Chapter 15: Shattered Promises

Jane ran.

Her heart pounded violently in her chest as she tore through the grand hallways of the Lawrence estate, desperate to escape the words that echoed in her mind.

I'm pregnant.

It's yours, Jack.

She felt like she couldn't breathe.

The walls of the house she had once come to see as a strange kind of home now felt suffocating. Each step she took away from Jack and Olivia felt like she was leaving behind a part of herself—one she would never recover.

She should have known this was coming.

She should have expected it.

Margaret had warned her. Olivia had threatened her.

And now…

It was real.

Jack was going to be a father.

And Jane—Jane was nothing.

She burst into her small quarters and shut the door behind her, pressing her back against the wood as silent tears slid down her face.

This was her fault.

She had allowed herself to dream, to hope—foolish things for a girl like her.

But it was over now.

Whatever small sliver of happiness she had thought possible with Jack…

It was gone.

Jack's Shock

Jack stood frozen, staring at Olivia as if she had just struck him.

Pregnant?

His mind rejected the words.

It wasn't possible.

It couldn't be possible.

He took a slow step back, his body tense with disbelief. "That's not true."

Olivia's eyes shimmered with unshed tears, her lower lip trembling. "Jack, I wouldn't lie to you about something like this."

Jack let out a sharp breath, running a frustrated hand through his hair. His heart was still hammering from his argument with Jane, from the way she had looked at him just moments before—like she wanted him but wouldn't let herself have him.

And now this?

Now Olivia was claiming to be carrying his child?

"I don't believe you," he said, his voice dangerously low.

Olivia gasped, placing a hand protectively over her stomach. "Jack, please—"

He cut her off with a sharp glare. "We never—" He hesitated, trying to gather his thoughts. "We were never together like that, Olivia."

She blinked, her expression momentarily faltering. But then, as quickly as it had come, the uncertainty disappeared, replaced by soft, practiced sorrow.

"You don't remember?" she whispered.

Jack's jaw clenched. "There's nothing to remember."

Olivia's tears finally fell. "Jack, it happened the night of the winter ball. You drank too much—you were so upset over your argument with your father. I took care of you that night. You—" Her voice broke. "You don't remember being with me?"

Jack's breath caught.

That night…

He had been drunk.

Margaret had pushed him too far, and he had drowned himself in whiskey, barely making it back to his room. But had Olivia been there?

No.

No, it wasn't possible.

Was it?

Doubt crept in, a slow and suffocating thing.

"I—I need time to think," he muttered, stepping back.

Olivia reached for him, but he pulled away.

"Jack, please. We need to figure out what to do."

But Jack wasn't listening anymore.

He turned and walked away, his mind a storm of chaos.

There was only one person he wanted to see right now.

Jane.

A Love Pushed Too Far

Jane sat on the edge of her small bed, staring at the candle's flickering flame, trying to silence the ache in her chest.

She had made her choice.

She had walked away.

But why did it feel like she was still falling?

A sudden knock at the door made her jump.

Her heart leaped to her throat.

She knew who it was before she even opened it.

Slowly, hesitantly, she reached for the handle.

And when she pulled the door open—

Jack was there.

His blue eyes burned with something fierce, something desperate.

Jane's breath caught. "Jack—"

He stepped inside without waiting for an invitation, shutting the door behind him.

"We need to talk," he said, his voice low, urgent.

Jane's hands trembled. She took a step back, shaking her head. "Jack, I can't—"

"Olivia is lying."

The words hit her like a blow.

Her eyes snapped to his. "What?"

Jack ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "I don't know how, but she has to be. I don't remember ever being with her that way. And I refuse to believe it unless I have proof."

Jane swallowed hard, her heart hammering. "But if it's true—"

"It's not."

His voice was fierce, filled with conviction.

But Jane…

She couldn't take that risk.

"You don't know that, Jack," she whispered.

Jack's jaw tightened. "I know what I feel. And I know that I love you."

Jane's chest ached at his words.

God, she wanted to believe him.

But it wasn't just about them anymore.

If Olivia was pregnant, everything would change.

Jack would have responsibilities. A child. A family to care for.

He couldn't throw that away for a maid.

Jane forced herself to look away, her voice trembling. "You need to think about your future, Jack. Your family. That child."

Jack's eyes darkened. "What about us?"

Jane closed her eyes, willing the tears away.

"There is no us."

Silence.

A long, heavy silence that felt like a blade slicing through them both.

Then, after what felt like an eternity, Jack exhaled sharply.

"Fine." His voice was low, almost cold. "If that's what you want."

Jane flinched.

But she didn't stop him as he turned and walked away.

She didn't call him back.

She didn't let herself collapse until he was gone.

And when she finally did—

The tears wouldn't stop.

The Lie Takes Root

Margaret watched from the grand staircase as Jack stormed through the hallway, his face a mask of fury.

She smiled to herself.

It was working.

He was slipping further and further away from that foolish girl.

And soon…

He would be exactly where he belonged.

By Olivia's side.

As she turned to retreat to her quarters, Olivia appeared beside her, her expression carefully composed.

Margaret arched a brow. "You played your part well."

Olivia's lips curved into a victorious smile. "Of course."

Margaret studied her for a moment, then nodded. "Now, we must make sure there is no doubt."

Olivia's smile widened.

Because soon—

Jane would be gone.

And Jack would be hers.