Chapter 4: The Death of Hope

When Celine let that two words out of her mouth, those words that had been pressing against her chest for days, it felt like the last thread holding her together.

“I’m pregnant.”

The room fell into a sudden, crushing silence. Time seemed to pause. Even Evelyn, who always had something cruel to say, stood frozen. Eyes widened. Mouths slightly open. For a moment, everything stilled.

Celine held her breath, staring straight into Adam’s face, praying to see something in his eyes. Something other than the hatred he had thrown at her moments ago.

And she did. A flicker. A small, fleeting moment of confusion or was it hesitation?

His eyes softened just for a second, and she felt the tiniest ray of hope shine through the cracks of her broken heart.

“I tried to tell you,” she said gently, stepping forward. “I called. I sent you messages. You never replied, Adam. You shut me out before I could even speak.”

He didn’t say a word. But he was listening now. She could see it.

“I didn’t want to tell you like this. Not in front of everyone. But you left me no choice. I’m carrying your child.”

A thick, uncomfortable silence swallowed the room again.

Then, like a snake slithering out of hiding, Evelyn stepped forward, her arms crossed and her voice sharp.

“You’re lying.”

Celine turned to face her. “I’m not. Why would I lie about something like this?”

Evelyn scoffed. “Because you’ve lost. The divorce is final. You’re no longer a Brooks. And now, here you are, pulling out your last card to gain sympathy.”

“I’m not seeking sympathy,” Celine shot back. “I’m fighting for the truth.”

“Oh please,” Evelyn snapped. “You’re using a fake pregnancy to crawl back into this family. It’s pathetic.”

“I told Barbra,” Celine said, turning to her friend who had just entered the room. “The moment I found out, I went straight to her.”

Barbra’s eyes shifted. The air changed again.

“Barbra,” Celine whispered. “Tell them. Tell them the truth.”

But Barbra wouldn’t meet her gaze.

“I’m sorry, Celine,” she said, each word falling like a slap. “But I can’t lie for you anymore.”

Celine’s knees buckled. She reached for the nearest armrest to steady herself.

“No… you were the first person I told…”

“I don’t know what you’re trying to do anymore,” Barbra added, turning away.

The final betrayal.

Celine’s world shattered in that moment. The silence in the room was now replaced with low murmurs, gasps, the sound of people whispering their judgments. She was no longer one of them. Not even Barbra was on her side.

Adam stepped forward, his expression hard again, his voice bitter.

“You’ll say anything to get attention, won’t you?” he hissed. “You think dragging an innocent child into this will make me forget the kind of woman you are?”

Tears slid down Celine’s cheeks. “I never betrayed you. Not once.”

“I hate you,” Adam said coldly. “I don’t just hate you, I despise* you.”

She stood there in the centre of the room like a shadow of the woman she once was.

“Fine,” she whispered. “Give me the papers.”

Adam picked them up from the table and threw them toward her. A pen followed, rolling across the floor until it tapped against her shoe.

She bent down, picked them up slowly, and walked to the table. Every step was heavy.

She signed the divorce papers without trembling.

Not because she was strong, but because she had run out of strength. She couldn’t cry anymore. She had already cried her soul out.

“There,” she said, handing the documents back. “You got what you wanted.”

Adam didn’t even respond. He turned and walked away, leaving her standing alone among the people to whom she was once family to.

“I’ll send your things,” he muttered as he disappeared down the hallway.

Just when she thought she had made it through with her dignity, Peter, Adam’s younger brother, stepped forward with a smirk. “Security!” he called out. “Please escort this woman out before she falls and accuses us of murder too.”

The guard approached.

“I know my way out,” Celine said quietly.

She walked toward the door, but Evelyn wasn’t done.

She grabbed Celine’s arm tightly and leaned in, her voice cold and sharp in her ear.

“Don’t you dare think of passing that bastard child off as a Brooks. Whatever filth you’re carrying doesn’t belong to this family.”

So she actually believed Celine was pregnant? And not just pregnant, but for her son – Adam?

Celine didn’t reply. She didn’t flinch. She didn’t cry. She just walked out.

She made it to the street. The gates closed behind her with a loud clang, cutting her off from the house where she had once dreamed of building her forever.

She stepped onto the pavement, not knowing where to go or what to do. Her arms wrapped around her stomach protectively as tears streamed down her face again.

She walked, slowly and without purpose. Each step felt like she was dragging the weight of her shattered life behind her.

Then she heard a terrifying sound that made her heart jump.

The screech of tyres. Approaching behind her.

She turned her head just in time to see a black car with dark-tinted windows veer suddenly into her lane.

She froze.

The car slammed its brakes, screeching to a stop just inches from her.

Her heart thudded against her chest. Her feet refused to move. But the moment she thought it was over, the car accelerated again.

“No!” she screamed, trying to leap to the side, but she was too slow.

The impact threw her into the air. Her body spun like a doll. She landed hard, crashing into a nearby wall with a loud, sickening thud.

Her back arched. Her legs twisted. Her head hit the pavement.

Blood pooled instantly.

Celine groaned, pain slicing through every inch of her. She couldn’t move. Her hands reached for her stomach, but they were trembling.

Her entire body pulsed with agony.

The car door opened, and a man stepped out. Tall. Lean. Wearing black gloves. His face was hard, eyes cold.

He approached her slowly.

Celine blinked through the blood in her eyes.

“Why…?” she gasped.

He knelt beside her, his voice quiet. “Someone sent me. You’re not wanted alive anymore.”

Her mouth opened, desperate. “Please… I’m pregnant. Please…”

The man stared at her belly, then smiled. A cruel, twisted smile.

“Oh, I know,” he said.

Then he punched her, so hard, right in her stomach.

Celine screamed. Her body arched. Pain exploded through her. She tried to roll away, but her limbs wouldn’t cooperate.

He punched her again.

And again.

He stood up and kicked her once, twice, his boots slamming into her stomach with force.

“No… please… stop!” she cried, barely audible.

He walked away casually, leaving her lying in a pool of her own blood.

Celine felt something warm and wet between her thighs. She knew what it was.

Her baby.

She reached weakly for her belly, her hand trembling. “No… no…”

Her vision blurred. Her lips quivered.

“Please save my baby…”

She looked around, hoping someone would come. But the street was empty. No footsteps. Not even a headlight from any corner. Just her, the blood, the night.

Her vision faded. Her breath slowed. Her hand stayed on her stomach.

And then… everything went black. She lay there, lifeless.