Chapter 13
The room was unnervingly quiet. The floor lamp was off, and the curtains were only half–drawn. The dim, yellow light from the garden outside barely filtered through, just enough to make things visible.
Katherine stood in the center of the room, her arms crossed, coldly watching Derrick at the door.
Derrick’s heart skipped a beat. As someone who could keep his cool in the cutthroat world of business, he rarely felt this kind of anxiety. His palms were clammy with sweat.
“Baby—” Derrick began,
But Katherine immediately interrupted him with a cold tone, “You’re calling the wrong person.” She pointed to her stomach. This is our baby, and you want to get rid of it
When they first got married, Derrick used to call her “baby” softly. He had tried to be close to her, but Katherine had rejected him, completely. Later, she’d even started attempting suicide, so Derrick had given up. That endearing nickname never came up again.
Derrick had chosen the nickname “Kit for their child, Katherine had no idea what his intentions were at the time…
But now, Katherine thought she probably understood. Because she didn’t like it when Derrick called her in such an intimate way, he had suppressed it for many years and named their child something that was similar to her nickname.
Katherine thought. This jerk is using our child as a substitute.
Especially now, knowing that Derrick still wanted to get rid of her baby behind her back, Katherine felt her anger building to the point of explosion. She clenched her fists.
The baby was probably the only weapon she had to hurt Derrick right now. After she spoke, he immediately fell silent. His lips were tightly pressed, his eyebrows furrowed, and his eyes darkening.
Seeing him silently defeated, Katherine felt like her anger suddenly seemed to lose its edge. Her stiff expression softened a bit, and she raised a hand toward Derrick. “Come here. Help me to the bed.
Derrick looked up and immediately complied. As he approached Katherine, he instinctively extended his hand, his palm up.
Katherine glanced at it, held back a smile, and placed her hand gently on his. She felt like a queen, and Derrick, a servant.
The pillow and blanket were on the floor, the ones she had thrown at Derrick earlier. When Katherine sat down, Derrick stood to pick them up, but she stopped him. I’m not cold. Let’s talk about the baby first,” she said.
Derrick paused for a moment. Instead of bothering with the blanket, he stood by the bed, took off his coat, and draped it over Katherine’s legs. He crouched down slightly, looking up at her. “Alright, go ahead.”
It was rare for Katherine to be this calm, and Derrick felt like it was a good time to have a conversation.
Katherine looked at the coat resting on her knees, then at Derrick, who seemed so much shorter than her now. Suddenly, her eyes reddened with unshed tears.
She thought, “He really doesn’t seem that smart, does he? He’s the one who’s supposed to be above me, but now he’s acting like my
Mervant.
Katherine turned her head away, taking a deep breath to hold back both her tears and the overwhelming emotions. She knew she couldn’t break down now, and she couldn’t let herself hold him. The baby’s situation was more important.
“Derrick, feel it.” Katherine took his hand and pressed it against her stomach. The warmth of his palm eased the tension in her belly Even so, Derrick could still feel a small bump. It wasn’t obvious, but it was there, a contrast against the soft flesh surrounding it.
“Do you feel it? Your seed has already taken root here,” she muttered
Derrick’s eyelashes fluttered slightly. He definitely felt it. On countless nights, he couldn’t help but touch Katherine’s belly, feeling the tiny baby inside, still just an embryo.
If he could choose, he wanted to see the baby born safely. But he knew someone had to make the difficult decision.
“Trust me this time, alright?” Derrick’s gaze never wavered from Katherine’s. For the first time, the agony and torment in his eyes were.
1/2
Chapter 13
laid bare before her. “We’re not keeping the child. Just listen to me this time, and I’ll promise you anything you want.”
It was as if he had made up his mind. Derrick closed his eyes, letting out a deep sigh. “You’ve always wanted to go back to Windridge Villa and be free again, right? I’ll give you that.”
“As long as you… Derrick inhaled deeply, his voice rough now. “As long as you’re safe and sound. I’ll give you anything.
Katherine didn’t move. As she saw Derrick lower his head and give in, her tears couldn’t be stopped any longer. She cried silently. suddenly understanding why, in her previous life, she had been so fixated on hurting herself.
Katherine probably also realized that Derrick was willing to compromise on everything when it came to her safety. She thought, ‘Derrick is so stupid, exposing his weaknesses and vulnerabilities so easily.”
Feeling the tears drop one by one onto the back of his hand, Derrick suddenly looked up. Katherine’s eyes were brimming with tears, and even in the dim light, they were impossible to miss.
Derrick felt a pang in his heart. He raised his hand and gently wiped away her tears. “Don’t cry. You’re pregnant. You can’t get too emotional It’s all my fault. L..-”
Derrick struggled for the right words. He wasn’t good at comforting people, and he certainly wasn’t good at calming down a pregnant Katherine, whose emotions were all over the place.
He glanced around: then spotted a fruit knife by the bedside. He placed it in Katherine’s hand. “If you’re really upset, just stab me. I won’t dodge.”
Katherine gripped the knife’s handle, feeling like she couldn’t breathe. Her tears fell faster, each one heavy with sadness, and her heart ached unbearably.
Suddenly, she threw the knife aside and threw her arms around Derrick’s neck, crying out loud, “Derrick, you jerk.
“How can you do this? If I stab you, what will I get out of it except more pain? How can you do this to me? You’re the one who got me pregnant. How could you?”
As she cried, she punched Derrick’s shoulders and back. Her fists were soft, lacking strength. But to Derrick, it felt like his bones were being shattered, the pain almost unbearable.
“I’m sorry. It’s all my fault, Derrick said. He thought, ‘If I could choose, of course I would want my wife and child to be safe and sound.” He then spoke, “Please, just listen to me once, okay? In the future-
But Derrick couldn’t finish his sentence. Katherine suddenly cupped his face in her hands and kissed him.
At first, Katherine thought there was no rush. She believed that they would have plenty of time in the future. But now, Derrick was still thinking about setting her free, still thinking about “returning her to some other man,
She thought, T’m pregnant. Can this really just be brushed off like nothing happened?”
Katherine’s lips silenced Derrick’s, invading his mouth and stirring up a wave of passion inside.
Derrick froze, as though his soul had been yanked out of him. He didn’t move at all. His body followed Katherine’s force, and he found himself kneeling on the floor, his knees feeling completely numb, as though they no longer belonged to him
They’d been intimate twice before. The first time, they both had been drugged and out of their minds. The second time, when Katherine was escaping by boat with Charles, Derrick had forced himself on her in a fit of rage.
No matter when it was, Derrick had never felt like this. His body felt weightless, and his mind seemed unable to work. He thought, ‘So this is what it feels like to be kissed by the one I love!
Den
hed
2/2
Comment
d at Ka
r with
at it
AD
