All Chapters of Mr. Billionaire, Your Heir Isn’t Yours!: Chapter 71 - Chapter 78

CEDRICI leaned against the corridor wall, staring at the phone screen where I had just sent a message. It had been read, but there was no reply. Honestly, I hadn’t expected one right away. Still, Elena’s silence only made the tightness in my chest worse. She was probably hurting and anxious right now.I roughly rubbed my face and let out a long breath. Brian and Erika had already regained consciousness, yet for some reason my thoughts kept drifting back to Elena. My instincts told me Edward had already intimidated her, saying things that only made her more afraid.Sitting alone on the corridor bench, the smell of antiseptic and the sound of footsteps around me felt increasingly oppressive. The knowledge that Edward was still wandering around on the same floor only added to the weight in my head. I clearly needed air.I pushed myself up from the bench and walked toward the nearest exit. The moment the automatic doors opened, the night air swept across my face. I inhaled deeply, trying

EDWARDI walked back into the hospital corridor with steps that were still tense. The argument I’d just had with Elena in the parking lot kept replaying in my head. That woman truly had no sense of shame. Bringing her family problems to my younger brother, letting Cedric get involved, as if I weren’t enough.I exhaled harshly, about to head toward the waiting area, when a nurse stepped out of one of the rooms on the right and stopped me.“Excuse me, sir…” The nurse looked at me hesitantly. “Are you Mrs. Lilian’s son?”I frowned. “No. I’m her son-in-law.”The nurse’s expression eased slightly. “Oh, I see. I’ve been looking for her family. Mrs. Lilian just regained consciousness, sir. She’s a bit restless and keeps asking for her daughter. She said she wants to see her child.”I fell silent for a moment. I remembered leaving Elena alone in the parking lot. She was probably still crying like a fool right now.“Or perhaps you’d like to visit Mrs. Lilian in her daughter’s place?” the nurse

ELENAMy cheek was burning. I hadn’t even processed what was happening when a sharp stinging pain spread across the side of my face. My body staggered, my knees gave out, and before I realized it, I was already on the floor. My ears rang. My breath came in short gasps.I slowly lifted my face, still half in disbelief. Edward stood in the doorway, his jaw tight and his eyes ice-cold. There was no other emotion except restrained fury.“You shameless bitch,” he said in a low voice, yet every word cut deep. “So you dare ignore my message, huh?”I pressed a hand to my still-throbbing cheek. Tears welled up immediately—not only from the pain, but from the way he looked at me, as if I weren’t his wife but something disgusting.“Edward…” My voice cracked. “I—”“Shut your mouth.”He stepped inside and closed the door behind him with deliberate slowness. The soft click of the lock was quiet, yet it was enough to make my entire body tense. Now it was just the two of us in the room. And from the

ELENA“Elena? Can you hear me?”Edward’s voice jolted me out of my thoughts and back into reality. But instead of answering, my trembling fingers pressed the button to end the call. The phone screen went dark again, yet Edward’s question continued to echo in my ears.Boy… or girl?I stood frozen at the end of the hospital corridor, my breaths coming short and shallow. The tears I had struggled to hold back began spilling down my cheeks again. People passed by, some of them glancing in my direction, but I barely noticed. All I wanted was to get out of this place as quickly as possible.With unsteady steps, I left the building and climbed into the first taxi I saw.Throughout the ride, I stared out the window without really seeing anything. One word kept circling endlessly in my mind.If the baby is a girl, it means I’ll be thrown out of the Ashford family.As soon as I arrived at the mansion, I went straight to my room. I locked the door from the inside and sank onto the edge of the be