Chapter 11: Is the Lady Pregnant?

Isaac Turner looked up and asked Clara Knox, "Did you order takeout?"

Clara Knox stood up and walked toward the foyer, "Why don't you open the door and see?"

She opened the door and saw the person standing outside. Her heart suddenly tightened, and her calm emotions from the past few days became somewhat agitated again.

"What are you here for?"

"Do you have the nerve to ask? Is it appropriate for a married woman to stay at a single man's house? Come back with me."

"Is the term 'married woman' really appropriate for me now? We agreed to divorce, so let's just finalize the divorce at the civil affairs office tomorrow."

So she wouldn't be in his way.

She was talking about the divorce tomorrow, but Edward Harper completely ignored her and forcibly picked her up, striding towards the door. At the door, he instructed Liam Johnson,

"Bring out the madam's suitcase."

His usual overbearing manner.

"Bastard, put me down..."

Clara Knox kicked her legs in resistance, but Edward Harper disregarded her words and carried her downstairs, shoving her into the car.

As long as the divorce wasn't finalized, he wouldn't allow her to live elsewhere. That was his principle.

"Want a divorce? Let's go together tomorrow."

"Fine."

Mentioning divorce, Clara Knox calmed down and answered with a single word, adjusting her sitting position, turning her face away towards the window, showing him only the back of her head.

As the car drove out of the community, Clara Knox watched the rapidly retreating street scenes outside the window, silently grieving.

With Edward Harper, she never had a say in anything. Divorce or otherwise, she could only listen to his arrangements. Like today, she didn't want to go back with him, but she was forcibly stuffed into the car. In the past, she didn't resist; now, resistance was futile.

He had always been dominant, and this brief marriage had never been fair.

Either way, it was ending soon; let this relationship last until tomorrow.

Back at the villa, Aunt Lewis had prepared a table full of delicious dishes. Edward Harper went straight to the study upon entering and hadn't come out since.

Clara Knox ate this meal more comfortably alone. After three years as the lady of a wealthy family, her stomach had grown used to delicate and luxurious food. Aunt Lewis's cooking suited her taste more than anything she had eaten the past few days away from home.

Like a refugee returning home, Clara Knox ate heartily.

Perhaps because of pregnancy, she got hungry easily, and the little one inside her was a glutton too, surely a foodie.

Aunt Lewis brought out freshly made soup and paused at the sight of the empty bowls on the table before smiling with satisfaction. She had been taking care of them since they got married, arranged by Mr. Harper, and it was the first time she'd seen the madam enjoy her cooking so much in three years.

For a cook, the greatest affirmation is an empty plate. Aunt Lewis asked with a tight-lipped smile,

"Would you like another bowl of rice, madam?"

Clara Knox waved her hand, a bit embarrassed, "Aunt, I'm full."

Aunt Lewis returned to the kitchen and brought back an empty bowl, "If you're full, have a bowl of seafood soup. The seafood was freshly flown in after being caught at sea. Mr. Harper specially requested I make soup for you tonight."

Clara Knox paused. Was this a slap-and-pat scenario?

Aunt Lewis had already placed a bowl of soup in front of her.

The bottom of the bowl was layered with shrimp meat and mussels. Aunt Lewis's knife skills were excellent, cutting the pieces into uniform sizes. The soup was enhanced with tomatoes and cheese, visually tempting. The rich, creamy seafood soup had once been her favorite, something she'd ask Aunt Lewis to make almost every few days. Edward Harper didn't like it, and Clara Knox used to finish two bowls.

Today's soup hadn't changed, but as the aroma of the seafood wafted over, a wave of nausea hit Clara Knox.

Aunt Lewis panicked and hurried over to inspect the soup, finding nothing wrong. She put down what she was holding and gently patted Clara on the back, her face full of concern, understanding as she'd been through it,

"Madam, could you be pregnant?"

Clara Knox's face flushed bright red as she pushed the soup farther away, stifling the nausea.

"No, my period just ended."

With just one sentence, she brushed the matter aside, quickly leaving the dining room to prevent Aunt Lewis from suspecting further.

The door to the study on the second floor remained shut. As she ascended, she consciously lightened her steps, fetched a nightgown, and went straight to the guest room to wash up and sleep.

In the middle of the night, she felt a weight on her waist, startling her awake halfway. Before she could push the person beside her away, her head was forcefully pressed into a solid chest.

The familiar woody scent mixed with a faint tobacco smell filled her nostrils, and Clara Knox couldn't help but feel tears in her eyes.

"What are you doing?"

Edward Harper seemed very sleepy, his voice lazy yet lingering,

"Don't move, sleep."

Speaking, he held her tighter, pressing her against his chest with force, disregarding whether she was comfortable or not.

Clara Knox was nearly suffocated, struggling slightly in his arms, trying to break free from his grip.

She deliberately got a single blanket and went to the guest room to avoid him forcing her to do something inappropriate on a whim. She needed to protect her stomach now, preventing another accident.

Thinking of this, Clara Knox realized how perilous her current situation was. Was his tight hold an indication he wanted to act beastly?

It wasn't impossible.

He always had certain needs, ones she was well aware of.

Separated by two layers of fabric, with his warmth reaching her, Clara Knox took a cold breath, contemplating how to get away from him tonight before tomorrow's divorce.

It was a bit difficult.

She knew his temper, and resisting would only provoke his desire to control.

Yet sharing this single blanket was an ordeal, and given his size, they had to be close just to both fit under it.

"Director Harper?"

She tried calling him tentatively. Edward Harper didn't respond, already in a drowsy state, yet his arm on her waist held her so tight it seemed he meant to merge her into himself.

"You're in the wrong room; this is the guest room."

She softly reminded him but received no response.

"Are you doing right by Aria Knight with this?"

Like a sleeping lion whose tail had been stepped on, Edward Harper abruptly opened his eyes and flipped her beneath him, glaring at her. Even in the dark, those deep, narrow eyes were more inscrutable than the night itself.

Indeed, Aria Knight was his Achilles' heel; would he kill her if she touched it?

Since they were getting divorced anyway, Clara Knox suddenly felt the urge to push his boundaries, exploring how far she'd go. In the past, she was cautious around him, afraid of being disliked and getting on his nerves.

Now that he was to abandon her and embrace his first love, what could be worse than that? Her old submissiveness had been about making him fall for her, only to find out that love couldn't be begged for; unrequited love remains unrequited, regardless of efforts.

"What are you doing?"

"What about me?"

Both of them spoke almost simultaneously.

Edward Harper chuckled lowly, leaning in closer, burying his head in her neck with a husky voice,

"What do you think I want to do? Or what are you hoping I'll do?"