CH 5

Damian Kingsley

After Nora left the mansion, I excused myself from Ellen and the others. They attempted to persuade me to stay, but I knew my presence wasn’t particularly welcome either.

As I got into my car, I glanced through the window and spotted Nora standing beside the estate gates, clutching her handbag beneath the pouring rain.

Her dress was completely soaked, clinging to her body. She was shivering, her long hair hanging in wet strands around her face. She looked painfully vulnerable.

I knew Ellen and Clara well enough. Neither of them would have bothered arranging transportation for someone they had never liked.

I started the engine, drove toward the gate, and pulled up beside her. Then I lowered the passenger-side window.

“Get in. I’ll drive you home.”

Nora peered into the car, surprised to find me behind the wheel. Instead of accepting, she shook her head.

“It’s okay. The rain will stop soon. Thank you.”

I frowned. Was she seriously planning to stand there until the storm passed?

“Get in the car. Now.” My voice came out sharper than intended. “Don’t make me repeat myself.”

She glanced at the dark storm clouds before looking down at her drenched dress. Water continued dripping from her hair, and her shivering had become increasingly difficult to control.

After biting her lip hesitantly, she finally opened the door and climbed inside.

The warmth of the car seemed to catch her by surprise. She settled into the passenger seat, surrounded by the soft leather upholstery and the faint scent of my cologne.

I glanced at her. Her wet dress clung uncomfortably to her body, and I immediately looked away.

Saying nothing, I took off my suit jacket and handed it to her.

“Put this on.”

“Oh, thank you,” she murmured, quickly draping it over her shoulders.

“I’ll have it dry-cleaned and return it to you,” she added quietly.

“Give it to someone else. I don’t need it back.”

My reply sounded colder than necessary. Nora fell silent and didn’t say another word.

The car pulled away from the estate and glided through the rainy streets. Silence settled between us.

Nora curled into her seat, keeping her gaze fixed on the window. She did not start a conversation, and I didn’t force one.

Thirty minutes later, we arrived at her house.

She quickly gathered her belongings and reached for the door handle.

“Thank you for the ride,” she said hurriedly.

She left my jacket on the seat before stepping out.

I watched until she disappeared inside the house. Yet even after she was gone, her perfume lingered in the car, faintly clinging to the passenger seat and the jacket she’d worn.

I drew a slow breath and leaned back.

There was something about that woman that unsettled me more than I cared to admit. Even her lingering scent was enough to stir an attraction I had no business entertaining.

She was my nephew’s wife.

Whatever I was feeling, I had to keep it under control.

I’d experienced nothing quite like this before.

I started the engine and drove away.

**

Nora Hastings

The moment I stepped inside the house a wave of dizziness washed over me.

My body felt strangely hot despite my soaked clothes, and my head grew increasingly heavy. I tried to steady myself against the wall, but the room spun.

I needed to change.

That was my last coherent thought before everything went black.

When I regained consciousness, I lay in a hospital bed.

I slowly turned my head, looking around the unfamiliar room. The curtains were drawn, and the steady beeping of medical equipment filled the silence.

I was alone.

“Ma’am, you’re finally awake!”

A nurse appeared beside my bed, looking visibly relieved.

“You developed a high fever last night. Your housekeeper found you lying unconscious on the bedroom floor. She tried contacting your husband, but he couldn’t be reached, so she called 911.”

The nurse checked my temperature with a digital thermometer before continuing.

“Your housekeeper stayed with you throughout the night. She only went home a little while ago to collect some of your belongings. Now, let me check how you’re doing.”

I nodded weakly.

So, I’d been thrown out of the family gathering, left standing in the pouring rain, and eventually collapsed from a fever.

And Ryan? He hadn’t even answered his phone when I needed him.

I stared at the ceiling, feeling an overwhelming sense of exhaustion.

What else could go wrong?

After finishing her examination, the nurse excused herself and left me alone.

Restless and tired of staring at the same four walls, I got out of bed and took a short walk. My thoughts were a tangled mess, and I desperately needed some fresh air.

I slowly made my way down the hospital corridor, passing several rooms along the way. Then, as I turned a corner, I stopped dead in my tracks.

Ryan.

He was just coming out of an obstetrician’s office. But he wasn’t alone. A woman walked beside him, holding his hand. Her fingers remained intertwined with his as she leaned closer to him.

Then I noticed something else. Her other hand was resting on her stomach, gently stroking the slight curve beneath her clothes.

She was pregnant.