HATED BY MY FIRST LOVE PREGNANT FOR HIS RIVAL

Chapter 4: The Neighbor

Vanessa's POV

The walk from the subway station felt like dragging lead weights through deep mud.

Every step sent a jolt of pain through my lower back, and that sharp, familiar nausea was rolling in my stomach again.

I reached the third-floor landing of our apartment building and had to stop, leaning my forehead against the peeling, yellowish wallpaper.

My vision suddenly blurred, the dim hallway light spinning in circles. My knees finally gave out. I waited for the impact of the cold, hard floor, but it never came.

"Vanessa? Whoa, I’ve got you. Lean on me."

A pair of strong, steady arms caught me before I could hit the ground. I looked up, blinking through the haze, and saw Robert Miller. My new neighbor.

He wasn't just my neighbor in 4B; he was a face I had seen nearly every day of my teenage life.

We had been in the same class all through high school. Back then, he was the quiet, brooding basketball star who sat three rows behind me.

I used to feel his eyes on me during History class, but we had never really spoken. I had been too busy chasing James Alfred, and Robert had been the school’s golden boy, always just out of reach.

"Robert," I whispered, my voice cracking and dry. "I'm okay. I just... I haven't eaten much today. It’s just been a long day."

"It’s more than a long day, Vanessa. You’re shaking," Robert said, his golden eyes searching mine with an intensity that made my heart skip a beat.

He didn't wait for me to argue. He swept me off my feet, carrying me toward my apartment door as if I weighed nothing.

"You’ve been coming home late every night. I see you from my window when the taxi drops you off. James is working you into the ground, isn't he?"

He didn't wait for an answer. He reached into my bag, pulled out my keys, and used his foot to push my door open.

He carried me inside and set me down gently on the sofa, propping a cushion behind my head.

He went straight to the kitchen, and I heard the sound of the faucet running. He returned a moment later with a glass of water and a cool, damp cloth.

"Drink this. Small sips," he commanded softly, sitting on the edge of the coffee table. He pressed the cloth onto my forehead, his touch surprisingly tender for someone so large.

"I have to get up, Robert. I have files to organize for tomorrow morning," I muttered, though my eyes were already fluttering to shut. The cool clothes felt like heaven.

"You’re staying right here," he said firmly.

“I remember you from our class, Vanessa. You were the smartest girl in the room. You had so many plans. Why are you letting that man destroy you like this? Is he really worth all this pain?"

I looked away, a tear escaping and sliding into my hair. "It’s not about him being worth it. He has my grandmother’s life in his hands. He pays the hospital directly. If I quit, they stop the treatment. I’m trapped, Robert. I’m completely trapped."

"No one should be trapped like that," he murmured, his thumb brushing a stray tear from my cheek.

Just then, my phone buzzed on the table between us, the vibration sounding like a gunshot in the quiet room. I flinched. It was a text from James. I didn't even have to open it to know what it said.

Where are you? I don't care if it's 2 AM. Get back to the office or your grandmother loses her medical coverage. Don't test my patience, Vanessa.

I gasped and tried to lunge for the phone, panic surging through me. "I have to go! He's angry. If I don't go back now, he'll call the hospital. He told me he would!"

Robert’s hand was faster. He snatched the phone before I could touch it, his eyes scanning the message.

I watched his face change. His jaw tightened so hard I thought his teeth might break, and a dark, dangerous look clouded his eyes.

"He's a monster," Robert hissed, his voice trembling with a suppressed rage. "He's blackmailing you over an old woman's health? How can he sleep at night?"

"I have to go, Robert! Please, give me the phone!" I cried, trying to scramble off the sofa, but the room tilted again, and I fell back against the cushions.

Robert caught me by the shoulders, holding me steady. "You aren't going anywhere. Look at yourself, Vanessa. You can barely stand up. You're exhausted and sick. I’m staying right here. I’ll lock the door. If he shows up here, he has to go through me first."

"But the bills... the hospital..." I sobbed, my strength finally breaking.

Robert didn’t offer comfort right away. He just stayed.

When I spoke, he listened without interrupting. When I fell quiet, he didn’t rush me.

For the first time in a long while, I felt seen without being pressured to explain myself.

I leaned back onto the sofa, watching Robert as he stood up and began to pace my small living room like a silent guardian. I fell asleep to the rhythmic sound of his footsteps, feeling a strange, deep safety that I didn't think I’d ever feel again.