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Chapter 42
“Sienna?” My mind reeled. I hadn’t seen her in months, and I had hoped I never would again. “What the hell are you doing?”
“You ruined everything!” she spat, taking a step closer. “And now it’s your turn to pay.”
Before I could process her words, she jumped back into the car, slamming the door and gunning the engine. My pulse spiked as the car lurched forward again, heading straight for
- me. I ran.
There wasn’t time to think–just to move. I darted down a narrow alley, hoping the tight space would slow her down, but the sound of the engine roaring behind me told me I wasn’t safe yet.
I ran as fast as I could, my feet pounding against the pavement, my heart hammering in my chest. My mind raced–what the hell was she thinking?
I couldn’t outrun a car, but I had no choice. The alleyway was narrow enough that she couldn’t drive straight through, but I could hear the car scraping against the walls, trash cans clattering as she barreled forward.
I had to think fast. I spotted a dumpster ahead and veered behind it, using it as a shield. while I scaled the fence on the other side. Just as I reached the top, I heard the sickening crunch of metal as Sienna crashed into the wall below me.
For a moment, I thought I might be safe. But then a black SUV screeched to a halt at the alley’s entrance, blocking her way. My stomach clenched–was this more trouble? But when the door opened, I saw him. One of Carlos’s bodyguards.
Relief washed over me as the bodyguard stormed toward Sienna, yanking her out of the car before she could make another move. She screamed, kicking and thrashing, but he had her pinned in seconds.
Just as I started to catch my breath, I heard another voice, frantic and desperate.
top! Stop, please!” Nathan came running toward us, his face pale, his eyes wide with
panic. “Don’t hurt her! She’s pregnant!”
Pregnant?
I couldn’t breathe. My body felt frozen as I watched him rush to Sienna’s side, his hands. trembling as he tried to plead with the bodyguard.
“Nathan?” My voice was barely a whisper, my mind struggling to keep up with what was
happening.
He turned to me, his face twisted with guilt. “Doris, please, you have to understand. Sienna’s pregnant. She’s carrying my child.”
His words hit me like a punch to the gut. I staggered backward, the world spinning around
- me.
“She’s… what?” I felt like I’d been slapped. All the air was sucked from my lungs. Nathan wasn’t just pleading for her.. he was telling me that Sienna, the woman who had just tried to kill me, was pregnant with his child.
She’s carrying Oliver’s brother or sister,” Nathan continued, his voice trembling. “Please,
Doris.. don’t let them hurt her.”
My vision blurred with rage. The betrayal was too much. This wasn’t just about Sienna anymore–this was about Nathan, about everything he had destroyed.
He had a child with me, and now he had another one on the way with her? My fists clenched, and before I even realized what I was doing. I was charging toward him.
“You piece of garbage!” I screamed, my fist connecting with his jaw before he could even respond. “You think I care about your pathetic excuses? You think I care about your child with her?”
Nathan stumbled back, his hand on his jaw, but he didn’t fight back. He just stood there, guilt and shame written all
over his face.
I wanted to hit him again, to make him feel even a fraction of the pain he’d caused me, but before I could, my vision went black. The world tilted, and I felt my legs give out beneath
Chapter 42
ine.
“When I woke up, the harsh fluorescent lights of a hospital room greeted me. I blinked,
disoriented, and slowly sat up, my head still spinning. It took a moment for my surroundings to come into focus, but the first thing I saw was Carlos. He stood at the foot of my bed, arms crossed, his face unreadable but his eyes burning with anger.
“You fainted,” he said, his voice tight. “Do you have any idea what kind of trouble you almost got yourself into?”
I didn’t say anything. My mind was still reeling from everything that had happened. I
couldn’t even look at him.
“And you still haven’t answered my question,” Carlos continued, his voice sharp. “Why do you insist on going through with this? Why do you still want to be a part of that volunteer
program? What are you trying to prove?”
I looked down at my hands, my throat tightening. I couldn’t explain it to him. I wasn’t even sure I could explain it to myself. The reasons were too tangled, too personal, and I didn’t have the strength to untangle them right now.
Carlos shook his head in frustration. “I don’t understand you, Doris. I really don’t.” He took a deep breath, then turned toward the door. “If this is what you want… then fine.”
And just like that, he was gone. I stared after him, the silence of the room suddenly unbearable. Everything felt like it was falling apart, and I didn’t know how to stop it.
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