I WANTED to excuse myself and run away. But it felt like my feet were rooted to the ground. I couldn't move. Even my heart felt like it had stopped beating for a moment.
"Bianca..." Charlie greeted me with his familiar voice.
I stared at him. His handsome face didn't change over the past five months that I hadn't seen him.
"It's nice to finally meet you." He extended his hand to me.
I swallowed the lump in my throat as I accepted his hand. "S-same here, Charlie."
My heart constricted when I tried to meet his eyes. His lips were smiling, but her chinky eyes… they were saying otherwise. They were cold and emotionless.
"Mom said you're already pregnant," he said after letting go of my hand, his eyes drifting to my belly. I felt a shiver run down my spine. My heart started beating erratically inside my chest.
"Congratulations, Bianca."
"T-thank you."
His eyes went back to meet mine. This time, I looked away from him. I couldn't handle his stares. His cold and dead eyes were suffocating me.
I couldn't blame Charlie for acting like this. Like we didn't know each other. Like I was a complete stranger to him.
I deserved all of these. I've hurt him. I broke up with him over the phone. And that same day, I married his brother.
"I'm sorry we’ve only met now," Charlie said. "I was in India for work."
"It's okay..." I could feel the tears starting to form in the corner of my eyes. I blinked them away as I tried to smile at Charlie.
I didn't want Amelia to notice anything. Only Gideon knew about my past relationship with Charlie.
"Oh, I already mentioned to Bianca that you're a travel photographer," Amelia said to his adopted son. "And that you're always out of the country. Well, good thing you finally managed to get home for my birthday, Charlie." Amelia slightly rolled her eyes. "You've been away for five months. I thought you'd already forgotten about your family."
Charlie chuckled as he turned to Amelia.
Oh. How I missed that laugh.
"Aww... I missed you too, Mom. Don't worry, I'll stay here for a while."
"I… excuse me. I'll leave you two for now," I finally managed to say. "Macy asked me for a piece of cake."
"Sure, Bianca," Amelia smiled at me.
I glanced at Charlie, who was now back with his cold expression. He nodded at me.
I was forced to give him a small smile before I walked away from them.
"What took you so long?" The kid asked me after I was back at our table.
"I... I saw your Uncle Charlie," I muttered absentmindedly as I gave her a plate of dessert.
"Oh, you've met Uncle Charlie? He's so nice. He gave me a big Barbie collection for my birthday."
I didn't answer her. Instead, I picked up a glass of water in front of me and sipped it, trying to calm myself down.
I had no idea that Charlie was already back. If I had known that I'd see him at this party, I would have pretended to be sick. I wasn't ready to face him.
I could still remember the last time we talked. It was when Gideon forced me to break things off with Charlie. Everything felt like it happened yesterday.
I clearly remembered how I broke his heart when I told him I was in a relationship with another man and was about to marry him.
Then… after Gideon and I's wedding, the biggest shock came to me when I found out that Charlie was Gideon's adoptive brother.
I looked away as I felt the corner of my eyes heating up. But then I saw Charlie. He was now talking to an old woman. I felt a needle pierce my heart as I saw Charlie smile. I had never once forgotten about him. Until now… I was still in love with him.
Charlie was the best thing that happened to me.
Until Gideon entered the picture and ruined everything for me.
I remembered Charlie had promised me that he would introduce me to his family when he came back from India. But that didn't happen.
And now, I am stuck in this hellhole.
"Bianca, can I have that thing?"
Macy poked my arm and pointed at the roaming waiter near us. She was pointing at the tray of caviar the waiter was holding.
I suddenly felt nauseous just by the sight of it.
"No. That's not for kids."
"You okay? You look like you're about to cry."
"I n-need to go to the restroom." I placed a hand on my mouth as I excused myself from her. I went to a dark corner of the garden and vomited everything I had eaten earlier that day.
This is the first time my stomach got upset over the sight of food.
"Bianca, are you okay?"
I felt my body stiffen when a familiar voice filled my ears. It was… Charlie. What is he doing here?
I slowly looked up and I found him in front of me.
"Here. Clean yourself up." He handed me a white handkerchief. His voice was cold... but his eyes were filled with something.
It took me a moment before I accepted it. "T-thank you. What are you doing here?" I felt nervous as he watched me wipe my mouth with his handkerchief.
I could feel my heart starting to beat faster. Did he follow me here?
"I saw you running away with your hand on your mouth. I thought something was wrong, so I followed you."
I clenched the white cloth in my hand. "I just… felt upset with the smell of caviar."
