Lahat ng Kabanata ng PREGNANT BY MY HUSBAND’S RIVAL: THE BILLIONAIRE'S REVENGE : Kabanata 31 - Kabanata 40

The air outside the bar was biting and cold. Mark stepped out onto the sidewalk, his collar turned up against the wind. He felt a strange, dizzying rush of confidence. He had played the game, he had lied to his boss, and he had secured a future with the Visser Group. He didn't hear the footsteps behind him until it was too late. Three men stepped out from the shadows of an alleyway. They didn't say a word. They didn't ask for his wallet or his keys. They moved with the cold, practiced efficiency of men who were paid to finish a job. One of them lunged forward, slamming a fist into Mark’s stomach. Mark doubled over, gasping for air, but the second man caught him by the hair and yanked his head back, smashing a heavy hand across his jaw.Mark hit the wet pavement hard. He tried to crawl toward the street, his hands scraping against the rough concrete, but they were already on top of him. It was a brutal, systematic beating, kicks to his ribs, a heavy boot to his shoulder, a final,

MARK’s POV The pain was the first thing I felt when I opened my eyes. It wasn't just a headache; it was a rhythmic pounding in my skull that matched the beating of my own heart. I was lying on the hard, cold concrete of the alleyway. My ribs felt like they had been shattered, and my mouth tasted like copper. I groaned, trying to roll over, but my body wouldn't cooperate."Don't move," a soft voice said from above me.I squinted. A woman was kneeling beside me. She looked like she had just finished a shift at a late night diner, wearing a worn out uniform and a heavy jacket. She just looked tired."Who are you?" I managed to say, my voice sounding like gravel."Just a passerby who heard the noise," she said, her hands gentle as she checked my pulse. "You look like you went through a meat grinder. You need to get to a hospital, or at least somewhere safe.""No hospital," I wheezed. "Just... take me home."It took a long time to get me to my feet. Every step was a fight against gravit

The night air inside the room was heavy and still. After Julian left my room, the silence felt even louder than the screaming in my head. I couldn't sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Mark’s face on that screen, smiling, relaxed, and pretending I didn't exist. I couldn't stay in that bed. I felt like the blankets were suffocating me. I got up, my body still aching from the crash, and wrapped a thick, silk robe around myself. I pushed the door to my room. To my surprise, it wasn't locked from the outside anymore. Julian had left it open, as if to say he finally trusted me not to run.I walked down the dark hallway, my bare feet silent on the cold marble. I didn't have a plan, but I found myself drawn to a faint light coming from the library at the end of the wing. When I pushed the heavy oak doors open, I saw Julian. He wasn't at his desk. He was sitting on a low velvet sofa by the fireplace, the orange glow of the embers dancing across his face. He had a book open on his la

The phone on Julian’s desk buzzed twice. He didn't rush to pick it up. He finished the last sip of his morning coffee, watching the steam curl into the air, before he finally reached for the device. The message was short. He’s gone. Now tell me what I get in return. Julian set the phone back down on the mahogany surface. A small, cold smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. Across from him, Marcus was leaning against the bookshelf, watching his boss with a look of pure confusion. "That was her?" Marcus asked. "Yes," Julian replied. "Mark will currently be sitting in a jail cell, trying to explain why his wife’s clothes are in the trash and a stranger is in his bed." Marcus shook his head. "I still don't get it, Julian. How did you do it? How did you manage to get Chloe, the woman who hates men like you more than anything to work for you? She’s Elena’s best friend. She’s loyal to a fault. How did you convince her to play along?" Julian leaned back in his chair. "I didn't have

ELENA’s POV The night was very dark. I was lying in the big bed in Julian’s room. I could not stop thinking about the video of Mark. I could not stop thinking about him in a jail cell. My head hurt and my stomach felt tight. I tried to turn over to find a good position, but a sharp pain shot through my middle.I gasped. I put my hands on my stomach. The pain came again. It felt like a hot wire was pulling tight inside me. I tried to sit up, but I felt very dizzy."Help," I whispered. My voice was very thin. "Someone help me."I reached for the bell on the nightstand. I knocked it over by mistake. It hit the floor with a loud noise. A few seconds later, the door opened. A maid ran in. She saw me holding my stomach and crying."Miss Elena? What is wrong?" the maid asked. She looked very scared."The baby," I groaned. "It hurts. It hurts so much."The maid did not wait. She ran back into the hallway. "Mr. Vane! Come quickly! It is the lady!"I heard fast footsteps. Julian ran into the