respond, just lay there waiting until the music quieted down. Then she heard Kim ask with curiosity,

(What did that guy say?)

"He won't admit it, even though he went raw without a condom."

(That's so messed up, seriously.)

Kim was furious on Amanda's behalf, wanting to yank Carter's head for treating her best friend like this. Amanda felt a similar rage, her heart burning like a hundred torches were lit inside her chest, but she could do nothing but hold back and wait for the right time to retaliate.

(So what are you going to do now?)

"I'm going to make him take responsibility."

(Good, I support you and I'm ready to help you all the way.) Kim said, slapping her thigh like she was cheering at a boxing match, pleased with Amanda's response. Meanwhile, Amanda lay there feeling grateful that even on her weakest days, she had a friend who wouldn't leave her.

(What should we start with? Should we go to his house?)

"I don't know where he lives." Kim thought for a moment until the bar where Amanda and Carter met popped into her head.

(Then let's follow from the bar where we met to his house.)

"Oh, right." With so much on her mind, Amanda hadn't even thought of that. Hearing it, she pursed her lips and smiled.

(I'm off tomorrow, I'll take you there myself.)

"Thanks a lot, Kim, for sticking by me."

(You're my friend, where else would I leave you?) Those words touched Amanda so much that her eyes welled up, but she tried to hold them back because from now on, she had to be strong.

Because she's going to be a mom...

Then the two talked for a while longer. After hanging up, Amanda went to take a shower and relax, as she had faced a lot of stress that day and feared it might affect the baby...

Meanwhile, in a luxurious bar bustling with night revelers, a tall, handsome young man with a mischievous, playful demeanor was sitting and drinking, chatting with two women who were serving him and his friend. Seeing Carter constantly focused on his phone with a serious expression, Cairo asked curiously,

"What's up, Carter? I see you're glued to your phone."

"I'm looking up information on DNA testing," he replied curtly, tossing his phone onto the coffee table, and then taking a drink from the glass handed to him by the woman serving him that night, with a composed expression.

"Whose DNA are you testing?"

"Do you remember the girl I had a one-night stand with last month?"

"Who? You've had so many one-night stands, it's like a parade from north to south."

"Just like you."

"Okay, I won't argue. But who are you talking about?"

"The last one I met here."

"Oh, the pretty one. Why? Don't tell me you're hung up on a virgin," he teased, as it's rare to meet someone pure, making him boast to his two close friends about his find.

"No, she called to say she's pregnant."

"Damn! Are you going to be a dad?"

"Dad, my ass. I'm sure I pulled out in time," he retorted confidently, raising his glass of alcohol to drink with an annoyed demeanor at his friend's words.

"If you're sure, then why are you stressing? You're killing the vibe."

"Because my mom wants to meet her."

"Then let her talk. What are you afraid of? You're not the father."

"Can I deny it before the test results?"

"Yeah, you're right. Your mom will definitely wait for the test first," Cairo said, and the area fell into silence, making the person who wasn't ready to take responsibility even more anxious, with thoughts swirling until...

"But if you're sure it's not your kid, you don't have to let her meet your mom."

"I'm sure it's not my kid. Besides, she works at night. Who knows who else she's been with after me?"

"Just hire someone else to stand in. It's simple. Do I have to spell it out for you?" Cairo said, shrugging confidently at his own cleverness. Carter, seeing this, felt a bit annoyed but didn't say anything except to thank him.

"Seriously! Thanks for your shitty plan."

"No worries, thanks for the compliment. Pfft!" With those teasing words, they both laughed heartily. Carter sat back down, still puzzled about who he could hire to pretend to be Amanda for his mom, until he heard a sultry voice nearby...

"Want a refill on your whiskey?" Carter turned to look at the woman serving him, which immediately gave him the idea of who to use to fool his mom.

With that thought, he didn't waste any time. Carter quickly discussed the plan with Mary and swapped numbers with her. Then he turned to tell Cairo,

"I'm heading back now."

"Oh! Why are you heading out so early?"

"Headache." With that, Carter dug into his pocket and walked out right away, leaving Cairo wondering what to do next. Alone, he didn't feel like drinking anymore, so he decided to head back to his condo as well. As he stepped out of the bar, Carter pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a few deep drags before flicking it to the ground and heading straight to his black sports car, speeding away from the bar and heading straight home...