Part 2Married to My Parents Killer

The next morning, Annelise took me to the private clinic affiliated with the Prescott Corporation. As we approached the doctor’s office, the door opened and Nate walked out.

Seeing him alone, Annelise’s carefully composed face tightened with worry.

“Nate? What are you doing here? Where’s Stella? Isn’t today her prenatal appointment? Are you sick?” Her questions tumbled out, her concern raw and undisguised.

I had to laugh at myself. A bitter, silent laugh. How had I been so blind for so long? Was her acting that flawless, or was I just that stupid?

A faint smile touched Nate’s lips, soaking in her worry like a sponge. “Things have been crazy at the office, a situation at one of the branches. I came in for a check-up, feeling a little run down. Stella’s staying at her parents’ for a few days.” He looked from her to me. “What about you? You’re not sick, are you?”

Annelise flushed, a flicker of discomfort in her eyes. She seemed reluctant to answer.

I decided to answer for her. Feigning a blissful smile, I placed a hand on her stomach. “She’s pregnant,” I said, my voice smooth. “I was worried about her, and the baby. Just wanted to get everything checked out.”

I knew I had already lost this war, but for one single, fleeting moment, I wanted to reclaim a shred of my dignity.

It worked. The color drained from Nate’s face.

“What? You’re pregnant?”

He quickly schooled his features, forcing a tight-lipped smile. “Well. A baby is wonderful news. I’m just… surprised. You should go on in.”

Before she went into the exam room, Annelise told me she’d had to fast for some of the tests and hadn’t eaten breakfast. She asked me to go down to the cafe and grab her something, insisting she’d be fine on her own.

A year ago, I wouldn’t have thought twice. Now, watching her back disappear into the clinic, a cold certainty settled in my gut.

I bought a coffee and a croissant and came back up. As I expected, the exam room was empty.

I walked down the hall and heard voices coming from a stairwell. I found them there, tucked away between floors.

Nate’s brow was furrowed, his handsome face marred with displeasure.

“You told me you would never have his child. Why are you pregnant?”

Annelise wrapped her arms around his waist, reaching up to smooth the lines on his forehead with her thumb. Her voice was a placating murmur.

“We were always careful. This was an accident, Nate. I’ll handle it. I’ll take care of this baby myself.” She soothed him. “Don’t be upset over something so small. It hurts me to see you unhappy.”

My feet felt like lead as I walked back to the waiting area and sank onto a bench. Her words echoed in my head.

Something so small.

Killing her own child was a small thing.

Nate’s unhappiness? That was the main event.

“Why are you waiting out here?” Annelise’s voice pulled me from the fog. “I just ran to the restroom. Let me go ask the doctor if the results are ready.”

I just nodded, watching her walk back into the office.

A few minutes later, she emerged, her face a mask of sorrow. She knelt in front of me, bringing her eyes level with mine.

“Ethan,” she began, her voice catching. “I have to tell you something. I need you to promise me you won’t get upset. Please, don’t fall apart.”

“The test results… they’re not good. There are… developmental problems. So this baby… we can’t keep him.”

I knew this was coming. I had heard the entire script. But a desperate, stupid part of me still hoped.

I stared directly into her eyes. “Annelise, I’m only going to ask you this once. And I want you to tell me the truth.”

She nodded solemnly, her expression one of deep sympathy.

I took a breath. “Is there really something wrong with our baby? Are we really not going to have him?”