The handsome and refined man turned around. “This is a paradise. There’s chicken soup simmering on the stove. I’ll be right back.”
Paradise.
Lillian stared at the room, which was arranged just like the one she used to have. She swallowed hard.
She knew this wasn’t her old home.
Even though everything looked familiar, it wasn’t hers.
She felt a deep sense of unease.
She wanted to grab her phone, but she had no strength and felt terribly uncomfortable.
Before long, Frank pushed the door open and returned.
Downstairs, the sound of a vacuum cleaner could be heard.
“I hired a local woman who’s a great cook. Try this and see if it’s the kind of flavor you like.”
Lillian smelled the food and immediately turned her head to vomit.
Her stomach was practically empty, and the sensation made her feel miserable beyond measure.
“What’s wrong!?” Frank quickly set the chicken soup down.
Lillian waved her hand, urging him to take the soup away.
Frank frowned and rushed to find the housekeeper. “What did you make? Just smelling it made her puke.”
“Sir, it’s normal. Some women in the early stages of pregnancy have strong reactions. In severe cases, they need to go to the hospital. This chicken soup is already very mild. If you’d like, I could go out and get some cola. Many pregnant women find the smell of cola helps them feel better.”
“Pregnant?”
Frank turned around, and Lillian didn’t know when she had gotten up, but now she was leaning against the railing, struggling to stay upright, staring at him.
“You’re pregnant.” Frank bluntly stated the news.
Even if he wanted to keep it a secret, he couldn’t. With her growing belly, it was only a matter of time before it became obvious.
Besides, with her current condition, she absolutely couldn’t afford to lose this baby.
Lillian’s body stiffened, and she looked at her stomach in disbelief, her mind suddenly in chaos.
Frank saw her standing at the top of the stairs and quickly went up to support her. “So, you need to start paying attention to your emotions and stay here for your recovery.”
Lillian didn’t know what to say. She didn’t even know when she had gotten pregnant. Maybe it was from last time, or maybe even earlier.
Those times, she had been with Conrad, and they hadn’t taken any contraceptive measures.
She hadn’t felt any symptoms, so she had clung to the hope that nothing would happen.
But when someone told her she had a family member on this earth now, she couldn’t describe how it felt.
A child. Their child. Her and Conrad’s child.
A sharp pain in her wrist made her lift her head, only to see Frank’s flawless smile, which now seemed cracked and sinister.
“Lillian, lie back down. I’ll bring you some lighter food.”
“I want to ask…”
“I can’t tell you yet. Just stay here for now, okay? Besides, haven’t you always wanted to leave Conrad? This place is safe, and no one will find you.” Without waiting for her to respond, Frank got up and left the room.
After Lillian had managed to eat half a bowl of porridge, she decided to look for Frank.
However, when she asked the housekeeper, the woman knew nothing. She seemed like a local villager and spoke English with difficulty.
The house was fully equipped, but there was no internet.
Lillian stood by the window and was horrified to realize that this place wasn’t a city at all.
It was a mountain, surrounded by endless forests.
“What kind of place is this?”
She couldn’t watch TV and had only a few books to pass the time.
Even the photo album was filled with pictures of her and Frank together.
On the walls were also childhood photos of her and Frank.
The smiles of the young boy and girl in the pictures made Lillian’s heart race.
Why was Frank keeping her locked up here? What did he want?
At first, Lillian had lost her mind, wanting to see Frank, but he kept comforting her. He said his company was busy, but he’d come whenever he could.
Lillian had no idea what he was so busy with. She could only sense that nothing about this situation was simple.
She began studying the nanny’s routine, planning to stage an escape. But as she got closer to the door, she discovered that Frank had four or five mastiffs in the yard.
As soon as she stepped outside, the dogs would follow her.
Lillian slammed the door shut.
She started to lose it, throwing anything she could see.
Soon, she saw Frank.
“What the hell do you want? Every day, you keep showing me our photos together! What is it you want from me? I hate this!”
Frank just stood in the doorway, watching her hysterically question him. “Calm down, think about the baby.”
Lillian’s abdomen had started to show, no longer flat.
During this time, Conrad had also disappeared.
Frank sneered at the thought of that man’s desperate expression.
It didn’t matter-Lillian was with him now.
“You-are you trying to keep me locked up? Why are you doing this?”
“Why? Because I love you.” Frank walked toward her as she asked. “Lillian, it took me three hours by car after I got off the plane to get here.”
Frank added, “All just to see you. Why can’t you understand? All these years, I’ve loved you so much. I love you to the core.”
“Everything I’ve done is for you.” Frank opened his arms. “This room-wasn’t it the one you talked about when you were a little girl? You wanted a little cabin in the woods, to be Princess Snow.”
“Look, you’re my princess now. We’ll live here, and have children. You won’t ever have to care about Conrad again, or anything about City N. It’s just us here, pure to the extreme.”
Lillian clutched her belly, stepping back. “Are you crazy? Is this how you love me?”
“Crazy? Ha, I’m almost going insane. I’ve been working so hard, and you can’t see me. How long do I have to stand behind you before you notice me?”
“You’d sell yourself for money, sell yourself to Conrad. Why didn’t you come to me back then, huh? Why did you lower yourself, giving yourself to Conrad? That man doesn’t deserve you. You’ve been the one I’ve cherished since childhood.”
Frank kept moving closer. “From the moment I saw you at the Lewis family, I fell in love with you. We were always so perfect for each other, weren’t we?”
Lillian held onto the railing as she climbed the steps, shaking her head. “You’re insane. With the way you’re acting, I won’t be grateful-I’ll just be terrified.”
Lillian paused for a moment and then continued, “Don’t bring up the past. You couldn’t help me back then. Whether I degraded myself or whether I was with Conrad by mutual consent, I never thought about you.”
Frank’s gaze shifted. “What do you mean? Do you mean that, no matter what, you’d never choose me?”
Frank tugged at his collar. “Lillian, don’t make me angry, okay?”
He pulled her close, his hand touching her belly. “For this bastard child, I can endure it. How can you not love me? You’re so cruel.”
Lillian felt his hand pressing against her stomach.
“Are you scared? Why are you shaking?” Frank’s handsome features turned darker, his eyes sharp and filled with malice. “Don’t be scared, you’re my treasure. I love you the most. How could I hurt you? This parasite only needs ten months to disappear. I won’t care.”
He said he didn’t care, but his hand tightened.