lanie stepped outside, her face pale, and stopped short when her eyes landed on the two faces waiting there. Before she could even open her mouth to ask them to move, Cadence grabbed her hand without a word and pulled her sharply toward his bedroom.
A quick glance at Marianne’s face told lanie that the woman had definitely been up to sothing. There was a certain look there—a gleam of satisfaction mixed with sothing darker. But that was all lanie got to see before she was yanked inside, the door slamming shut behind her.
As soon as the door clicked shut, lanie turned to him, confusion written across her face.
"Cadence? What is wrong with you?" she asked, her voice uneven.
But instead of answering, he shook off her hand and shot back his own question, sharp and accusing.
"I thought we agreed you’d act like you were going to be sick. Did you actually feel nauseous?"
lanie frowned. That had been the plan—she was supposed to fake it, make him look like the controlling, overbearing man everyone believed him to be. But she hadn’t been pretending this ti.
"I know," she admitted slowly. "But I really felt nauseous, so I ended up throwing up. Why are you getting angry? It’s not like I threw up on you."
Before she could press for more answers, his next question ca, quick and cutting.
"Is there a chance you could be pregnant?"
lanie froze. The thought hadn’t even crossed her mind until this mont. Could she be pregnant?
She started to shake her head instinctively, ready to dismiss the idea—until her mory betrayed her. That night. The night she had co back. When they had been together after so long. They hadn’t exactly been careful. Or maybe it was that the precaution had failed them for once. Could it really be that the one ti they had let go... it had happened?
She stared at Cadence’s face, at the strange, tight worry in his eyes. He grabbed her shoulders, shaking her slightly.
"Is there a chance you’re pregnant?" he demanded again, louder this ti.
Why was he so worried? Hadn’t he already moved on with Dr. Jung? Hadn’t he accepted that relationship? Why was he acting like the old Cadence—the man she used to know, the man who used to hold the world like it belonged to him?
Still, she nodded cautiously. "I can’t be sure. But... there’s a chance."
His next words blindsided her.
"How far?"
She blinked. "Huh?"
"How far along are you?"
lanie frowned, baffled. "What do you an how far? I don’t even know if I’m pregnant, Cadence. It’s not like I was living a normal life after you trapped , rember? And it’s been a month since I got out of there..."
She didn’t even finish the sentence before his hand was suddenly at her throat.
It happened too fast to react.
One mont he was standing there, staring at her with sothing unreadable in his eyes, and the next she was slamd against the wall. His fingers tightened around her neck with brutal force, cutting off her words, cutting off her air.
Her eyes widened in disbelief as she clawed at his wrist, trying to break free. "What—what are you doing?" she choked out, but his grip only tightened.
The pressure built quickly, rcilessly. The edges of her vision began to blur as panic shot through her. She had no idea what had snapped in him, no idea why this was happening, only that she couldn’t breathe and he wasn’t letting go.
Just as she was sure she was about to pass out—maybe even die—soone crashed into the room.
Cadence was shoved back hard.
lanie collapsed to the floor, coughing and gasping for air, her lungs burning as though they were on fire. Through the ringing in her ears, she heard Dr. Jung’s voice.
"lanie! Are you alright?"
She nodded shakily, though she wasn’t sure she believed it herself.
Dr. Jung didn’t wait for her answer. He turned sharply toward Cadence, who was now sitting on the floor, breathing hard, his eyes locked on lanie with a strange, simring glare. He didn’t even glance at Dr. Jung.
lanie’s voice trembled as she asked, "What is wrong with him?"
Dr. Jung shook his head, his jaw tight. "I don’t know. Whatever it is, I’ll handle it. You go out first."
lanie hesitated, glancing at him with worry. "But—"
"Go," he said firmly, cutting her off. "I’ll handle everything."
With a shaky nod, lanie pushed herself up, her legs unsteady beneath her. She walked to the door slowly, aware the whole ti of Cadence’s eyes following her, watching her every move.
He shifted as if to go after her, as if he might drag her back, but Dr. Jung moved instantly, stepping in his path.
Only when the door closed behind her did Cadence finally look up, his voice low and strange as he muttered, "I wouldn’t have hurt her. Not really."
Elais Jung stared down at Cadence, his expression tight. "It didn’t look like that. From where I stood, you seed intent on hurting her."
"Of course I wanted to hurt her!" Cadence snapped, his voice harsh and uneven. "I was angry, alright? Do you even get it? It took years—years—to finally be with you, but she... she already has you. And even now, the mont you walked in, the first thing you did was protect her and push away. How could I ever hurt soone you care about? Especially when she might be carrying your child."
Elais, who had just reached for his phone to call the doctor about the sudden violent outburst, froze mid-motion. The words sank in slowly, almost absurdly, as if they couldn’t possibly an what they seed to an.
He blinked, stunned. "What... what did you just say?"
Cadence looked up at him. Gone was the anger from his face, leaving behind only sadness," I... I understand if you want to go to her now...I won’t stop you."
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