"Caviar?" His eyes slightly slanted. "That's your favorite, right?"
I cleared my throat. "Well, not anymore. My… baby hates it."
His eyes drifted to my belly. "Mom says you're four months pregnant. Is that true?"
This time, I felt like my heart stopped beating for a second. I swallowed.
"Yes," I said, in my most casual voice. "I'm four months pregnant with Gideon's child."
Charlie's eyes found mine. "Is it really Gideon's, Bianca?" he asked, his dark orbs boring into mine.
"W-what are you talking about, Charlie?" I muttered, my lips parted in disbelief. "Of course, this is Gideon's."
He couldn't know that this child was him and not Gideon.
I'm sorry, Charlie. But this is both for our own good.
"Excuse me. I need to go back," I said before I walked past him. I needed to avoid him. At all costs.
"Bianca, wait." He stopped me by grabbing my arm. I was forced to turn my head on him.
"What's this?" Charlie's dark eyebrows were now crossed in one line. His eyes were on my wrist.
"You have a bruise," he said, his thumb touching the red mark on my skin.
I took my hand from him. "Don't touch me, Charlie."
I looked at him and was welcomed by Charlie's sharp eyes. His lips were almost in a grim line. "Is Gideon hurting you, Bianca?"
My lips parted. "N-no. Of course not. He could never do that to me."
"Then why do you have that bruise?"
I swallowed as I touched my left wrist with my thumb. I wanted to walk away and ignore his question, but I knew that would make him doubt me even more.
"This is none of your business, Charlie. But to answer you… I had this last night… when Gideon and I had sex. Your brother and I… we both liked it hard."
Charlie's eyebrows crossed in one line. "You both like it hard? But you're pregnant, Bianca," he muttered in a cold voice, not believing me for a bit.
He looked me in the eyes. His sharp eyes were piercing through my soul. I could hear my heart wanting to get out of my body.
His face softened a bit. "Your eyes… they're telling me you're lying. Be honest with me, is Gideon hurting you?"
I opened my mouth to answer... but then I closed them again when I saw Gideon walking towards us.
"What are you doing here with my wife?"
"G-GIDEON!" I muttered when Gideon grabbed me in the arm and placed me at his side. He didn't give me a glance as his eyes stayed on Charlie. "What are you doing with my wife, Charlie?" Gideon asked in a dark voice. "Didn't I ask you to stay away from her?" "I saw your wife throwing up, Gideon," Charlie answered with the same dangerous voice as Gideon. "I just helped her. If you don't want to see you with another man, then you should've never left her side." I could feel the tension between the two men. I knew Gideon hated his brother. But Charlie... this is the first time I've seen him with this expression on his face. "G-Gideon... Charlie just helped me." I grabbed his left arm. "Let's go..." I knew Gideon wouldn't make a scene here. And Charlie... he's never violent, but he's very perceptive. I didn't want him to notice anything. Gideon's left arm snaked to my waist. "The next time I see you near my wife, you know what I'd do, Charlie." He gritted his teeth before pullin
I TOOK a deep breath as I stared at the suitcase in front of me. This is it, Bianca. No more backing out. Today, I finally decided to escape from Gideon. I couldn't allow myself to stay with him any longer. After what happened that night... five days ago... I suddenly found the courage to leave. I know how powerful Gideon is. I have all the reasons to be scared of him. But if I continued to be like this—scared, weak, and pathetic—I would lose my baby. I shut my eyes when I remembered how terrified I was that night... when I thought I already lost my baby. "If something happened to my baby, I would have fucking killed you, Gideon Henry." I angrily muttered to Gideon. The corner of my eyes were hot with unshed tears. I was lying on our king-sized bed after our doctor left. Of course. The powerful and ruthless Gideon Henry didn't drive me to the hospital. Instead, he called for a private doctor to come to his house. My hand protectively held onto my belly. The doctor tol
I woke up in an unfamiliar room. It took me a while before I could finally open my eyes and adjust to the blinding lights. "Bianca, you're awake." I stopped when I heard a familiar voice beside me. I turned to my side and saw... Charlie. He was sitting on the couch near me. He looked like he just woke up with his slightly disheveled hair and creased long-sleeve shirt. What was he doing here? My lips parted when he stood up and went to me. I looked around the room. Everything was white. My heart started pounding. "W-where am I?" I asked, my lips trembling when I saw the IV tube on my arm. "You're in the hospital, Bianca." Just like that, everything came back to me. I was finally escaping from Gideon. I was driving on the road when I received a call from Amelia... saying that Gideon had been in an accident. The news shocked me that I momentarily forgot I was in the middle of the road. Then... a truck. It was coming my way. The last thing u saw before I lost my consciousness
