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..." 

I TOOK a deep breath as I stared at the suitcase in front of me. 

This is it, Bianca. No more backing out. 

Today, I finally decided to escape from Gideon. I couldn't allow myself to stay with him any longer. 

After what happened that night... five days ago... I suddenly found the courage to leave. 

I know how powerful Gideon is. I have all the reasons to be scared of him. But if I continued to be like this—scared, weak, and pathetic—I would lose my baby. 

I shut my eyes when I remembered how terrified I was that night... when I thought I already lost my baby. 

"If something happened to my baby, I would have fucking killed you, Gideon Henry." I angrily muttered to Gideon. The corner of my eyes were hot with unshed tears. 

I was lying on our king-sized bed after our doctor left. 

Of course. The powerful and ruthless Gideon Henry didn't drive me to the hospital. Instead, he called for a private doctor to come to his house. 

My hand protectively held onto my belly. The doctor told me I only had a minor bleeding earlier, and I have nothing to worry about because my baby is strong. When he asked me about what happened earlier, I told him I accidentally slipped on the staircase. 

"Really, Bianca?" Gideon retorted, giving me a sharp and cold look from the door of the room. "You really think you could kill me when you can't even hurt a damn fly?" 

I gritted my teeth as I matched his sharp eyes. "You don't know what I can do to protect this child."

"You really love my fucking brother that you're willing to kill just to protect his child?" he asked, his voice dripping with acid. 

"This is not about Charlie, Gideon."

"I told you not to say his fucking name in front of me." His jaw clenched. "If you really want to protect your baby, be a good wife to me." 

"Am I not still being a good wife to you?" I hissed. "I do everything you say. I quit my fucking job. I play my part as your loving and smitten wife in front of everyone."

"Then stay that way, Bianca." He stepped towards me and sat on the corner of the bed. His hand went to my face. This time... his touch was gentle, but his eyes... they were as cold as ice. 

"Continue acting like the loving wife that you are." He lifted my chin and met my eyes. "And stay the fuck out of my brother. Because the next time I see you two again, you don't want to imagine what I'd do."

I picked up my suitcase and headed to the door. I have already made up my mind. I'm leaving him. 

I couldn't continue being like this. I needed to be brave. I needed to stand up. In order to protect my baby. 

If I continued to stay with Gideon, who knows what else he could do next time. 

I couldn't imagine losing this baby inside me. No. I couldn't let that happen. Never. 

I placed my hand on my belly as I put my suitcase in the trunk of my car. 

I promise I'll give you a good life. I'll work hard for the two of us. 

Gideon was currently on a three-day business trip to Atlanta. With him away, this was my chance to escape this hellhole. 

Gideon... he's really confident that I would never escape from him. That I would continue to be the obedient, fearful wife that I was. 

You're wrong, Gideon. And thanks for underestimating me. I said sarcastically. 

I smirked as I entered the driver's seat of my car. 

For one last time, I glanced at the bungalow Mediterranean style house that became my prison for months. A bittersweet smile escaped my lips as I started the car. 

Thirty minutes later, I was already nearing the exit of Los Angeles. I was on my way to Texas, where my best friend Andrea lives. Gideon didn't know about her. 

But I knew I wouldn't stay long in Texas. I needed to go somewhere far. Where Gideon couldn't see me. If I needed to leave everything behind and start a new life on the other end of the globe, I'd do it. Just to get away with my devil of a husband. 

My thoughts got interrupted when my cell phone rang. I glanced at the gadget on the dashboard. I saw Amelia on the screen. I frowned. Why was she calling me? For a second, I hesitated on answering it. But I guessed this would be the last time I'll be hearing her voice. Unlike Gideon, his mother had been so good to me. 

"Amelia, hi..." I said, after putting on my earpiece. 

"B-bianca..." I frowned when I heard her sniff on the other line. She sounded as if she was on the verge of breaking down. 

"Amelia, what's wrong?" 

"W-we need to fly to Atlanta right now, Bianca. Prepare s-some things. I'll have s-someone pick you up at your home. He'll be there in thirty."

I swear... there was something wrong in her voice. She was like... panicking. And why do we need to fly to Atlanta? 

My lips parted with a sudden realization. Did Gideon find out about my escape? And now he's using Amelia to stop me? 

I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. My heart started pounding inside my chest. 

I glanced at the screen on my phone. How did Gideon find out that I'm leaving? Did he put a tracking device on it? 

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. 

"A-Amelia, why are we going to Atlanta?" 

"M-Gideon..." Amelia muttered in a shaky low voice. "Gideon... he got into an accident, Bianca. T-the hospital called us. M-my son's in a critical condition."

"W-what?" I croaked. I accidentally hit the brake of the car in the middle of the road. 

My lips remained parted as Amelia's words kept on playing in my head. Gideon... there was an accident. And he's in critical condition. 

"Bianca... are you there?" 

"Y-yes… I…" 

My eyes widened when I saw a truck coming my way. I tried to step on the gas, but I realized it was too late. The next thing I knew, I saw my own blood before I lost my consciousness.