Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 51 - Chapitre 60

I told Brenda about the call before I left the shop.She listened without interrupting, then said, “Forward the number if it shows. Don’t call back. Don’t accept favours from people who introduce themselves through Damien’s old routes.”“I wasn’t going to.”“Good. How is production?”“On schedule.”“Keep it that way. Work is your cleanest answer.”Adrian got the update next. He didn’t explode. He didn’t send drivers to sit outside my door. He only said, “If any name tries to attach itself to your materials, tell me. We’ll cut that line out.”“I can cut lines too.”“I know. I’m not taking the scissors from you.”That night I updated my supplier list and marked any unclear middleman as off limits. If my order needed materials, they would come through accounts I could explain in one sentence.Morning returned me to the table.Cut. Stitch. Check. Stack.The girl handled the front with fewer questions now. She had started writing measurements down before I asked. When I praised her for it,

He stood in the dark with his hands in his pockets like he was waiting for me to send him away.I didn’t.I closed the front door as softly as I could and walked to the gate. The night air hit my legs under the nightdress. My cardigan was thin and useless against it.“Hey,” I said.“Hey.”He opened the passenger door without a big speech. I got in. He walked around, got in, and didn’t start the engine.For a moment we just sat there.“You can still go back inside, you know right” he said.“I know.”“Your parents—”“They’re asleep.”He nodded and looked at me properly. Not polished. Not controlled. Just a man who had driven over in the middle of the night because I said yes.“I didn’t come here to pressure you.”“Then why did you come?”“Because you texted me. And because I couldn’t sleep either.”My chest felt tight.The street was quiet. Somewhere far off a dog barked once and stopped. I could smell his cologne faintly in the car, the same one from other days, now mixed with night ai

I spent the morning acting like the thought hadn’t followed me out of bed.Late.Tired.Nauseous.Sore chest.I opened the shop, answered messages, cut lining, and kept telling myself stress could do all of that. Stress made people feel sick. Stress messed up periods. Stress was an easy answer.But it just didn’t sit right.The girl noticed by ten.“You keep rubbing your forehead. Is something bothering you?”“It’s just headache.”“You want something for it?”“I’ll manage. Thank you.”I wasn’t managing. The adhesive smell bothered me again. Tea tasted off. Mid-morning I had to sit down because standing made my stomach turn.Adrian texted.Still okay for this evening?Yes.You sound off,did something happen??I’m working.Alright. I’ll pick you up at six.I put the phone away and tried to focus on the order. Progress was fine. That should’ve calmed me. Instead I kept thinking about the calendar in my bag.At lunch I closed the back room door and sat with my phone.I typed dates into th

Adrian got to the house faster than I expected.I was still sitting on the bed in the dark when my phone lit up again.I’m outside.I went to the gate in a cardigan and slippers, heart beating hard. He stood under the streetlight, hair a little messy, face tight.“Show me,” he said.I handed him the phone. He read Bella’s messages once, then again.Heard you’ve been sick a lot. And Vale keeps hovering. Don’t get clever, Sophia. If there’s a baby, Damien deserves to know. Hide it and it won’t stay hidden.I’m with him tomorrow morning. If I feel generous, maybe I won’t say anything. If I don’t… well.Adrian’s jaw worked.“She’s bluffing,” I said, mostly to steady myself.“Maybe. Maybe not.”“She doesn’t have proof.”“She doesn’t need proof to start trouble. She only needs Damien’s pride.”We stood there with the night between us. From the house I could hear nothing. Mama and Papa were asleep. If they woke and saw him at the gate this late, the questions would start before I was ready.

I didn’t reply to Damien right away.I locked the shop door for lunch, sat in the back with the bag I had packed that morning, and read his messages again.We need to talk properly. Not in your shop. Not with Vale standing over you. If you’re carrying my child, I’m not going to find out from Bella’s gossip.I’m booking a doctor. You’re coming with me this week. If you refuse, I’ll assume you’re hiding something that belongs to me.My first instinct was fear. My second was anger.I typed slowly.We’re divorced. You have no right whatsoever to book anything for me. You don’t assume anything about my body. If you show up at my shop again with this, I’ll treat it as harassment.I stared at the screen for a second, then sent it.His reply came fast.If there’s a child, divorce doesn’t erase blood.There is no conversation without proof, and you have none. Stay away from me.I put the phone face down and pressed my fingers to my eyes until the shaking eased.Adrian called a few minutes late