บททั้งหมดของ THE KING’S UNWANTED BABY MAMA : บทที่ 71 - บทที่ 80

CHAPTER SEVENTY ONE I let out a painful, bitter laugh that echoes off the walls of the suite. Did he just… call me Mel? His voice, low, hoarse, impossibly affectionate, cuts through the tense silence of the suite. Jake’s voice is low, hoarse, heavy with something I can’t identify. Surprise? Regret? Desire? I don’t know, and I don’t want to. My hands tremble slightly as I clutch the bracelet, like it anchors me to a past I swore I would never revisit. "I want to go back to my work." I say. His voice comes again, softer this time, almost a whisper: “I… I’m sorry.” I freeze. Did he really just say that? After everything? After the lies, the betrayal, the nights I cried myself into exhaustion, the public disgrace he helped orchestrate? No. No. I cannot forgive him. I will never forgive him. And yet, I find myself staring at him. He’s still on his knees, head slightly bowed, a storm of conflicting emotions in his eyes that mirror the chaos inside me. My ch

CHAPTER SEVENTY THREE I send a brief message to my PA. Chris, take the woman to another room. Have her freshen up. Keep the lights dim. I’m not using this suite. Because this room is not just a room. Melissa is the only woman I have ever allowed within these walls. I change into something simple, dark trousers, and a black hoodie, nothing royal, nothing heavy. I ask for drinks to be brought up, but I start drinking before they arrive. Slowly. Thoughtfully. Each sip burns its way down my throat, dulling memories I don’t want to feel tonight. Eventually, my phone vibrates. *She’s ready and waiting.* I pull a face cap low over my eyes and take the elevator because the room is below. I prefer not to be seen. When I enter, the air is thick, perfume, anticipation, dim lighting casting shadows across silk and skin. She is already sprawled across the bed, confident, posed, her body arranged like an offering. Lingerie clings where it should, revealing enough to pro

CHAPTER SEVENTY FIVE ADRIAN’S POV We move from one production department to another, deeper into the heart of the refinery. The noise is constant, metal grinding against metal, machines roaring like beasts that never sleep. The heat is suffocating even with the protective gear on. I watch the men work, their movements fast, precise, exhausted. They work like soldiers in a war they never chose. And yet they are treated like slaves. I see rusted pipes held together with temporary seals. Worn-out gauges. Cracked metal patched instead of replaced. Everywhere I look, corners have been cut, lives traded for profit. “These metals are low quality,” I say sharply, running a gloved hand over a corroded surface. One of the workers nods bitterly. “Yes, my king. Almost everything here is substandard.” Another speaks up, his voice muffled behind his mask. “Pipes burst almost every day. Last week, hot chemicals spilled on a man’s skin. He screamed for hours.” My stomach twis

CHAPTER SEVENTY SEVEN The words slice deep. “So you joined in framing me?” I ask softly. “You watched me lose everything and thought that was justice?” She doesn’t deny it. Instead, she shrugs. “I thought you deserved to go through worse because I fucking hate you” Silence crashes down. Jake looks torn, guilt etched into his face. “Melissa” I raise a hand, stopping him. “No,” I say firmly. She steps closer, her voice dripping with triumph. “Just look at you,” she says slowly, deliberately. “Still suffering. Still struggling.” Her lips curve into a cruel smile. “And look at me. I’m doing so well. I’m with my man.” She gestures to Jake like he’s a trophy. “That’s destiny,” she continues. “You were nothing but an intruder.” The words slide off me more than she expects. I can feel it, her need for a reaction, for proof that she still has power over me. Then her gaze drops. To my stomach. Her eyes narrow, calculating, vicious. “I guess you gav

CHAPTER SEVENTY NINE Thinking about it now, I never did Adrian wrong. That truth sits heavy in my chest, like a stone I’ve been carrying for too long. “I never hurt him,” I whisper, more to myself than to Nina. “I never betrayed him. I never lied.” My voice shakes as the memories crawl back in, vivid and cruel. “I reached out during labor,” I continue, my throat tightening. “I was in pain, Nina. Real pain. The kind that splits you open and makes you feel like you’re dying and being reborn at the same time.” My hands tremble in my lap. “I remember holding my phone between contractions,” I say, my voice cracking. “Hoping. Just hoping that when I make it out, and unlock my phone, there would be a message from him. Even one line. Even just… you’re strong or I’m here, even if he couldn’t be physically present.” I let out a broken laugh that turns into a sob. “But instead,” i was blocked.” The words fall like glass between us. “With all that pain,” I whisper, tears fin