"BIANCA!" Amelia Henry, Gideon's mother, welcomed me with a big smile on her face. 

The woman was stunning in her emerald green dress and pearl necklace. She looked regally beautiful at her age. Amelia was already fifty-five, but she could still pass as a woman in her forties. 

"Amelia." I managed to return her smile as I kissed her cheek. "Happy birthday." 

Gideon might be a devil, but his family's different. Everyone I've met in my husband's family was nice to me. 

When Gideon introduced me as his wife to Amelia, the woman welcomed me with open arms. She even gave me a diamond necklace, an heirloom of the Henry family. 

"Oh, thank you, dear," she muttered. "Gosh, you look stunning," Amelia praised me as she looked at me from head to toe. "Pregnancy suits you, Bianca."

Stunning? Well, all thanks to my make-up and beautiful dress. 

When I stared at the mirror earlier, I saw a confident woman standing in front of me. Far different from the weak Bianca that was left alone crying after her husband physically abused her. 

I only gave Amelia a smile as Darwin Henry, Gideon's father, joined us. The old man was an older version of Gideon—from his dark blonde hair, striking blue eyes, sharp nose, and chiseled jaw. 

"Where's your husband, Bianca?" Darwin asked me, his hand snaked to Amelia's waist. 

I cleared my throat and managed a smile. "He left something in the car. He went there to get it."

Amelia's party was held in the garden of a luxurious hotel in the city. Everyone was in their formal attire. The Henrys were one of the richest and most influential families in the whole state of America. 

Darwin Henry is the founder of one of the largest multi-billion dollar companies in the country. Amelia Henry is a philanthropist who handles different charity organizations across the state. 

Their son, Gideon, is the current CEO of the Henrys' family business. 

"And how's your pregnancy, Bianca?" Darwin asked, his eyes dropping to the small bump on my belly. It was already showing in the peach dress I was wearing. 

I stiffened at his question, but then I easily recovered. I managed to smile as I rested my hand on my belly. "You have nothing to worry about. This little bean's not giving me a hard time."

"Oh, there's Gideon!" I felt a cold shiver run down my spine as Amelia looked behind me. My throat suddenly went dry. 

Soon after, I felt Gideon beside me. I stiffened in my place. 

"Happy birthday, Mom!" Gideon greeted his mother as he handed the woman a black elegant paper bag. It was a Gucci bag that Gideon bought in Paris when he went there for a business trip. 

"Here's our birthday gift to you. It was my wife who brought that when we came to Paris last month." Gideon glanced at me before he looked back to his parents to greet Darwin this time. 

I stopped myself from gritting my teeth. Liar. I wasn't with him when he went to Paris. He didn't take me with him. He never took me to any of his travels. Well, not that I wanted to join, anyway. I'd rather lock myself at our house than go with him. 

"Thank you, Bianca." Amelia turned to me to give me a smile. "You're the sweetest, isn't she, Gideon?" 

I felt Gideon's hand snake on me. His long fingers rested on the curve of my waist. "Yeah..." Gideon cocked his head at me, the corner of his lips forming a smirk. "She's the sweetest." 

Sweetest my ass. Despite the thoughts running through my head, I was forced to look at him and give him a smile in front of his parents. 

In the eyes of everyone, Gideon and I were a perfect couple. Little did they know that everything was only a facade. An act orchestrated by Gideon himself. 

On the outside, he always acts like a perfect and loving husband to me. I'm the only one who knows what kind of a monster he really is. 

But I couldn't do anything about it. 

I had no choice but to pretend that everything was fine between us. That he's the perfect husband. And I'm the loving, submissive wife. 

Gideon had threatened to hurt me and my baby if I ever told anyone the truth about our marriage.

I know Gideon. He would really do that if he wanted to. I had witnessed how many evil things he could do with his status and power. The man has no heart. 

"Gideon," Darwin said, clearing his throat. “I have something to discuss with you. I hope I can steal you away from your wife for a moment." Darwin glanced at me. 

