Chapter 5: She Was Pregnant?

Adam Brooks sat in his office, shoulders slumped, eyes blank as he stared at the wall ahead.

Everything around him felt quiet, almost too quiet, like the calm after a storm that left everything broken.

His hands were resting on the table, but his heart was heavy. A pain that started small in his chest had now grown into something unbearable.

The name – Celine, rang in his head like a bell that refused to stop. He could still see her face; those eyes that once looked at him with love, those lips that used to call him sweetheart, those hands that once held his during their night walks.

Everything felt so far away now. Like it all happened in another life.

He stood up from his chair slowly, walked to the window, and pulled the curtain aside. Outside, the street buzzed with life, people going about their day as if nothing had changed.

But for Adam, everything had changed. Everything.

How did they get here? How did love turn into betrayal? How did the woman he fought so hard for, against his mother and everyone else, end up being the one that broke him the most?

He remembered those early days when Evelyn, his mother, would look at him and shake her head.

"That girl is not one of us, Adam. She came for your name. For your money. For your status."

But he didn't listen.

He had seen something in Celine. Something pure. He had believed she was different. That she saw the man in him, not the name.

He had loved her fiercely, defended her against every accusation, every insult, every suspicion.

And now? Now he felt like a fool.

He sighed deeply and leaned his forehead against the glass. His chest rose and fell with silent anger.

He had believed in her. Chosen her even when his family disowned him for it.

And this was how she’d paid him back?

Then his phone rang, snapping him out of his thoughts.

He turned to the desk and checked the screen. George.

He picked the call. "Hello."

"Guy, what’s up now? I just thought of calling you, know… to remind you of our hanging out this evening, same spot. Even the mayor will be joining us. Don’t miss it. You need this, man, to clear your head."

Adam closed his eyes. Even the sound of George’s voice irritated him.

"I'm not in the mood," he said flatly.

"Come on, Adam. You need it. Things have been rough lately. Just this once—"

"I said I'm busy," Adam cut in sharply and ended the call without saying goodbye.

He dropped the phone back on the desk and returned to the window. But his peace didn’t last long.

The phone vibrated again. He ignored the first call. It stopped. Then came again.

This time, annoyed and without checking the screen, he picked up the call.

"What?! Let me be, man! I'm not coming anywhere!" he snapped.

The voice on the other end paused, then said calmly, "Sorry, Mr. Brooks. This is Inspector David from the police department."

Adam's face changed immediately.

"Oh... I'm sorry, Inspector David. I thought it was someone else. Is everything okay?"

There was a short silence.

"Not really. We just received a call about your wife... or ex-wife. Celine Wright. She was attacked very badly and is admitted at St. Mary’s Hospital right now."

Adam froze.

"What?!" he shouted, the panic rising in his voice.

"She was found unconscious, bleeding, and in a very bad state. Someone called us and also helped rush her to the hospital. We thought it best to inform you."

Adam didn’t wait to hear anything else. He ended the call, grabbed his car keys, and rushed out of the office.

His heart was pounding so hard he could barely breathe. The only thing on his mind was Celine. No matter what had happened between them, no matter how hurt he felt, she didn’t deserve to be harmed.

He waited for a moment inside his car. Was he supposed to till be feeling this way, about her?

After everything she did to her?

He sighed heavily and shoved off the thoughts.

He drove recklessly, ignoring the traffic lights, not even caring about speed limits. When he reached the hospital, he jumped out of the car and ran inside.

"Please! I need to see someone! My wife was rushed in here. Her name is Celine Brooks!" he said breathlessly as he got to the front desk.

The receptionist looked up, clearly startled by his urgency.

"Can you spell the name, please?"

"C-E-L-I-N-E. Celine Brooks. She was attacked. I just got a call from the police."

Seeing the woman’s confusion after looking at her monitor, he sighed. “Well, Celine Wright. She’s my ex-wife.”

The woman blinked, then turned to her colleague beside her. They exchanged a quiet, knowing glance.

Adam saw it.

"What is it? Why are you looking like that? What happened to her?" he asked, his voice now shaking.

The receptionist leaned forward slowly, her tone quiet. "Sir... she was here. Yes. She was brought in. Badly injured. Unconscious. But... she has been discharged."

Adam couldn’t believe what he just heard.

"What? Discharged? By who? To where?!"

"A man came earlier when she regained consciousness, claiming he knows her of which she agreed. She was discharged and they left."

Adam blinked. "A man? Who? Took her to where?!"

“And we’re sorry, she lost the child,” the receptionist added.

“What? What do you mean ‘she lost the baby?’” Adam asked, feeling even more confused and frustrated. “She was pregnant? Like really pregnant?”