Chapter 6

At the hospital.

The bleeding stopped, but Lauren still hadn't woken.

The doctor looked at Miles as though he were a monster.

He explained Lauren’s condition, then left without another word.

Miles sat beside her bed.

He waited for her to wake.

"You're pregnant," he said.

Lauren’s eyes flew open. Her pale lips trembled.

She always wanted a child she could share with Jensen.

Jensen slept with her often enough over the past five years, but she never showed any sign of becoming pregnant.

She rested a hand on her abdomen. She lost so much blood that she could still feel it leaving her body.

"Is the baby going to be all right?" she asked.

"For now."

That was all Miles said.

Lauren’s face turned even paler. "Thank you."

Miles looked at her, his eyes dark with sadness.

She wasn't like this before.

The young heiress of the Sullivan family was brilliant in business, bold and full of life. Her proud smile drew people to her.

The woman before him accepted every hurt and endured it in silence.

He hardly recognized her.

"Lauren Sullivan! The thing I regret most is believing you'd be happy if you married Jensen!"

Lauren lowered her head. The harsh white light made her face look paler still.

For the first time, she didn't defend Jensen.

Even she began to wonder whether she was wrong to insist on marrying him.

She said nothing.

Silence settled over the room.

Then the door swung open, and Jensen strode toward her, his face grim.

Miles stepped in front of him with a smile that held no warmth. "Mr. Shaw. Enjoying yourself?"

"Get out."

Jensen’s voice was icy.

Miles didn't move. "Didn't you have enough earlier? Did you come to the hospital to do it again? Is that little girlfriend of yours just there to look pretty?"

The two men chatted pleasantly at the reception.

Now they looked ready to fight.

"Miles."

Lauren cut him off, her face tight with embarrassment. "This is between Jensen and me. Please go."

Jensen gave a cold laugh.

People who knew someone would stand up for them could afford to be bold.

"Fine. Very well."

Miles looked at them both, then slammed the door behind him.

He had barely taken two steps when he saw Vivian approaching in her elegant clothes.

He looked at her. "Enjoying the spectacle?"

He left the reception in a hurry, but he heard the guests talking.

While he was overseas, business partners often spoke about Lauren as though her marriage were a joke.

Their stories of her lonely, miserable life didn't come close to what she endured.

Vivian gave him a knowing look. "You picked quite a time to come back, Mr. Stone."

Miles smiled mockingly. "When it comes to taking advantage of an opportunity, I still have a lot to learn from you, Miss Shea."

Vivian’s polite expression vanished.

"Mr. Shaw has plenty of beautiful women around him," Miles went on. "Are you afraid you'll lose your place if you leave him alone for five minutes?"

He was mocking her as a woman who used men to get ahead—one who even followed Jensen to the hospital to keep an eye on him.

"I'm flattered that a busy man like you has time to worry about me," Vivian said with an angry smile.

"I remember how smitten you were with Lauren years ago. We all thought she'd become Mrs. Stone. Why did you pretend you barely knew her tonight?"

Lauren was a married woman. What did Miles think he was doing?

He acted perfectly respectable through the first half of the reception. The moment Lauren was hurt, his true feelings showed.

Miles looked at Vivian coldly. "Keep interfering, Vivian Shea. If you manage to split them up, I'll send you a generous gift."

He walked past her.

"You're welcome."

Vivian reached for the hospital room door.

Then she thought better of it and walked away.

Inside the room, Jensen stared at Lauren coldly. "You'd better explain what happened."

"I'm pregnant. I almost miscarried."

Lauren looked up.

Under the bright lights, her pale eyes seemed unfocused. "Mr. Stone happened to pass by."

She spoke calmly.

But she kept reminding herself not to look into Jensen’s eyes.

She feared she would fall apart if she did.

"You blame me?" Jensen asked, as though he found his answer.

Lauren said nothing.

"I don't want this child," he said.

Her head snapped up, and she met his cold gaze.

She heard every word clearly. "Lauren Sullivan, wasn't it enough for you to make me sick? Do you want to bring a little version of you into the world to do it too?"

All warmth seemed to leave her heart.

Tears spilled from Lauren’s eyes without warning. "This is your child. You can hate me, but why do you hate the baby too?"

Jensen paused.

Then he looked at her and spoke with deliberate clarity. "I could never love anything connected to you, Lauren Sullivan."