Sienna Is Pregnant

“Miss Briggs, you changed your expression so fast that it surprises me,” I observed, keeping my tone laced with calm sarcasm. I refused to let the malicious woman affect me. The icy hollow Damian had just left in my chest still ached, but I pushed it down. Picking up my handbag from the mahogany console table, I prepared to head out to the Ashford residence. I would attend the funeral alone.

With Damian absent from the vicinity, Sienna dropped her sweet, fragile facade in the blink of an eye. She stepped sideways, blocking my path into the long hallway. The wide, innocent eyes she had practiced so well narrowed into sharp slits, gleaming with pure venom.

“When are you going to sign the divorce papers?” she demanded frigidly, stripping away every ounce of the honeyed tone she used around my husband.

Stunned by the sheer audacity of the question, I let out a cold laugh. “Miss Briggs, as a mistress, are you really forcing me to get a divorce?” I retorted sharply, refusing to back down.

“You’re the mistress here!” Sienna snapped, furious at the title. The word struck a raw nerve, twisting her delicate features into a mask of rage. Her chest heaved as she claimed she would have been the rightful owner of this luxurious villa if not for my existence. She cruelly taunted me, taking a step closer to remind me that with Master Ashford now dead, I had no protector left in the family. My shield was gone.

She ordered me to sign the papers and leave quietly with Damian’s money. "Don't make this uglier than it has to be," she threatened.

“Unfortunately, you’re not me, Miss Briggs!” I refuted coldly, refusing to be intimidated. I firmly brushed past her shoulder, heading straight toward the top of the stairs. My heart had hardened over the past two years of neglect; aside from Damian himself, no one’s words possessed the power to wound me anymore.

Unused to being ignored and dismissed, Sienna’s insecurity flared. She lunged forward and grabbed my arm to stop me, her nails digging into my skin.

“Adeline, don’t you feel ashamed? Brother Damian doesn’t love you, so why are you still bothering him?” Sienna yelled, her voice echoing off the high ceiling.

Amused by how insecure she truly was despite having Damian's heart, I stopped and stared back with unwavering calmness. “Since you know that he doesn’t love me, then what are you afraid of?” I questioned softly.

The color drained from her cheeks, leaving her speechless for a second. Stepping just a fraction closer, I sneered and whispered into her ear that since Damian was such a good, wealthy man, I would happily continue to use him for my own benefit.

Fuming with irrational anger and calling me shameless, Sienna raised both of her hands. I saw the clear intent flash in her eyes a split second before she lunged, aiming to shove me down the steep staircase.

Having anticipated the physical attack, I instinctively twisted my body to dodge the incoming shove. With her momentum carrying her forward into empty air, Sienna instantly lost her footing on the edge of the staircase behind me.

Unable to stop herself, Sienna pitched forward and tumbled hard down the wooden steps. The sickening sound of flesh and bone hitting solid oak echoed in the massive space.

An ear-piercing, terrifying scream shattered the morning silence of the villa.

Before I could even process what had just occurred, a massive, cold force shoved me aside, nearly knocking me over into the banister.

A blur of dark fabric dashed past me. It was Damian.

He dashed down the stairs toward Sienna, who was now curled up tightly on the ground floor. I gripped the wooden railing, looking down. Her face was pallid and drained of color as she clutched her stomach in obvious agony.

“The baby. My baby,” Sienna whimpered weakly, her voice trembling with raw pain.

I stood petrified at the top of the stairs, my eyes wide with shock as bright red blood began to stain the expensive carpet beneath Sienna. Blood. So much blood.

My mind raced with horrific questions. Was Sienna pregnant? Was it Damian’s baby? The crushing reality tightened like a vice around my lungs.

As Sienna clung to Damian's sleeve for dear life, crying about her baby, Damian’s usually calm, emotionless face stiffened with sheer panic.

Comforting her with frantic whispers, he didn't waste another second. He scooped her up into his strong arms and took long, urgent strides toward the front door.

But after only a few steps, he halted abruptly. The heavy silence stretched. He slowly turned his head to look back up the stairs.

His dark eyes found mine. They glowed with a terrifying, raw wrath and deeply rooted hatred as he delivered a chilling, deadly promise to his wife.

“Adeline, you’ll pay for it.”

He kicked the front door open and vanished, leaving me stranded in a nightmare.

I stood frozen in the middle of the living room, my mind blank from the heavy accusation. My legs felt like lead. The suffocating silence of the villa crept back in.

“You’re not planning to explain to him?” a raspy, observant voice suddenly asked from the shadows behind me.

I jolted in surprise, turning to see Simon Cross standing there. He held a black medical kit in his hand. I hadn't even heard him approach.

He scowled heavily, questioning if I was genuinely afraid that Damian would believe I intentionally pushed Sienna to cause a miscarriage.

Lowering my gaze to hide the soul-crushing agony tearing through my chest, I stared at the empty space on the stairs where she had just fallen. I answered with a deadened calmness, “It’s not important at all. The thing is, Sienna is hurt. Someone will need to bear this responsibility, after all.”

I accepted that Damian would blame me regardless of the truth. He always did when it came to her. I had given up on explaining myself to a man who only saw my flaws.

Simon stared at me, shaking his head slowly. He muttered, “You’re really open-minded!” His tone was laced with a mix of disbelief and pity.

Gripping his black medical kit tightly, he strode down the stairs and quickly left the villa, evidently following Damian to the hospital to check on Sienna's critical condition.

I was left alone again. The metallic scent of blood lingered in the air, a grim reminder of the disaster that had just unfolded. The funeral awaited me. I had to face the Ashford family alone today. But how would I face them at the funeral after this disaster?