Zachary stopped, his head slightly lowered as he stared at me. At that moment, there was a knock on the door.

From outside, Xavier's voice came through. "Mr. Henderson, the meeting starts in half an hour. We should get going."

Yet, Zachary acted as if he hadn't heard him. His gaze remained fixed on me, his presence radiating that commanding aura of someone used to being in control.

I held my breath, terrified he might notice something amiss.

"The meeting will take about two hours," he finally mentioned. "We'll talk about anything you want to say once I'm back."

With that, Zachary withdrew his gaze. Before his hand reached the doorknob, his deep voice rumbled out again. "It'll be rush hour soon. Drive slowly on your way back."

When I saw him get into the car, I finally collapsed into the chair, gasping for air. Worried that I might get into an accident in my current state, I stayed 

In the last scene of my dream, I did bear a beautiful child. 

Before long, Zachary came, though. He blamed me for leaving when I knew I was carrying his child and for subjecting the Hendersons' heir to hardship and public disgrace.

I'd spent five years by his side, and in all that time, he had never once looked at me with disgust. It was as if I were trash.

Then, I woke up with a start. It took me a long while to shake off that unbearable, crushing pain.

But right then, the doorbell rang. I opened it to find Xavier at the doorway.

"Ms. Mitchell, here are two transfer agreements. If you sign your name here, the apartment and the car will be transferred under your name."

I took the pen from him and signed my name. After he left, I immediately put the apartment on the market through an agent.

…

There were three days left before my departure. I wasn't afraid of Zachary knowing I was 

Although I couldn't manage more meetings with Zachary before leaving, there was a silver lining. His absence allowed me to pack undisturbed.

Raising a child was profoundly expensive. Without Selene's money or Zachary's support, I'd have to rely on myself once the baby was born, so until I had a steady income, I couldn't afford to spend recklessly.

I found an agent online in the city that I planned to move to. Then, I quickly and remotely rented an apartment.

Before leaving, I planned to ship everything I owned there in advance. That should save me a fair amount of money.

The day after I found out about my pregnancy, the morning sickness started. I tried everything Mr. Gardner had taught me, but nothing worked.

Even a sip of water would make me nauseous. Moments after eating dinner, I threw up all of the contents.

That was when regret hit me—hard. Why in the world had I chosen a restaurant for my last private meeting with Zachary?

The physical discomfort and fear of him noticing my condition made it hard to control my emotions.

Curled up on the couch, I couldn't stop crying. With my phone in hand, I hesitated moving my flight up and leaving immediately.

Just then, Zachary appeared on television. Amid a group of senior government officials, his sharp features and aloof demeanor made him stand out.

Though he stood toward the back, I could still pick him out in the panning shots.

Then, I rewound and replayed the part featuring him over and over. Slowly, a sense of calmness washed over me.

Gently stroking my flat belly, I spoke softly, as if negotiating, "Baby, can you stop making me feel so sick for a bit? Dad can't know about you, so please behave until we leave, okay?"

Perhaps it was a case of mind over matter, but after saying that, I made myself another meal. When I finished, I still felt queasy, but at least I didn't have to run to the bathroom.

I was so relieved that I patted my belly lightly and thanked my unborn child.

With some rest, I sped up my packing. Just before Zachary returned, I managed to send out the first batch of parcels.

Just as I was watching the delivery guy leave, my phone rang. It was Xavier.

When I picked up, his polite yet distant voice came through. "Ms. Mitchell, Mr. Henderson will have an hour free at 5:00 pm. Please be ready ahead of time."

As soon as the call ended, I contacted the restaurant manager and ordered a few dishes according to Zachary's taste. I specifically requested that they be served quickly.

…

At exactly 5:00 pm, Zachary walked into the restaurant. The moment I saw him, I couldn't help but smile. However, I remembered what I had come to say, so I calmed myself down as he sat across from me.

"You don't look well," he commented, frowning slightly. "Are you feeling unwell again?"

I hadn't expected him to be concerned about me after days apart.

At that, my heart thumped wildly. Clenching my hands tightly under the table, I maintained a perfectly composed face and remarked, "It's probably the heat. I haven't had much of an appetite lately."

Zachary nodded. He glanced at the order chit, after which he called the waiter over. "Please add a plate of sliced cucumber salad and make sure it's not too spicy."

I took a deep breath discreetly and reminded myself. "This is just him being polite. It doesn't mean I matter to him."

Aside from that cucumber dish, I barely touched any of the food. However, since I'd said I wasn't hungry earlier, Zachary didn't notice.

…

After putting down his cutlery, he said he had work to handle that evening. As he stood to leave, I finally spoke, one word at a time.

"I want to get married, so let's end this between us."

Zachary stopped, his head slightly lowered as he stared at me. At that moment, there was a knock on the door.

From outside, Xavier's voice came through. "Mr. Henderson, the meeting starts in half an hour. We should get going."

Yet, Zachary acted as if he hadn't heard him. His gaze remained fixed on me, his presence radiating that commanding aura of someone used to being in control.

I held my breath, terrified he might notice something amiss.

"The meeting will take about two hours," he finally mentioned. "We'll talk about anything you want to say once I'm back."

With that, Zachary withdrew his gaze. Before his hand reached the doorknob, his deep voice rumbled out again. "It'll be rush hour soon. Drive slowly on your way back."

When I saw him get into the car, I finally collapsed into the chair, gasping for air. Worried that I might get into an accident in my current state, I stayed in the private room for almost an hour before leaving.

…

When I got home, I stood by the door and 

Chapter 3