Chapter 13

Angela POV

The cinnamon tea Sarah had just brought steamed gently in my hands, its usually comforting aroma now seeming to mock me.

Her words still echoed in my mind: "Mr. Shaw won't be coming home tonight."

I stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows of our penthouse, watching the city lights flicker against the darkening sky.

My phone sat silent on the marble windowsill, its screen dark and unresponsive, just like Sean after my message.

Had he seen it?

The words that should have changed everything: "I'm pregnant."

The tea's warmth seeped through the delicate china cup into my palms, but it did nothing to dispel the chill that had settled in my chest.

Sean had asked Sarah to make this tea specifically for me. Now it felt like another cruel joke. He could remember my favorite tea but couldn't bother to respond to news of his child.

The phone remained stubbornly silent. I touched my still-flat stomach, each passing minute making the weight of my unspoken secret feel heavier.

Stop it, I told myself firmly. You're acting like a lovesick teenager, not the independent woman you're supposed to be.

But the thoughts came anyway, unwanted and unstoppable.

Where was he?

The possibilities of his silence tormented me.

I took a sip of the tea, but its sweetness had turned bitter on my tongue. My fingers hovered over Sean's number. I wanted to call him, to demand an explanation for his silence.

But what right did I have?

We were nothing more than a business arrangement, and my pregnancy announcement might seem like a desperate attempt to save a marriage that was never real.

My last shred of dignity wouldn't allow me to appear so eager, so invested in something he had already decided to end.

When my phone finally lit up near midnight, my heart leaped - only to plummet when I saw it was Sean's number but heard Christina's voice.

"Angela? I hope I didn't wake you." Her tone was perfectly modulated, dripping with false concern.

"I just wanted to let you know that Sean will be staying at my place tonight. He's... having a shower."

The implication in her pause was clear as crystal. My hand instinctively moved to protect my stomach, as if I could shield our unborn child from the truth of its father's choices.

"You don't need to call specially to inform me," I said, my voice cold and controlled. "Whether Sean comes home at night, or who he's with - none of that concerns me."

"I know you haven't been feeling well," Christina continued, her voice honey-sweet with venom. "So I thought it best to let you know not to wait up. Doctor's orders, you know."

The tea cup clattered against its saucer as my hands began to shake.

"Thank you for letting me know," I managed, my voice surprisingly steady despite the storm raging inside.

"Of course, darling. That's what friends are for."

As soon as the call ended, my phone buzzed again. A photo from Christina loaded on the screen.

It showed a man showering, naked, his broad back and undeniably sexy hips framed by the steam. Even without seeing his face, I knew instantly - it was Sean.

I barely made it to the bathroom before the nausea hit.

I told him I was pregnant. His response? He went to fuck another woman.

Yes, his actions screamed it loud and clear: he didn't want my child. He wanted to have a baby with Christina!

The marble floor was cool against my skin as I sat there, one hand still protectively curved around my abdomen.

Sleep was impossible. I wandered the penthouse like a ghost, watching the city's lights dim as dawn approached. When my phone rang again at first light, it was Sophie's name that appeared on the screen.

"I've been thinking about our coffee shop conversation," she said without preamble. "Did you tell him?"

I laughed, the sound hollow even to my own ears. "Oh yes, I told him. Want to know how he responded? By fucking Christina."

"What? Angela, are you sure-" Sophie paused. "I know Sean isn't this heartless. Even if he doesn't see you as a real wife, how could he possibly...? There must be some misunderstanding."

"She called to tell me herself," I said, the words tasting like ash in my mouth. "And then she sent me a photo of him showering at her place. He was too 'indisposed' to come to the phone."

Sophie's sharp intake of breath carried clearly through the line. "That bastard. I'll kill him."

"Don't bother." I moved to the window, watching the sun begin to paint the sky in shades of pink and gold. "I've made my decision."

"Angela..."

"I'm getting an abortion."

"What?!"

The words hung in the air between us, heavy with finality. I could almost see Sophie's expression - the shock, the protest forming on her lips.

"You can't be serious," she finally managed. "This is your baby - your child!"

"A child whose father chose to fuck another woman after learning of its existence." My voice was surprisingly calm. "I won't bring a baby into this world just to watch it be rejected by its father."

"You're not thinking clearly. This is the shock talking-"

"I've already made the appointment." I cut her off, knowing if I let her continue, my resolve might waver.

"Angela, please. Just wait-"

"Promise me you won't tell anyone." I pressed my forehead against the cool glass of the window. "Not Sean, not Elizabeth, no one."