All Chapters of Mr. Billionaire, Your Heir Isn’t Yours!: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

ELENAThe afternoon sky hung heavy with clouds when the car I was riding in pulled up outside Marianne Hospital. I sat still for a few seconds before finally opening the door and stepping out.The familiar scent of antiseptic greeted me the moment I entered the lobby. This place felt far too familiar. Maybe even more familiar than my own home.For nearly two years now, I had been coming back and forth here, accompanying Mom through her treatments. Clutching my bag tightly against my stomach, I made my way toward the elevator. My head still felt crowded with thoughts from earlier.Cedric.The butterfly hair clip. And the way his gaze had become increasingly difficult to avoid. The more I thought about it, the more it felt as though everything was beginning to move in a direction that terrified me.The elevator doors slid open on the inpatient floor. I had barely stepped out when a soft voice I knew all too well brought me to an immediate stop.“Elena?”I turned at once.Lilian was sitti

CEDRIC“What exactly were you doing to end up like this?”Edward stormed into the treatment room and went straight to Elena’s bedside. His gaze dropped to her bandaged ankle. Instead of looking relieved, his jaw tightened.“How did you even manage to get hit by a car?” he continued sharply. “You’re so careless. You can’t even take care of yourself. How are you supposed to take care of your baby?”Elena immediately lowered her head.“I’m sorry. I was just—”“You’re pregnant, Elena!”His voice remained low. Yet somehow, that only made the atmosphere more oppressive.“The doctor already told you to be more careful. But you were walking around outside the hospital alone? Have you lost your mind?”“Edward, I’m sorry. I was trying to find a taxi to get home. Then the car suddenly hit me.”“Then why was Cedric here?”I looked at Edward without much expression.“It was a coincidence. I brought my secretary to the hospital earlier. When I was leaving, I happened to see Elena fall outside and br

EDWARD“Make sure your wife doesn’t act so carelessly again.”“Yes, ma’am.”Erika gave me a brief hug and patted my shoulder.“Take care of yourself, darling.”I nodded, watching her walk away down the corridor until her footsteps faded. For a moment, I reached for my phone again, which had started ringing.“Yes,” I answered shortly, not even checking the name on the screen.“The investor meeting has been moved up by an hour, sir. They’re requesting confirmation today.”“I already said earlier,” I replied flatly. “Don’t change the schedule without coordinating with me first.”There was a hesitant pause on the other end, but I didn’t wait for an explanation.“Just follow the last instructions.”I ended the call and slipped the phone back into my suit pocket.Erika’s footsteps were still echoing faintly down the corridor, growing more distant.At this hour, I should have been in the office. But because of Elena, I was stuck in a hospital instead. Situations like this shouldn’t be disrupt

ELENAI didn’t even realize when Edward became absorbed in his phone again. Ever since he’d delivered that threat, he hadn’t said another word. Silence settled back over the room. The occasional notification chimed from his phone as his fingers moved relentlessly across the screen, as though the conversation we’d just had had never happened at all.Meanwhile, I remained sitting stiffly on the hospital bed. I had tried to be careful. I had tried to do everything Edward wanted. Yet somehow, there was always something that left him dissatisfied. Slowly, I turned my head toward the window. The sky outside was beginning to darken.And for the first time that day, I felt truly exhausted. Without realizing it, I had been carrying this feeling for years—ever since I married Edward Ashford. At first, I always believed things would get better with time. That if I was patient enough, obedient enough, understanding enough, Edward would eventually see how hard I was trying.But year after year pass

ELENA“You don’t have to keep smiling like that, Mom.”I stirred the pieces of fruit in my small bowl as I watched Lilian. She’d been noticeably brighter than usual ever since I arrived.“How can I not smile?” she replied. “The doctor said everything is moving in the right direction.”A small smile tugged at my lips. It had been so long since I’d seen her look this peaceful. For months, every time I came to visit, all I saw was exhaustion. Sometimes she tried to hide it from me. Sometimes she pretended she was fine.But I knew. I knew how much she had been carrying all this time. That was why hearing the news about a potential donor yesterday had felt nothing short of a miracle.“I’m happy too, Mom.”Lilian reached for my hand and squeezed my fingers gently.“Now it’s your turn to take care of yourself.” Her gaze dropped to my ankle, still wrapped in bandages. “I’m not done scolding you for being careless on the road.”A soft laugh escaped me.“Then I’d better recover quickly so I can