I gave him a tight smile. "Of course. That wouldn't be a problem, Darwin." If only he knew how much I wanted his devil of a son to be out of my sight. 

"I'll leave you here for a while, darling," Gideon said to me, loud enough for his parents to hear. Then he lowered his head until his lips reached my ear. 

"Behave, Bianca," he whispered in a threatening voice before planting a kiss on my cheek. 

I forced myself to smile as I watched Gideon walk away with his father. I was able to finally breathe now that he was out of my sight. 

"Come on, Bianca," Amelia said to me, touching me in the arm. "Let's head to the buffet table. You must eat first. I'm sure my grandchild's already starving." She jested. 

I turned to Amelia and returned her smile. Grandchild? Yeah… even though this isn't Gideon's, this baby is still her grandchild.

The buffet table was filled with different continental cuisines. From different pasta and salad dishes to salmon, steak, seafood… My mouth watered at the sight of a vanilla mousse. 

"Excuse me, dear. I'll just have to answer this call." Amelia said, picking up her phone from her gold clutch bag. "I'll be back."

After picking up food on the table, I settled on an empty table. I smiled as I tasted the vanilla mousse in front of me. 

I was able to eat properly with Gideon nowhere near me. I looked around and only saw a few familiar faces in the crowd. 

Amelia loves organizing parties. Since I married Gideon, she had already invited me to five different parties she organized herself. 

"Hey, you're Uncle Gideon's wife, right?" 

A little kid went to me. I remembered her from the party Amelia and I attended last month. She's the daughter of Gideon's cousin, Sofia. 

I gave her a warm smile. "Yes. I'm Bianca. What's your name?" 

The kid looked like a five-year-old. She was wearing a pink dress. Her blonde hair was in a ponytail. 

"Macy. M-A-C-Y."  She pointed at the vacant chair beside me. "Can I sit here? Mama's busy talking to some people." She pouted her lips. 

"Sure." I smiled. 

"Thanks. You're pretty just like Mama." Her eyes widened when they went to my body. "Wait. Are you pregnant?" 

"Uh... yes." 

"Is Uncle Gideon the father?" 

My lips slightly parted. How did she... I mentally shook my head. She's just a kid. It's a harmless question. 

"O-of course." I said, bringing back my smile. "He's my husband."

She picked up the vanilla mousse from my plate and bit it. "Well... mommy said that my dad is an alien, so..." She shrugged. 

Oh. Right. Sofia doesn't have a husband. 

"Can I visit your house and play with your baby after she's born?" 

I smiled. "Of course. But you still have to wait for five months." I delightfully watched her as she devoured my vanilla mousse. "Do you want more of that?" 

"Yes, please." She pouted. 

I chuckled. She's really cute. I hoped my child would grow up just like her. "Stay here. I'll get you some." 

I stood up from my seat and left Macy. I was on my way to the buffet table when I heard Amelia behind me. 

"Bianca, dear. I have someone I want you to meet." 

I turned around to the old woman. The blood in my face dried up when I saw the familiar man beside her. 

"Bianca, this is Charlie." Amelia smiled at me before her eyes drifted to the man wearing a gray tux. "Charlie, this is the woman I'm talking about, Bianca, your brother's wife."

Charlie Song, the man standing in front of me right now... is my ex-boyfriend. And the real father of my baby. 

I WANTED to excuse myself and run away. But it felt like my feet were rooted to the ground. I couldn't move. Even my heart felt like it had stopped beating for a moment. 

"Bianca..." Charlie greeted me with his familiar voice. 

I stared at him. His handsome face didn't change over the past five months that I hadn't seen him. 

"It's nice to finally meet you." He extended his hand to me. 

I swallowed the lump in my throat as I accepted his hand. "S-same here, Charlie."

My heart constricted when I tried to meet his eyes. His lips were smiling, but her chinky eyes… they were saying otherwise. They were cold and emotionless. 

