Chapter 2 - THE QUESTION HE COULDN’T ANSWER
“Did you have a productive afternoon?”
Adrian’s expression barely changed.
But Nia saw the smallest pause before he answered.
“Productive enough.”
“At St. Catherine’s?”
The room became very quiet.
Rain tapped against the tall windows of the townhouse.
Adrian slowly removed his watch and placed it on the side table.
Then he looked directly at her.
“Why were you at St. Catherine’s?”
Nia almost laughed.
Not because anything was funny.
Because she had expected him to ask where she had been.
Instead, he wanted to know why she had been there.
“I had an appointment.”
“What kind of appointment?”
Nia closed the book in her lap.
“A medical appointment.”
His jaw tightened.
“Are you sick?”
“No.”
“Then what kind of appointment?”
She stared at him for several seconds.
“I think you already know.”
For the first time, something flickered behind his eyes.
Fear.
It disappeared quickly.
But she had seen it.
Adrian walked toward the kitchen island.
His gaze landed on the ultrasound photograph.
He stopped.
Nia watched him.
Neither of them spoke.
The photograph sat between them like a loaded weapon.
Adrian reached for it.
Nia placed her hand over it first.
His fingers stopped inches away.
“You're pregnant.”
It wasn't a question.
Nia nodded.
“Eight weeks and four days.”
Adrian looked at her stomach.
Then at the photograph.
Then back at her.
For one strange second, Nia saw the man she had married.
The man who had held her after their first miscarriage.
The man who had slept beside her on a hospital floor after the second.
His eyes became wet.
“You're sure?”
“Dr. Grant is sure.”
He swallowed.
“When were you going to tell me?”
“Tonight.”
A long silence followed.
Then Adrian smiled.
It should have comforted her.
Instead, it frightened her.
He walked around the island and pulled her into his arms.
Nia remained completely still.
His hand moved carefully across her back.
“We're going to be parents.”
His voice cracked.
Nia closed her eyes.
She wanted to believe him.
God, she wanted to believe him.
But all she could see was his hand resting on another pregnant woman's stomach.
She stepped away.
“Who is she?”
Adrian's face changed.
“Who?”
“The woman upstairs.”
He didn't answer.
Nia's voice became quieter.
“I saw you.”
Adrian looked toward the window.
Then back at her.
“Her name is Erin.”
“I didn't ask her name.”
“She works with me.”
“At Cole Meridian?”
“Yes.”
“And she's seven months pregnant.”
Adrian said nothing.
Nia folded her arms.
“Is the baby yours?”
The question landed harder than a scream.
Adrian stared at her.
“No.”
Nia searched his face.
“Then why were you holding her hand?”
“Because she is in trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?”
“Financial.”
“That doesn't explain the way you touched her.”
Adrian's expression hardened.
“You followed me?”
“No.”
“Then how did you know where I was?”
“I was there for my appointment.”
He looked at the photograph again.
Something about his silence disturbed her more than any denial could have.
Finally he said, “Erin's husband left her.”
Nia blinked.
“He left a pregnant woman?”
“Yes.”
“And you're helping her?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Adrian's voice dropped.
“Because I promised someone I would.”
“Who?”
He didn't answer.
Nia felt the pieces shifting.
There was something else.
Something underneath his explanation.
She walked toward the kitchen.
“Did you know she was pregnant?”
“Yes.”
“How long?”
“A few months.”
Nia stopped.
“A few months?”
Adrian nodded.
“And you never told me?”
“You had enough to deal with.”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“You decided what I could handle?”
“I was trying to protect you.”
“You lied to me.”
“I didn't lie.”
“You hid her.”
His voice sharpened.
“Nia.”
She flinched.
The reaction was automatic.
Adrian saw it.
For a moment, shame crossed his face.
The memory of the slap returned between them without either saying it.
He lowered his voice.
“I am not going to hurt you.”
Nia looked at him.
“You already did.”
He closed his eyes.
“I know.”
Then he walked toward her.
Nia stepped backward.
“Don't.”
He stopped.
“I need to know one thing,” she whispered.
“What?”
“Is there anything else you haven't told me?”
Adrian didn't answer immediately.
That was answer enough.
Nia turned away.
“I need some time.”
“Time for what?”
“To decide what happens next.”
Adrian's voice became almost pleading.
“Nia, this baby changes everything.”
She looked back at him.
“No.”
Her hand rested protectively over her stomach.
“This baby changes what I am willing to tolerate.”
He stared at her.
Then his phone vibrated.
He glanced at the screen.
Nia saw the name.
ERIN.
Adrian declined the call.
A second later, another message appeared.
His face went pale.
“What happened?” Nia asked.
“Nothing.”
“Don't lie to me again.”
He put the phone in his pocket.
“Erin needs help.”
Nia laughed bitterly.
“Of course she does.”
Adrian walked toward the stairs.
“Where are you going?”
“To make a call.”
Nia watched him disappear.
Then she picked up the ultrasound photograph.
Her hands were shaking.
She had expected betrayal.
She had expected another woman.
What she hadn't expected was the look on Adrian's face when Erin called.
It wasn't desire.
It was fear.
And somewhere deep inside, Nia understood something terrifying.
Whatever Erin knew about Adrian Cole was important enough to frighten a man who rarely feared anyone.
Nia opened her purse.
She pulled out the hospital visitor badge she had accidentally kept.
On the back was a handwritten note from a nurse.
ERIN VALE — ROOM 713.
Nia stared at the last name.
Vale.
She didn't know why it mattered.
Then she remembered something.
Adrian had once mentioned a man named Thomas Vale.
A former partner of his father's.
A man who had supposedly died years ago.
Nia looked toward the stairs.
“Who is Erin Vale?”
Upstairs, Adrian stood alone in the hallway.
He looked at the message on his phone again.
It contained only six words.
He knows she is pregnant. Get out.
And beneath it was a photograph.
May you like
A photograph of Nia leaving St. Catherine's that afternoon.
Someone had been watching her.
