Chapter 69

The test results confirmed it was nothing more than a standard bottle of vitamin C.

Julian stared at the report again and again, unwilling to accept it, yet the undeniable truth weighed on him like iron, leaving no room for doubt.

His gaze drifted to the upper corner of the page, where the doctor's signature read Rich Thorpe. The name rang faintly familiar, but he brushed it aside.

Setting his phone down, he pressed his fingers to his temples, trying to ease the dull ache spreading through his head. Was he letting paranoia get the better of him?

Just as the thought crossed his mind, his phone lit up and buzzed insistently across the table.

The screen displayed a name he hadn't seen in days-Rita.

Julian's frown deepened as Morton's earlier words replayed in his mind-Rita was supposed to be on a plane bound for Briysil tonight.

He lingered with the phone in his hand, debating; then finally accepted the call.

The instant the line connected, the sound of Rita's terrified sobs pierced his ear. "Julian... help me.."she choked out, her voice breaking.

Chaos bled through the background-shouts, scuffling, the sharp clatter of something crashing. Her breathing came in jagged bursts before she dissolved into frantic cries. "The Hawthornes... they've found me.They want to-"

A strangled scream cut her off mid-sentence. In the next moment, only silence remained. The call had ended.

Julian's face darkened as he yanked off the apron and tossed it carelessly aside, then strode out with hard,resolute steps. inside the bedroom, Yvonne's nerves were taut, every muscle braced for the possibility that he might suddenly return and confront her about the medicine.

She lingered near the window, pacing in restless circles, until a sudden flash of headlights caught her eye-Julian's car shot out of the garage, speeding into the night.

Confusion flickered across her expression. Where could he be rushing off to at such an hour? Was it some urgent business matter?

She bit her lip, tempted to speculate, but quickly pushed the thought away. His absence, after all, was a relief.She had been racking her brain for a way to get him out of the house long enough for her to complete her prenatal routine.

Turning back into the room, she quietly locked thedoor, rolled out a yoga mat, and pulled up a guided video.Settling onto the mat, she exhaled slowly, finally free to begin her exercises in peace.

Her phone vibrated midway through, flashing a new message-an image.

The photo showed Julian, unmistakably, caught stepping out of his car in front of an apartment building.

Yvonne's chest tightened the moment she recognized the place. It was Rita's residence. So Julian had rushed out just to meet her?

Her heart sank, the weight of betrayal pressing down until she snapped off the soothing music in fury.

Even after drawing several deep breaths, the suffocating ache wouldn't lift. Only when her abdomen cramped faintly did she force herself to le go of the spiraling thoughts. She switched the track to a cheerful children's song instead, trying to ease the tension in her body and comfort the little one inside her.

Meanwhile, Rita stubbed out her cigarette in haste, tousled her hair until it looked wild, and squeezed drops into her eyes until they were red and glassy. To seal the act, she pinched her thigh hard enough to summon hot tears that rolled freely down her cheeks.

Before long, the sound of steady footsteps echoed in the hall beyond the apartment.

Julian reached the door, its latch half-open. His brows drew tight as he strode in. The sight that greeted him made him halt-an unconscious man in black sprawled across the floor, while Rita huddled in the corner of the sofa, shivering, her fingers white around a small can of pepper spray.

The moment she sensed movement, she flinched sharply and raised the spray, but when her blurred vision caught Julian's face, her body sagged with sudden relief.

A sob broke free as she hurled herself against him, her voice breaking with pitiful desperation. "Julian,you're finally here to save me... I thought I'd never get out of this alive!"