Thirty Years Of Marriage I Thought Was A Mistake Chapter 05

Thirty Years Of Marriage I Thought Was A Mistake Chapter 05

“Who did you think I was setting the trap for when I let your short attack run?” Adrian asked evenly.

“You shorted Prescott Holdings. I chose not to fight the sell-off and let you think you were winning. You did it to force me into marrying you. I did it to make you lower your guard.

“While you were watching my share price, I was studying your books. You were hunting me, but you never realized you were the one being hunted.”

The comments practically detonated.

[Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit! Mr. Prescott deliberately let Vanessa’s short attack hammer his own company? What kind of insane move is that?]

[I get it now! Mr. Prescott let Vanessa think her plan was succeeding so she would lower her guard. That gave him time to gather evidence of Whitmore Holdings’ accounting fraud.]

[So Prescott Holdings was never really going bankrupt? This entire thing was a trap Mr. Prescott set?]

[No, all of you are missing the real point. Mr. Prescott was willing to put his own company through all this just to stand up for the female supporting character?]

[All of this for a receptionist? That’s a multibillion-dollar empire!]

[I’m starting to believe the female supporting character really is the woman Mr. Prescott loves.]

Vanessa took two unsteady steps backward and bumped into the doorframe.

Her lips trembled, and the emotion in her eyes shifted from rage to fear.

“Adrian, you’re insane. You’re completely insane. Why do you think I did all this? I only wanted you to look at me. I’ve loved you for fifteen years!”

Her voice finally broke into a sob. “Fifteen years! You’re going to destroy the entire Whitmore family over one woman?”

Adrian didn’t even look at her.

“Vincent, escort Ms. Whitmore out.”

As Vanessa was led away, she turned and looked back at me.

There was hatred in her eyes, along with resentment and something else I couldn’t quite identify.

It almost looked like envy.

The hospital room fell silent again. I could hear the steady beeping of the cardiac monitor and the uneven rhythm of my own breathing.

“Adrian.”

“Yes?”

“Did you do all of this because of me?”

He turned toward me, standing with the light behind him. I couldn’t clearly make out his expression.

“I told you I wouldn’t run from my responsibilities or pressure you.” He paused. “But I won’t let anyone hurt you either.”

The comments went silent for a moment before flooding my vision again.

[Girls, I’m officially on the female supporting character’s side. This man is a keeper. When it matters, he actually shows up.]

[I still don’t understand what Mr. Prescott could possibly like about her. They’ve only known each other for a month.]

[Sometimes two people just click. That’s all there is to it.]

[No. The way Mr. Prescott looks at her isn’t the way a man looks at someone he met a month ago. It looks as though he’s known her for years.]

I stared at Adrian, my heart hammering against my ribs.

During the thirty years of our marriage in my previous life, I had never once asked whether he loved me.

I had been afraid of the answer.

I was afraid he would tell me he didn’t, and then I wouldn’t even be able to keep pretending.

But now, I suddenly wanted to ask.

“Adrian, am I the person you said you loved?”

The room became so quiet that I could hear the faint drip of fluid in the IV line.

Adrian looked at me. His Adam’s apple moved, but it took him a long time to answer.

“You just found out you’re pregnant. You shouldn’t get worked up. We can talk about this later.”

He was avoiding the question.

The tiny spark of hope that had just begun to rise inside me crashed back down.

The comments immediately started again.

[He dodged the question! He definitely dodged it. The woman he loves probably isn’t the female supporting character after all.]

[I knew it. Why would a billionaire CEO fall for a receptionist?]

[Then who is he in love with? Vanessa said he spent years pursuing her.]

[Stop guessing. It’s probably a character who hasn’t appeared yet. The original novel made it clear that the first love he never forgot was someone else.]

I lowered my eyes and rested my hand on my lower abdomen over the hospital gown.

There was no bump to feel at six weeks, but I could almost imagine something tiny and warm pulsing beneath my palm.

“All right. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” I forced a faint smile. “I’m tired. I’d like to sleep for a while.”

Adrian opened his mouth as though he wanted to explain, but no words came.

He lowered the head of the hospital bed, pulled the blanket securely over me, and turned off the harsh overhead light, leaving only the dim wall sconce in the corner.

“Get some sleep. I’ll stay here.”

I closed my eyes and turned away from him.

My tears silently soaked into the pillow.