Chapter 3

Bella's POV 

“Congratulations on your pregnancy, Mrs. Bella Hayes.”

The doctor’s words kept ringing in my head as I slowly walked back into the Hayes mansion.

I didn’t know what to think of her findings. A whole week had already passed since Ethan requested a divorce from me. The legal proceedings were being rounded up, and at the same time, I was preparing to round up my stay in the Hayes family house.

I was already thinking about my exit.

About who I would become after being stripped of the name Hayes.

But earlier today, I had felt too dizzy to function. The world had spun more than once, and I assumed it was from stress. The divorce, humiliation and sleepless nights I've endured.

So I went to the hospital for a simple checkup but only to be told that I was pregnant.

It sounded impossible.

My thoughts were still tangled around that word when I saw Ethan’s car pull into the garage.

Ethan always used protection with me.

He was careful about preventing a pregnancy from occurring. To him, intimacy with me was nothing more than a routine obligation and a way to relieve stress from work. There was never tenderness attached to it.

He always had a condom on whenever we were together.

And on the rare occasions he chose not to use one, he made sure I took birth control pills.

The last time we were together without protection, I had taken the pill exactly as instructed.

So how could I suddenly be pregnant? And why now?

Why now, when we were about to split up?

I stood at the entrance, waiting for Ethan to walk in, my fingers lightly gripping the edge of my bag as I contemplated whether or not I should inform him about the pregnancy.

Was it even wise?

Would he believe me?

Or would he accuse me of trying to trap him?

“We need to talk, Ethan. About something extremely important,” I finally said, forcing myself to gather courage the moment he stepped inside.

He barely looked at me.

“If this is about the divorce, Bella, then I’m not interested,” he said flatly. “It’s just a few days before it’s finalized. Don’t cause any trouble. I’ve already agreed to pay whatever compensation you asked for. What else is it now?”

The coldness in his tone made my chest tighten.

Was this the same man I had once loved so deeply?

I suddenly wondered how much worse his reaction would be if I told him I was carrying his child.

Before I could decide what to say next, his phone rang.

He glanced at the screen and immediately turned his back to me as he answered.

I stood there silently.

“Samantha just sprained her ankle and needs me at the hospital immediately, Bella. Whatever you have to say, be quick about it.”

He turned to face me after ending the call, already reaching for his car keys.

The contrast was almost laughable.

The same man who couldn’t spare me a minute had all the time in the world for her.

As I watched him prepare to leave, something shifted inside me.

This was not the right time to mention the pregnancy.

Not when he was already halfway out the door for another woman.

But I suddenly realized something else.

He had agreed to every demand I made because he desperately wanted this divorce.

Because he wanted Samantha.

So I wondered just how much he was willing to give up in his bid to be with her.

“You’re forbidden from seeing Samantha publicly or bringing her over to this house, Ethan.”

He paused mid-step.

His brows furrowed.

“But we’re getting divorced, aren’t we? What’s—”

“We’re still legally married,” I cut in firmly. “And it’s not until three days from now that our divorce will be finalized. Besides, you still haven’t given your father a proper explanation regarding the divorce.”

My voice was steady and stronger than I felt.

For once, I did not sound like the woman begging for affection.

I sounded like his wife.

His lips parted as though he wanted to argue. But no words came out.

Because he knew I was right.

For three more days, I was still Mrs. Bella Hayes.

And until that paper was stamped and sealed, he would not treat me like I no longer existed.

He stared at me suspiciously, as though there was something I was hiding from him. As though I had suddenly become someone unfamiliar.

Perhaps he was also surprised by my newfound boldness.

Everyone in the Hayes mansion knew how quiet I was. Even when I was being trampled on, I stayed silent because I didn’t want to fall into anyone’s bad books. I was always walking on eggshells around them, careful not to offend, careful not to breathe too loudly.

Me suddenly becoming vocal was not something Ethan would have imagined in his lifetime.

“Tell me, Bella,” he said slowly, stepping closer to me, his eyes narrowing. “Have you always been planning for this divorce to happen so you could get compensation?”

The accusation hung heavily in the air between us.

Before I could even respond, he continued.

“Who’s the new man you’ve found to leech off? The one responsible for your sudden happiness?”

I said nothing but simply stared at him, my silence louder than any defense I could have offered.

He searched my face as though trying to find proof of betrayal.

Then his phone buzzed again.

Without waiting for my response, he turned, clearly ready to leave once more.

I didn’t try to stop him.

Instead, a different thought crossed my mind.

Had there ever been a time when I desperately needed him, and he had rushed to my side the way he was rushing to Samantha now?

There hadn’t been.

Not during the nights I cried myself to sleep. Nor during the humiliations from Rebecca.

Not even during the days I felt invisible in my own marriage.

If he was ready to walk out without even hearing the news I had gathered the courage to share, then at least I deserved compensation for the emotions I had poured into preparing to tell him about my pregnancy.

“If you walk out that door to be with Samantha,” I said steadily, “then I must be compensated again, Ethan.”

He stopped abruptly.

Slowly, he turned to look at me, disbelief written all over his face.

“What else do you want, Bella?” he snapped. “You keep requesting compensation every damn time! What else do you want?”

“Your penthouse in the Santa Monica Estate,” I replied calmly. “Or ten percent shares in the estate itself.”

The words landed like a stone between us.

I knew it was a heavy demand.

Far heavier than the properties I had requested before.

“You’re being greedy, Bella,” he snapped angrily. “Unreasonable to even make such a demand!”

His voice rose, frustration seeping through every word.

But I stood there, unmoving.

For a few more minutes, he continued to lash out while I said nothing. I knew him too well.

He was obsessed with his properties.

But he was even more obsessed with Samantha.

And he would not miss the opportunity to be by her side.

Just as I had predicted, before Ethan walked out of the door that led outside the room, he paused.

His jaw tightened.

“Fine,” he muttered bitterly. “You’ll get it.”

He didn’t look at me when he said it.

He simply agreed.

All so he could go and stand beside Samantha because she had sprained her ankle.

And here I was.

Left standing alone in the quiet mansion, my palm unconsciously resting against my stomach.

Pregnant with his child while he rushed to another woman.