บททั้งหมดของ Pregnant For My Best Friend's Rival : บทที่ 31 - บทที่ 40

Mikel's POVI stood outside Katherine's door for a long moment, my forehead pressed against the cool wood, listening to the soft rhythm of her breathing. She was finally asleep. But I couldn't rest. Not yet.I pushed off from the wall and walked down the hallway, my footsteps echoing in the silence of the mansion. My mind was racing, a storm of rage and guilt and desperate need. I'd held her. I'd comforted her. I'd promised her she was safe.But I hadn't told her the truth.I reached my study and closed the door behind me, the soft click of the lock sounding too loud in the quiet room. I didn't turn on the lights. I didn't need them. The glow of the monitors was already illuminating the space, casting shadows across the walls.I walked to my desk and sat down, my eyes fixed on the screens.The CCTV footage.I'd installed the cameras weeks ago before I moved into her neighborhood just to be sure that I could always have my eyes on her from wherever I was.She didn't know. She couldn't

Jason's POVI lay on the floor for what felt like hours, surrounded by the shards of my shattered pride. The broken glass glittered under the dim light, each fragment a reflection of the man I'd become—shattered, useless, beyond repair.My mother's words echoed in my mind, each one a fresh wound.You're a disappointment. You always have been. And you always will be.For the first time in my life, I didn't try to push the pain away. I didn't reach for another bottle. I didn't call someone to distract me. I just lay there, letting the weight of my failures crash over me like waves.I thought about Katherine—the way she'd looked at me in that apartment, her eyes filled with terror. I'd loved her for so long, but I'd never really loved her. Not the way she deserved. I'd loved the idea of her, the possession of her, the validation she could give me. But I'd never once stopped to ask what she wanted, what she needed, what would make her happy.I thought about Brenda—the woman I'd used as a

Katherine's POVThe O'Connor estate gleamed under the afternoon sun as Mikel's car pulled through the iron gates. I sat in the passenger seat, my hands clasped tightly in my lap, my heart pounding against my ribs. I'd spent hours getting ready—choosing the perfect dress, styling my hair, applying my makeup with painstaking precision. I wanted to look like I belonged. I wanted to look like an O'Connor.The dress was a soft cream silk that fell just above my knees, elegant and understated. I'd paired it with pearl earrings—a gift from Mikel—and a pair of nude heels that made me feel taller, more confident. I'd practiced my smile in the mirror until it felt natural.But as we walked through the grand entrance of the estate, all my carefully constructed composure began to crumble.Eleanor O'Connor was waiting in the foyer, her posture perfect, her expression cool and assessing. She wore a dove-gray suit that screamed old money, her silver-streaked hair swept into an elegant chignon. She d

Katherine's POVThe drive home was a blur of streetlights and tears. I sat in the back of the town car, my hands trembling in my lap, my mind replaying the conversation with Mikel over and over again.Do you love me, Katherine? Or am I just a contract to you?I'd told him the truth. I'd admitted that I loved him, that he meant everything to me. But even as the words left my mouth, I'd felt a wave of regret wash over me. What had I done? I'd just made myself vulnerable to the one person who could destroy me.Because if Mikel didn't really feel the same way, if this was just a contract to him, a convenient arrangement, then I'd just handed him the keys to my heart.Of course he had once admitted that he loved me. As a matter of fact, his actions over time have been enough proof but I just couldn't understand why I was beginning to doubt now.I stumbled into the penthouse, my body numb with exhaustion. I didn't bother turning on the lights. I just collapsed onto the sofa, staring at the

Sophie's POVI leaned back in my chair, savoring the moment. Brenda was hooked—I could see it in her eyes, the desperate hunger for revenge that mirrored my own. She was exactly what I needed: a pawn with a personal vendetta, someone who would do whatever it took to bring Katherine down."My plan is simple," I said, my voice smooth and deliberate. "I have connections—journalists who owe me favors, editors who will run any story I feed them. They're hungry for scandal, and Katherine O'Connor is the perfect meal."Brenda leaned forward, her eyes gleaming. "What kind of scandal?"I smiled, pulling a folder from my designer bag and sliding it across the table. "Everything. The stripping. The club. The desperate financial situation she was in when she signed the contract." I opened the folder, revealing photographs and documents. "My private investigator has been gathering evidence for weeks. Every detail of her past, every shameful moment, every dirty secret."Brenda's eyes scanned the do