27. Jane

Two weeks had passed since Bernard's heart attack. He'd been discharged so things had mostly gone back to normal. He and William had to fire Mr. Bolton because he wasn't trustworthy. I didn't know all the details of what happened but I knew he was responsible for leaking the truth about our marriage to the press.

That didn't make a lot of sense to me. How did Mr. Bolton even find out the truth? I'd spent days thinking about it but I couldn"t figure it out and whenever I asked William, he just avoided my question. I knew he was keeping something from me but I didn't know what it was or why he was choosing to keep it a secret.

In a way, I wasn't any better. I was also keeping secrets from him. William still didn't know that Ryan and his mother knew the truth about our marriage. I knew Mr. Bolton hadn't gotten the truth from them because they would never do anything to hurt us.

But there was one more person who knew the truth. Someone who had hurt me in the past and in more ways than I would ever fully know.

I'd loved Skylar with every bone in my body and she'd betrayed me. It wouldn't be crazy to think she was the one behind this as well.

Why did she hate me so much?

What have I ever done to her?

I thought we were sisters and all this time, she was actually the enemy. I felt stupid for not realizing it sooner. How did I not see that my best friend hated me? How could I have been so blind?

I sighed as I turned my food around on my plate. I'd lost my appetite a long time ago. These days I didn"t feel hungry anymore. How could I eat when my life was such a mess? I was married to a man who didn't love me and the truth of our marriage had been published for the whole world to see. People gave me strange looks whenever I stepped out. They judged my decision to marry William and called me a gold digger whenever they thought I wasn't listening.

It had been a frustrating two weeks and I couldn't wait for it all to be over. Bernard knew the truth now so there was no point carrying on in this fake marriage. He was also out of the hospital so it was the perfect time to leave. I didn't want to go but I knew William would send me packing soon. He'd already brought it up in the hospital room.

My heart ached when I thought of being away from him. I didn't know when my feelings changed but having Bernard say it made me realize the obvious. I loved William.

In fact, there was a chance that I had always loved him. Maybe all the hate I'd carried throughout the years was just love in a different form. I loved him so much that it made my heart full. I wanted to be with him for the rest of my life.

William walked into the dining area as if my thoughts had manifested him. I stared at him for a long moment, drinking in his beautiful face and incredible body. Memories of our night together flooded my mind. We'd had a few similar nights since then but I would always remember our first.

There were nights when we'd get home and fall into his bed together. Those nights were filled with caresses, pleasure, and… love. I felt the love between us but I didn't know if he felt it. Did he love me or was this still a contract marriage to him?

I wanted him to love me. I wanted his heart to ache at the thought of losing me just like mine did for him. I wanted everything with William Aldaine because I loved him.

He stopped in front of me and lowered his head. His lips touched mine in a soft kiss and every part of me was set on fire. I stood up so we could deepen the kiss and William's arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me to him.

"Your food," he said as he pulled away slightly.

"I'm not hungry." I pulled William back to me and our lips united again. I wondered if he could feel the desperation in my kisses. Could he tell how scared I was of losing him?

William lifted me and set me down on the table. His hands undid the buttons of my shirt while his kisses roamed my neck. He also seemed desperate. Maybe I wasn't the only one who was feeling this. He felt it too or at least I hoped he did.

He pulled my shirt off and tossed it across the room. "You're so beautiful," he said before dropping kisses all over my chest. He kissed my breast as he unhooked my bra. "So beautiful."

I lost myself in his touch, his words, and the look of love I saw in his eyes.

Maybe there was hope for us yet.

I stared at the two red lines until they blurred into one. I had to be seeing things. This had to be some kind of vision impairment that I didn't know I had. I couldn't possibly be pregnant.

My hand dropped from the pregnancy test and landed on my stomach. I couldn't believe there was a baby inside me. William's baby. The thought thrilled and terrified me.

I'd taken my poor eating habits as a sign that I was in a bad mood. I was worried about my relationship with William. That was why I couldn't finish a single meal. Josie had worked tirelessly to cook something I could actually scarf down. A few minutes later, it all came back up. That was when I realized that my mood might not be the reason for my strange appetite.

I bought a pregnancy test and rushed into my bathroom to check. I was expecting William's baby. My thumb stroked my belly and I pictured myself with a bigger one as time went by. Fear and joy mixed within me. On the one hand, I couldn't be happier. On the other hand, I was afraid.

"Jane? Are you in there?" I heard William call from outside the bathroom.

I panicked and dropped the pregnancy test on the floor. "Yes, I'm in here," I said as I bent to pick the test. I tossed it in the trash just as William walked in. My eyes widened. "You can"t just come in here."

"Why not?"

I shook my head and walked over to the tap. "You're incorrigible."

"It is my best trait." William wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed my neck. He bit down on my skin and a small moan left my lips. I was trying to concentrate but I couldn't when he was doing that.