"Mom said you're already pregnant," he said after letting go of my hand, his eyes drifting to my belly. I felt a shiver run down my spine. My heart started beating erratically inside my chest. 

"Congratulations, Bianca." 

"T-thank you."

His eyes went back to meet mine. This time, I looked away from him. I couldn't handle his stares. His cold and dead eyes were suffocating me. 

I couldn't blame Charlie for acting like this. Like we didn't know each other. Like I was a complete stranger to him. 

I deserved all of these. I've hurt him. I broke up with him over the phone. And that same day, I married his brother. 

"I'm sorry we’ve only met now," Charlie said. "I was in India for work."

"It's okay..." I could feel the tears starting to form in the corner of my eyes. I blinked them away as I tried to smile at Charlie. 

I didn't want Amelia to notice anything. Only Gideon knew about my past relationship with Charlie. 

"Oh, I already mentioned to Bianca that you're a travel photographer," Amelia said to his adopted son. "And that you're always out of the country. Well, good thing you finally managed to get home for my birthday, Charlie." Amelia slightly rolled her eyes. "You've been away for five months. I thought you'd already forgotten about your family." 

Charlie chuckled as he turned to Amelia. 

Oh. How I missed that laugh. 

"Aww... I missed you too, Mom. Don't worry, I'll stay here for a while."

"I… excuse me. I'll leave you two for now," I finally managed to say. "Macy asked me for a piece of cake."

"Sure, Bianca," Amelia smiled at me. 

I glanced at Charlie, who was now back with his cold expression. He nodded at me. 

I was forced to give him a small smile before I walked away from them. 

"What took you so long?" The kid asked me after I was back at our table. 

"I... I saw your Uncle Charlie," I muttered absentmindedly as I gave her a plate of dessert.

"Oh, you've met Uncle Charlie? He's so nice. He gave me a big Barbie collection for my birthday."

I didn't answer her. Instead, I picked up a glass of water in front of me and sipped it, trying to calm myself down. 

I had no idea that Charlie was already back. If I had known that I'd see him at this party, I would have pretended to be sick. I wasn't ready to face him. 

I could still remember the last time we talked. It was when Gideon forced me to break things off with Charlie. Everything felt like it happened yesterday. 

I clearly remembered how I broke his heart when I told him I was in a relationship with another man and was about to marry him. 

Then… after Gideon and I's wedding, the biggest shock came to me when I found out that Charlie was Gideon's adoptive brother. 

I looked away as I felt the corner of my eyes heating up. But then I saw Charlie. He was now talking to an old woman. I felt a needle pierce my heart as I saw Charlie smile. I had never once forgotten about him. Until now… I was still in love with him. 

Charlie was the best thing that happened to me. 

Until Gideon entered the picture and ruined everything for me. 

I remembered Charlie had promised me that he would introduce me to his family when he came back from India. But that didn't happen.

And now, I am stuck in this hellhole. 

"Bianca, can I have that thing?" 

Macy poked my arm and pointed at the roaming waiter near us. She was pointing at the tray of caviar the waiter was holding. 

I suddenly felt nauseous just by the sight of it. 

"No. That's not for kids."

"You okay? You look like you're about to cry."

"I n-need to go to the restroom." I placed a hand on my mouth as I excused myself from her. I went to a dark corner of the garden and vomited everything I had eaten earlier that day.

This is the first time my stomach got upset over the sight of food. 

"Bianca, are you okay?" 

I felt my body stiffen when a familiar voice filled my ears. It was… Charlie. What is he doing here?

I slowly looked up and I found him in front of me. 

"Here. Clean yourself up." He handed me a white handkerchief. His voice was cold... but his eyes were filled with something. 

It took me a moment before I accepted it. "T-thank you. What are you doing here?" I felt nervous as he watched me wipe my mouth with his handkerchief. 

I could feel my heart starting to beat faster. Did he follow me here? 

