Chapter 6

KAIA

“You should be more careful next time,” the prison Doctor said to me. “You almost lost your babies.”

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion after he’d said the words. For a moment, I thought I’d heard wrong.

“Wait? Babies?”

He wrote something down on his notepad after using his stethoscope on me. I fixated my eyes on him, waiting for every word that left his lips.

“Yes, Ms. Bennett,” he responded with a small smile tugging at his lips. “You’re pregnant with twins.”

I felt a sharp ringing in my ears and I scoffed in disbelief.

Twins?

It wasn’t just one baby like I thought?

My emotions began to flood through my body. A mixture of excitement and sadness filled my mind, and it increased my desperation for freedom.

“Congratulations, Ms. Bennett.” He said again, his voice jolting me out of my reverie.

I swallowed hard, forced a small smile over my lips, then nodded like I wasn’t completely broken inside.

My mind drifted to Bryce again. If only, he hadn’t turned his back on me, maybe we would’ve raised these babies together.

But… that was only a mere thought that stemmed from past memories and a broken heart.

Even if he showed up right in front of me at that moment, it wouldn’t change the hatred that I had for him.

I hated Bryce Holloway for tossing me into prison like I hadn’t spent the last six years of my life sacrificing what I had for him.

All for what?

Power? More fame and wealth? A marriage with my stepsister because he felt she was the true love of his life?

The doctor prescribed and gave me a few medicines, told me to rest for the rest of the day, then took his leave.

Five minutes after he left, Jessie came with an announcement and a tray of food.

“You’ve got a visitor,” she said, setting the tray on the table next to me.

I sighed tiredly. “Is Roman here because you told him I fainted and bled?”

He was always there whenever she complained about anything that happened to me.

And I felt like it wasn’t necessary most of the time. He was an Attorney, and he had more important matters to handle than constantly being there to see me.

“It’s not Attorney Roman,” Jessie stated. “It’s your ex-husband.”

My eyes widened. “Bryce?”

What was he doing there after months of ghosting me?

The divorce was already finalized, and he’d gotten what he wanted. There wasn’t anything binding us together except the babies which he had no idea about.

Or did Vivian say something to him?

Did she open her lousy mouth and utter words that weren’t true as usual?

“That lousy woman,” I muttered under my breath. “She must’ve said something that prompted his sudden visit.”

I regretted that I’d given her an audience when she came the other day. Honestly, I didn’t even want to see Bryce, but I had to force myself after Jessie coerced me to give him a listening ear.

The moment he saw me, he stood up from his seat and began to lash out like it was something he’d waited so long to do.

His eyes fell on my stomach first, and they narrowed angrily.

“So, it’s true?” He snapped. “You’ve been messing with men here?”

I didn’t even have the strength to be annoyed at his remarks. I sat down because the pregnancy was telling on me, and I remained calm.

That infuriated Bryce more, and his voice grew louder. “Didn’t you hear what I said?”

I snickered. “What’s your deal, Bryce? The last time I checked, we’re divorced. Why are you here and yelling about something that’s none of your business?”

“Because Vivian told me that you were pregnant,” he confirmed my suspicions. “And I didn’t expect it to be true.”

I hissed. “That shouldn’t be your problem.”

“You really moved on that quickly?” He scoffed. “We’ve been barely divorced. And I thought Vivian was lying.”

Like I cared?

Vivian was always running her mouth even without being asked anything. I’d let that stop bothering me a long time ago.

My voice remained firm and calm in the midst of the storm brewing inside me. It had taken lots of pain and humiliation for me to get to that point.

And I had my unsupportive, vile family to thank for that.

“For the last time, Bryce,” I said. “My pregnancy shouldn’t be your business.”

“But it is,” he said angrily. “You’re my wife, Kaia.”

“Ex-wife,” I corrected through gritted teeth. “You brought the divorce papers and I signed it, remember?”

He swallowed hard and paused for a moment. I thought I saw a flicker of regret in his eyes, but it didn’t last long before shifting into something neutral again.

“We’ve only been divorced for three months, Kaia.”

Yet he was remarried to my stepsister.

“And?”

He paused again, his eyes fixed on my stomach like he was silently calculating, then he raised his eyes to my face.

“Wait, don’t tell me it’s what I’m thinking, Kaia.”

I absolutely did not care about whatever he was thinking.

“I have a question for you, Kaia,” he whispered, his voice calm as he leaned towards me. “And I need you to answer it genuinely.”

My heart began to race, and I tried not to think too much about what he had in mind. I darted my eyes away from him, irritated by his sight.

“I’m talking to you, Kaia.”

“And you haven’t asked your question,” I retorted before standing up angrily. “In fact, don’t ask me anything because I’m not going to respond.”

A part of me already knew what he wanted to ask, and I didn’t want to give him any answer.

I made an attempt to turn around and leave, but Bryce grabbed my wrist, stopping me from leaving.

My eyes glanced at his fingers tightened around my wrist before looking at his face.

“Please,” his voice croaked. “Just answer me.”

It was hard to believe that Bryce was the same person pleading for a question. I mean, after everything he’d done, I never expected him to show his face to me anymore.

My stomach churned, and I remained there against my will, my heart pounding violently in my chest.

When I didn’t say anything, his voice proceeded to ask slowly.

“Is that baby mine, Kaia?”