My eyes drifted shit but they opened again when I remembered the pregnancy test. The pack was still on the counter behind us. I needed to get William out of there before he saw it. I grabbed his hand and pulled him outside. He obliged.

William pushed me against the wall once we stepped out. He went right back to kissing my neck like he couldn't stand being away from me. A knock on the room door pulled us apart. I suddenly remembered that Josie had been with me when I vomited. She also suspected I was pregnant. It was she who encouraged me to get a pregnancy test. She was waiting for the results while I was here kissing William.

"Come in," I called.

Josie stepped inside. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw William. "Good evening sir."

"Josie, is something wrong?" William asked.

"No, I just wanted to ask Jane if she would like to eat pasta tonight." Josie turned to me and the look in her eyes told me she wasn't asking about pasta.

I nodded. "Yes."

A smile spread across her face. "That's wonderful!" she declared.

William gave her an amused look. "You sound pretty excited for just pasta."

"Pasta is the best thing that could have ever happened to you."

"What?"

I clapped my hands. "Okay, so pasta it is. Thank you so much for asking Josie."

She smiled at me before walking out. "She's acting strange," William said.

"Really? I didn't notice." I placed a hand behind his head and brought his lips to me. I didn't want him to think about Josie's strange behavior and I really wanted to kiss him. William obliged me again. He kissed me back and his hand slipped under my tank top. It rested on my stomach and for a second I was scared he could feel his child in me.

I wasn't ready to tell William the truth yet. There were still so many uncertainties surrounding our relationship. There was so much I wasn't sure about.

Did he love me? Or was he just waiting to secure the deal with Titan Capital so he could divorce me?

William kissed the side of my lips, my cheek, my jaw, and my neck. When he kissed me like this, with so much passion and tenderness, it felt like he loved me. It made my confusion just a little bit clearer but it wasn't enough. I needed to know if he truly loved me or not.

I wanted to ask him but I was scared to hear the answer.

What if he didn't love me? Would I stay and raise this child with him, loving him with all my heart while he felt nothing at all for me?

His kisses spread across my chest. This didn't feel like nothing. It felt like hope.

It felt like love.

I swallowed and tried to keep down the vomit but it pushed against the roof of my mouth. I'd forced myself to eat something this morning because I had to. I never expected the food to find its way out of me so soon. The worst part was that I was sitting in front of Kiara, the grandmother of the baby growing in my womb. Throwing up in front of her would give it all away but I couldn't hold it anymore.

"Jane, are you alright?" she asked.

I shot up from my seat. "Excuse me!" I rushed out of her office, conscious of the fact that she was behind me. Kiara was too considerate to see me run out here and not check on me. I walked into the toilet and emptied my guts.

Kiara stood behind me, holding my hair and rubbing a soothing hand on my back. When I finally stood up, she offered me some tissues. I took them and washed up while she waited. I did my best to avoid her curious gaze but it was too difficult.

"Jane?" she prompted as I dabbed my face with the tissues.

I lowered my hand and bit my lip. "Hmm."

"Is this what I think it is?" I watched as excitement spread across her face. The very possibility of being a grandmother filled her with so much joy. I nodded slowly and Kiara's smile widened. "This is the best news you could have ever given me!"

She wrapped her arms around me and pulled me in for a warm hug. "Oh, my darling. Thank you so much. You have no idea how happy this makes me. I've been asking William for a grandchild for years and he—

Kiara paused and pulled away slightly so she could look at me. "William knows how much I want a grandchild. I'm surprised he didn't tell me when—

She paused again as realization dawned on her. "He doesn't know."

I shook my head. "No, not yet."

"Why though? I'm sure the news would make him incredibly happy."

"Yes, I know," I said as I bowed my head. "But he'll be happy about the baby and not the fact that I'm carrying it."

"I don't understand."

"I want him to love me and not just our baby." Silence lapsed between us and I immediately felt bad for admitting that. "I'm sorry that was so selfish of me. It doesn't matter if he loves me."

"Of course it does, especially if you love him. Do you love him?"

I nodded. "So much."

Kiara sighed. "Then I'm sure you two will figure it out. Come here, sweetie." She pulled me in for another hug and I sunk into her embrace.

"Could you not tell William about this?" I asked, not sure what to expect. William was still her son so I would understand if she chose him over me. I knew for a fact that I would always choose this baby in my womb over anything else. Still, I hoped Kiara would help me with this. I just wasn't ready for William to find out the truth. "Please."

"I won"t," she said as she stroked my hair.

I settled into her arms, feeling incredibly grateful for all the love she had shown me since the moment we met. She had always been nothing but kind to me. Even if things didn't work out between William and me, I still wanted Kiara to be a part of my life.

She would always be my baby's grandmother.