The progesterone index on the pregnancy test was promising, a beacon of hope that I was pregnant.


    Atst, I could make up for the regrets of my past life. Was this child''s returning a sign of forgiveness, a belief that I could protect him this time? Yet, the irony was that I was nning to use him as bait. My heart was joyful for the child''s arrival and fearful that I couldn''t shield him this time. Was I being too selfish?


    But even if I weren''t pregnant, bing so in the future would only mark me for death at the hands of a serial killer targeting anyone connected to the orphanage.


    I called Max, but the Hilton family''s driver answered, "Ms. Floyd, Mr. Hilton is in a meeting."


    "Oh," I responded, my tone icier than I intended, still upset about the birth control pills he had made me take.


    The driver said, "Ms. Floyd, Mr. Hilton stayed at your cest night and asked me to deliver some medication to you. Where can I find you?"


    That driver was definitely up to something.


    "I''ve taken care of it. Don''t worry. I won''t be having the Hilton family''s child." I could almost hear Eaton, the driver, sigh in relief. "Ms. Floyd, please don''t be too hard on Mr. Hilton. He has a lot of family responsibilities." "Hmm," I hung up, pondering the constraints of Max''s life. Was his seemingly enviable existence a gilded cage?


    After I hung up, my phone rang again. It was Kate. "ire, where are you? Can we meet?"


    "Can''t we just talk over the phone? I''m a bit wary of getting kidnapped," I said, half-joking yet genuinely concerned. Kate hadn''t killed me, but she had betrayed me more than once.


    Kate asked, "What have you done to ude? Our wedding was supposed to be today, and he''s vanished."


    I frowned, having forgotten about ude''s wedding.


    I answered, "It has nothing to do with me. I''ve been at the hospital all day."


    Kate shot back, "That''s impossible. He left because he couldn''t get over you. ire, you have Max. Why are you still holding onto ude?"


    I pinched the bridge of my nose.


    ude was trying to get me killed, running away from his wedding and ming it on me. "If he shows up, I''ll tell him I don''t love him and to get


    lost."


    But Kate was relentless. "No, I need to see you. If I''m with you, ude will show up, and I can ask him myself."


    "Kate, there''s more to life than just ude."


    Kate said shamelessly, "No, all I want is ude. Or maybe you could give Max to me?"


    Kate was the one who needed a therapist.


    "Kate, I don''t want anyone." I hung up, only to see Max standing by my car door, which I had left open.


    I thought, ''He wasn''t in a meeting after all. How did he get here so fast?"


    Before I could greet him, Max opened the door, grabbed my wrist, and pinned me against the car frame. "Who did you say you didn''t want?" Embarrassed, I managed a weak smile. "I don''t want ude."


    He rxed, his tense muscles softening, then wrapped me in a weary embrace. "Sorry for scaring you."


    I shook my head. "It''s okay."Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    His demeanor was calm, almost


    gentlemanly, except for the wildness that emerged in more intimate moments. But he was a Hilton, a world beyond my reach.


    "Max, how about dinner?" I changed. the subject, hoping to find safety in hispany, especially now that whoever took my blood test knew about my pregnancy.