"I saw you running away with your hand on your mouth. I thought something was wrong, so I followed you."

I clenched the white cloth in my hand. "I just… felt upset with the smell of caviar."

"Caviar?" His eyes slightly slanted. "That's your favorite, right?" 

I cleared my throat. "Well, not anymore. My… baby hates it." 

His eyes drifted to my belly. "Mom says you're four months pregnant. Is that true?" 

This time, I felt like my heart stopped beating for a second. I swallowed. 

"Yes," I said, in my most casual voice. "I'm four months pregnant with Gideon's child."

Charlie's eyes found mine. "Is it really Gideon's, Bianca?" he asked, his dark orbs boring into mine. 

"W-what are you talking about, Charlie?" I muttered, my lips parted in disbelief. "Of course, this is Gideon's." 

He couldn't know that this child was him and not Gideon. 

I'm sorry, Charlie. But this is both for our own good. 

"Excuse me. I need to go back," I said before I walked past him. I needed to avoid him. At all costs. 

"Bianca, wait." He stopped me by grabbing my arm. I was forced to turn my head on him. 

"What's this?" Charlie's dark eyebrows were now crossed in one line. His eyes were on my wrist. 

"You have a bruise," he said, his thumb touching the red mark on my skin. 

I took my hand from him. "Don't touch me, Charlie."

I looked at him and was welcomed by Charlie's sharp eyes. His lips were almost in a grim line. "Is Gideon hurting you, Bianca?" 

My lips parted. "N-no. Of course not. He could never do that to me."

"Then why do you have that bruise?"

I swallowed as I touched my left wrist with my thumb. I wanted to walk away and ignore his question, but I knew that would make him doubt me even more. 

"This is none of your business, Charlie. But to answer you… I had this last night… when Gideon and I had sex. Your brother and I… we both liked it hard."

Charlie's eyebrows crossed in one line. "You both like it hard? But you're pregnant, Bianca," he muttered in a cold voice, not believing me for a bit. 

He looked me in the eyes. His sharp eyes were piercing through my soul. I could hear my heart wanting to get out of my body. 

His face softened a bit. "Your eyes… they're telling me you're lying. Be honest with me, is Gideon hurting you?" 

I opened my mouth to answer... but then I closed them again when I saw Gideon walking towards us. 

"What are you doing here with my wife?" 

"G-GIDEON!" I muttered when Gideon grabbed me in the arm and placed me at his side. 

He didn't give me a glance as his eyes stayed on Charlie. 

"What are you doing with my wife, Charlie?" Gideon asked in a dark voice. "Didn't I ask you to stay away from her?"

"I saw your wife throwing up, Gideon," Charlie answered with the same dangerous voice as Gideon. "I just helped her. If you don't want to see you with another man, then you should've never left her side."

I could feel the tension between the two men. I knew Gideon hated his brother. But Charlie... this is the first time I've seen him with this expression on his face. 

"G-Gideon... Charlie just helped me." I grabbed his left arm. "Let's go..." 

I knew Gideon wouldn't make a scene here. And Charlie... he's never violent, but he's very perceptive. I didn't want him to notice anything. 

Gideon's left arm snaked to my waist. "The next time I see you near my wife, you know what I'd do, Charlie." He gritted his teeth before pulling me away. 

"Gideon..." Charlie muttered coldly, making both Gideon and I stop. 

"Did you hurt Bianca?" 

I felt like my heart had stopped beating in my chest. 

Gideon dropped his hand that was on my waist and turned around to face Charlie. 

"Me? Hurting Bianca?" Gideon let out a dark chuckle. "Do you really think I'll be able to do that to my pregnant wife?" 

"Why don't we ask your wife?" Charlie replied, his voice challenging the man in front of him. 

Charlie, please stop. 

I shut my eyes for a moment before I turned around. I never dared look at Charlie. I was afraid that my eyes would give me away. 

Gideon turned to me. He was smiling. But I knew what he really meant with that smile. "Did I ever hurt you, Bianca?" 