"OH. I'm so sorry, Bianca." Amelia cried as she pulled me into a tight embrace. It was my third day in the hospital when Amelia and Darwin came. I thought I had already become numb from the past three days. But the moment I heard Amelia sobbed, hot liquid pooled in my eyes. "My poor grandchild." I didn't know how long we stayed in each other's arms until we both calmed down. "I'm sorry it took us days before we visited you," Amelia apologized while holding my arms. I stared at her. She seemed five years older than the last time I saw her—at her own party a week ago. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. Her porcelain skin was now dry and saggy. "How are you, Bianca?" she asked in a gentle voice. "Charlie told me you're not properly eating your meals." "I don't have the appetite," I said in a weak voice. She grabbed my hand and gently pressed it. "The baby... Charlie said he looked just like you." "C-Charlie?" "Yes… Bianca." Amelia gave a gentle smile. "Charlie buried
Five months ago… "Will you miss me?" Charlie asked as he rested both of his hands on my shoulders. I tilted my chin to meet his eyes. "Of course," I said, pouting my lips. "My fiance will be away for three months. I'm sure as hell going to miss him badly." Charlie was my boyfriend, who became my fiancé a week ago. We met each other three months ago in the New York public library. I couldn't forget the first time we met. I was in the adult section of the library when he approached me and asked for directions. And because I got mesmerized by his face, I accidentally gave him the wrong direction. A playful smile appeared on his lips. "Would you come with me, then?" I pouted as I played with his hair. "You know I have work, right?" I was working as a children's librarian at the New York Public Library, where we met. "Yeah." He chuckled, making his eyes turn into slits. "I'm just trying my luck." Charlie was half-American, half-Korean. He was so good looking with his mixed Asia
"LAST month, I lost a lot of money at the casino. There, I met Mr. Gideon Henry. He lent me a huge amount of money without asking for collateral… He said he's confident that I could win back all the money I lost…" I was pacing back and forth in front of Dad as I listened to his explanation. "But that didn't happen… I didn't win. I lost every penny I borrowed from him. Gideon Henry… gave me one month to pay off my debt. He said that if I didn't pay him on time, he would send me to jail." "Dad…" I stopped in front of him. I shut my eyes as my hand went to my forehead. "Why did you only tell me about this now?" We just talked on the phone last week, and he didn't mention anything to me. "Why did you keep me in the dark, Dad?" "I didn't want to give you problems, Bianca." I wanted to get mad at him. For hiding things from me. But somehow, I wanted to blame myself for not being perceptive enough. I thought he was doing fine here. I had no idea he was already dealing with something.
"DAMN." I muttered as I glanced at my bankbook on the center table. In a week, I was only able to collect five hundred thousand dollars from the loan I took out from the bank. Dad emerged from the kitchen with a cup of coffee. He placed it in front of me. "You still haven't eaten lunch." I've been staying here with my father for a week now. After filing a leave of absence from my work, I went back here to Portland. "It's okay, Dad." I gave him a small smile. "I'm still full from the pancake you made for breakfast earlier." Dad sighed as he sat beside me. "I'm sorry, Bianca. I'm sorry for giving you problems." "Dad..." I looked at him. "I'm sorry that I had to resort to gambling every time I missed your mother." He lowered his head. "I'm sorry. I have never been truly okay since your mother left me." Dad placed his hand to cover his face. My heart wretched when I realized he was crying. The last time I saw him like this was when my mother died. "I'm sorry, Bianca. I failed y
I WAS back in the present when I heard the door open behind me. I turned my head only to be paralyzed when I saw who entered the room. "What are you doing here?" I asked Charlie, looking away and bringing back my eyes to the unconscious man lying on the hospital bed. After Gideon got transferred here, I haven't seen Charlie again. Until now. "I'm here to visit my brother." He said. From the corner of my eyes, I saw him standing a few feet beside me. "You should have waited for your turn, Charlie. This is my private time with my… husband." I almost whispered my last word. "I wanted to talk to you," he said in a gentle voice. The corner of my eyes heated up. "We have nothing to talk about, Charlie." "I heard about what happened to your father from Mom," he said instead. "I'm sorry, Bianca." I bit my lower lip. I only managed to nod at him without looking his way. I was afraid my own emotions would betray me. "I'll leave you here…" I said, almost in a whisper. I couldn't s