HIS SECRET HEIR: THE BILLIONAIRE’S HIDDEN BRIDE

EPISODE 6 — REALITY CRACKS OPEN

Ava’s throat felt tight, too tight to take in air.

Pregnant.

The word echoed over and over, drowning out reality.

She pressed a hand to her stomach as though feeling for proof, but her body felt foreign—strange, trembling, unreal.

“That’s not possible,” she whispered. “I would know. I would feel something.”

Elena’s expression remained steady. “You were in shock last night. You fainted in the ambulance, and the medics ran routine checks. The pregnancy showed up.”

Ava shook her head fiercely. “No. I’ve been under stress. Exhausted. Working night shifts. My body—my hormones—anything could cause confusion. This can’t be happening.”

Elena leaned forward. “Ava… the tests weren’t wrong.”

Her breath hitched.

Adrian’s heir.

She felt sick.

“Why didn’t he tell me?” she whispered.

Elena hesitated. “He was trying to figure out how to protect you. And… he wasn’t sure what to say.”

“Not sure what to say?” Ava snapped. “How about ‘Ava, you’re pregnant’? That’s a good start!”

Elena sighed softly. “You don’t understand the stakes. This child—your child—will be the next successor. Someone inside the Knight dynasty has been waiting years for a chance to stop that from ever happening. And now, they know.”

Ava’s stomach twisted in dread.

She was in danger.

The baby—if it was real—was in danger too.

“But what if the baby isn't…?” Ava’s voice trembled. “What if Adrian is using this? What if it’s another lie?”

Elena’s head jerked up sharply. “Adrian doesn’t play with children or pregnancy. He would never lie about that. Ever.”

A cold, sharp voice cut through the room before Ava could respond.

“He doesn’t lie about anything involving you.”

Ava stiffened as Adrian entered, several security agents behind him.

Elena rose immediately. “Sir.”

Adrian dismissed them with a glance. The room cleared, leaving only him and Ava.

His eyes locked onto hers—stormy, conflicted, unreadable.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she whispered, voice barely steady.

Adrian stopped a foot away, hands clenched at his sides.

“I wanted to confirm it first. I needed to understand what last night meant. For you. For the child.” He exhaled sharply. “For us.”

The word hung heavily between them.

Ava shook her head. “You had no right to hide something so big—”

“I was trying to protect you!” he snapped, then ran a hand through his hair. “Ava, if the wrong people learned you’re pregnant…”

He paused. The unspoken horror lingered in the air.

“They’ll kill you,” he finished coldly. “And they won’t hesitate.”

Ava backed up a step. “No. I can’t do this. I can’t be your wife. I can’t carry your heir. I didn’t ask for any of this!”

Adrian’s jaw tightened. “Neither did I.”

Silence.

Heavy.

Explosive.

Then he added, lower, softer:

“But I will make sure you survive it.”

Ava stared at him, exhausted and terrified.

“Why?” she whispered.

Adrian’s eyes softened—not much, but enough to shake her.

“Because losing you,” he murmured, “is the one thing I can’t afford.”