I shook my head. "No. You never hurt me, Gideon."

Gideon drew his gaze back to his brother. "See? I never hurt Bianca. Tell me, Charlie? Why are you doing this?" Gideon smirked evilly. "You still can't accept that Bianca chose me over you, can you?" 

"Shut it, Gideon. This is not about that."

This time, I couldn't help but glance at Charlie. He clenched his fist as he stared coldly at his brother. 

"Just remember this, Gideon. The moment I learn you are hurting your wife, you don't want to know what I'd do to you." Charlie said as he walked away from us. 

My eyes widened as I followed Charlie's back. What did he mean by that? 

"What did you tell Charlie?" Gideon whispered through gritted teeth as he dragged me to the exit of the hotel. 

"I didn't tell him anything, Gideon." I gulped. "Are we going home now?" 

I felt his grip tighten on my waist. "We no longer have business here." 

I anxiously looked at him. His face was grim. "B-but we haven't said our goodbye to your mother."

"I'll just call her later."

We were nearing the exit when Amelia saw us. 

"Where are you two going?" 

"We're already heading home, Mom." Gideon flashed his mother a smile. "Bianca was already tired. She needs rest." I felt him caress my arm. 

"Oh. Take care, dear." 

Amelia gave me a peck on the cheek before she let us go. 

Our whole ride to our home was quiet. I gulped as I saw Gideon gritting his teeth as he gripped hard on the steering wheel. 

"Gideon, slow down..." I said, nervous about how fast he drives and with his grim expression. 

"Shut up, Bianca," he barked, throwing me a dark look. 

"Now, tell me. What did you two really do there?" he asked me the moment we entered our house. 

"Nothing, Gideon." I answered as I sat on the couch, taking off my shoes. "He just helped me. Like what he said to you." As soon as I took off my shoes, I stood up. "I'll head to our room."

"We're not yet done." In an instant, he was already in front of me. "What did you tell him?"

"Nothing, Gideon. I didn't tell him anything."

"Stop lying to me, Bianca." He gritted his teeth. 

I swallowed. "I'm telling the truth, Gideon. I didn't tell Charlie anything. But he saw a bruise on my pulse." I showed him my left wrist. 

He grabbed my wrist and looked at me with slanted eyes. "You let him touch you?" 

"I…" I didn't manage to finish when he dragged me to the wall. My back touched the cold wall. 

"Don't lie to me, Bianca. What did you tell him?" he asked. His dark eyes zeroed in on me. His jaw clenched hard. 

"G-Gideon, I'm not lying. Let go. I'm hurting." 

My eyes widened when he gripped my mouth, forcing it to open. "You will really get hurt if you won't be honest with him." He warned. "I repeat, Bianca. What. Did. You. Tell. Him?" 

I blinked back the tears in the corner of my eyes. "I said nothing."

"I know you still love him, Bianca.” He smirked evilly. "Did you tell him that, huh? Did you tell him you missed him? Did you tell him he's the father of your fucking baby?" 

A tear fell from my eyes as I felt pain in my mouth. 

He's really a devil! "You're right! I still love Charlie." I answered him as I gritted my teeth. "But I didn't tell him anything, Gideon. I didn't tell him that you only forced me to marry you… and that he's the father of my baby!" I looked at him, my eyes burning in fury.

"Now, let go of me, you devil! B-because if something happens to my child, I will hurt you, Gideon."

His grip tightened as he dragged me away from the wall. 

"Before you do that, I'd hurt you first, bitch," he said, before pushing me down to the carpeted floor. 

My back hit something hard. A wince escaped me. 

"You know I hate it when you talk back to me."

I didn't answer. I just shut my eyes and gritted my teeth and listened to his footsteps as he walked away from me. 

When I opened my eyes, Gideon was already gone. I slowly stood up... but then my eyes widened in panic when I saw blood gushing out of my legs.

"My baby... No..."