The man stood silently behind her, facing Rebecca.
Dressed in a black suit, Adrian remained wordless, occasionally nodding, his narrow eyes carrying a cold glint beneath lowered lashes.
Christine, focused on Ethan, caught sight of Adrian in her peripheral vision and instinctively shifted away. She expected him to say sothing to his brother, but he rely glanced at Ethan, completely ignoring her presence. Then he turned and strode toward the elevator without looking back. His tall figure in pure black radiated an untouchable coldness, even the hair at the nape of his neck seed to reject any hint of warmth.
Even after he'd disappeared into the elevator, Christine could still detect his distinct scent of cedar lingering in the air.
Rebecca had told her earlier that Adrian had arranged Ethan's final chemotherapy plan, signed the docunts, and paid for everything.
Since marrying Ethan, Christine hadn't spent much ti with Rebecca until his illness brought them closer. From what she gathered, Rebecca seed to treat Adrian as a replacent for her "unfaithful and absent" husband - turning to him for advice and decisions, while lavishing all her maternal love and care on her younger son.
Adrian appeared to have get accustod to — or, accepted this pattern. He was always the last to return ho, arriving late into the mid-night with no one to welco him or ask about his day. Each morning, he'd be the first to leave, as if he'd never existed in this household at all.
Christine couldn't help but wonder if this explained his cold, emotionless nature. Being as intelligent as he was, he must have realized from an early age that his own mother didn't like him.
Since it was Ethan's first day of chemotherapy, Rebecca had inford close relatives and friends. Many ca to visit, bringing flowers and gifts. Though Ethan was sleeping in the sterile room, they could only glimpse him from afar before exchanging concerned words with Christine and Rebecca.
Ethan's childhood friends had visited several tis before and ca again today. Seeing Christine's reddened eyes, they rushed to comfort her. "Ethan's always been lucky," they said. "He'll get through this - both the chemotherapy and recovery. Besides, with you pregnant, he'll definitely fight to stay alive as a future dad." They also insisted Christine should reach out if she ever needed help.
Christine thanked them all, deeply touched by their support.
Soon after, Marcus's family arrived, making polite conversation with Rebecca and Christine. Surprisingly, their words lacked their usual sharp edge. Christine wondered if Marcus had said sothing to his father because Victor Blackwood's gaze seed different now.
She instinctively grew nervous, worried they might have guessed about her and Adrian. She tugged her sleeves lower and adjusted her collar before responding politely.
With so many visitors to entertain, Christine helped Rebecca handle the more talkative relatives, giving her mother-in-law chances to rest. She stayed busy until afternoon, then watched over sleeping Ethan until nearly midnight before heading ho.
As her car approached the house, she anxiously scanned the windows, dreading the sight of Adrian's silhouette.
But he never ca ho that night.
After going upstairs, Christine started her bedti routine. The bruises and tear stains remained visible on her smooth skin, looking particularly harsh - she guess they would need another two weeks to fade completely.
After her shower, while blow-drying her hair, her eyes caught sight of a small box tucked away in the back of the bathroom cabinet.
It was a box of pregnancy tests.
Her best friend Rachel had given her these hospital-grade tests when she and Ethan first started trying for a baby. Rachel had warned her about the varying quality of store-bought tests and insisted Christine test monthly.
Christine had faithfully tested every four weeks since then, but never saw two lines appear.
She rembered Ethan joking about whether the tests were faulty, laughing that with his abilities, they should have succeeded by now!
It had only been a week since her arrangent with Adrian - too early to test, really. But Christine bit her lip, finding herself reaching for a test anyway.
Seven days, yet they'd done it so many tis, in so many positions, in so many places... Could she possibly be pregnant already?
She sat on the toilet, deciding to try.
Five minutes later, only one faint red line appeared, unchanging.
Christine covered her face, letting out a long sigh. Her emotions were a ss - partly expected disappointnt, partly dashed hopes, and partly... fear about her deal with Adrian.
Just as she was about to throw the test away, she noticed a ghostly second line appearing.
Her heart jumped.
She gripped the test tightly, staring at it with trembling fingers.
After several seconds, the second line grew distinctly red.
Christine fumbled for her phone, took a photo, and sent it to Rachel.
Rachel seed to be working, replied a voice ssage: "Well, well, who do we have here? Where did you get the picture? Your friend? Relatives? Congratulations to this pregnant lady anyway."
Christine put down her phone, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.
Finally, she was pregnant.
*
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