Chapter 8
The hospital corridor felt unusually cold.
Lena sat quietly on the metal chair outside the consultation room, her fingers tightly clutching the strap of her bag. Her thoughts were racing, each one heavier than the last.
Beside her stood her older brother, Daniel, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.
"You're overthinking again," Daniel said gently. "It might just be stress."
Lena forced a small smile, but the nervousness in her chest refused to fade.
Her period had been late for weeks. At first she tried to ignore it, convincing herself it was nothing. But deep down, she already knew the truth she had been avoiding.
Daniel noticed the way she kept staring at the floor.
"Whatever the result is," he said quietly, "you're not alone."
Before Lena could reply, the nurse opened the door.
"Miss Lena Carter."
Her heart skipped.
She slowly stood up and walked inside while Daniel followed.
The doctor ran through the test results calmly, typing something on his computer before finally turning his chair to face them.
"Well," he said with a warm smile, "the test results are clear."
Lena held her breath.
"Congratulations, Miss Carter. You're pregnant."
For a moment, the entire world seemed to fall silent.
Pregnant.
The word echoed loudly in her head.
Her hand slowly moved toward her stomach, trembling slightly.
Daniel stared at the doctor in shock before turning to Lena.
"Lena… is that…"
But Lena already knew.
Only one man could be the father.
Adrian.
Just as she opened her mouth to speak, the door suddenly opened.
A tall figure stepped inside.
The temperature in the room seemed to drop instantly.
Adrian Blackwood.
His sharp gaze swept across the room before landing on Lena and Daniel.
Lena's eyes widened.
"Adrian…?"
Daniel frowned immediately.
"What are you doing here?"
Adrian's expression was unreadable.
"I saw the two of you entering the hospital together," he said coldly. "So I asked the front desk where you went."
The doctor glanced between them, slightly confused, but then smiled politely.
"Oh, perfect timing," the doctor said. "You must be the father. Since both of you came for the pregnancy checkup together, I assume you're the couple."
The room fell silent.
Daniel quickly stepped forward.
"Wait, I'm her—"
But Adrian suddenly laughed.
A cold, humorless laugh.
"The father?"
His dark eyes slowly turned to Lena.
"You expect me to believe that?"
Lena's heart sank.
"Adrian, I was going to tell you—"
"Tell me what?" he interrupted sharply. "That the baby is mine?"
Tears immediately filled Lena's eyes.
"It is yours!"
Daniel clenched his fists angrily.
But Adrian's face remained completely emotionless.
"You walked into the hospital with another man," he said slowly, his voice cutting like a blade. "And now you're telling me you're pregnant with my child?"
Daniel stepped forward angrily.
"Watch your words! I'm her brother!"
Adrian barely spared him a glance.
His gaze stayed locked on Lena.
"I don't remember giving you permission to drag my name into your problems."
Lena felt like the air had been knocked out of her lungs.
"You think I would lie about something like this?" she whispered.
Adrian's answer was merciless.
"I think you're desperate."
The doctor's expression turned awkward as the tension in the room thickened.
"Mr. Blackwood, perhaps we should discuss this calmly—"
But Adrian had already turned toward the door.
"If you're looking for someone to take responsibility," he said coldly without looking back, "find the real father."
The door slammed shut behind him.
The sound echoed painfully through the room.
Lena's knees weakened as she slowly sank back into the chair.
Daniel immediately held her shoulders.
"That bastard—"
But Lena wasn't listening.
Her hand slowly rested on her stomach.
The baby.
His baby.
Tears slipped silently down her cheeks.
Outside the consultation room, Adrian walked down the hospital hallway with a dark expression.
But just as he reached the elevator, he suddenly stopped.
A nurse hurried past him, holding Lena's medical file.
Adrian's sharp eyes briefly caught the open page.
And the name written under Father of the Child.
He froze.
Because the name written there was—
Adrian Blackwood.
His eyes darkened.
"What the hell…?"