Chapter 19 Giving Up #2
This time slower but no less intense.
His tongue slid against hers, coaxing, demanding, tasting every part of her mouth like he needed to memorize it. His lips moved over hers in maddening rhythm. Sucking, nipping, claiming, as if the kiss was the only thing keeping him alive.
She gasped into him.
Her hands rose to push him again but instead, her fingers curled into his shirt.
Lorenzo groaned into her mouth.
She shoved him back a second time, eyes glistening, voice shaking as she stared straight at him.
“Look at me,” she said, every word trembling. “Who am I? I’m not Esther. I’m Krystal.”
His gaze locked with hers. And in that instant, something shifted.
‘I already ruined Esther’s life. I can’t ruin Krystal too by involving her in this mess.’
He pushed himself off her and backed away like the air had burned him, then stormed out of the bedroom without another word.
Krystal slowly sat up, clutching her chest. Everything inside her ached, but the worst pain wasn’t physical—it was the hollow, dragging weight in her heart. She stared at the door, the silence swallowing her whole.
‘How much control does he have on himself when it comes to Esther?’ she thought bitterly. ‘I really should give up now. I was never the one he loved.’
She took a shuddering breath, and dragged herself out of bed. Then she stepped out of the room.
The apartment was silent. Lorenzo was gone.
Then suddenly, a sharp pain knifed through her lower stomach. She staggered, nearly collapsing from the blinding ache.
She reached for the table, grabbing her phone with trembling hands. Her vision blurred as she dialed.
“Darren,” she whispered, barely audible. “Come back to the apartment. Right now.”
There was the sound of a glass dropping on a glass table on the other end, then Darren’s panicked voice. “Be there in five. What’s wrong?!”
She didn’t answer. She hung up, then stumbled out of the apartment, into the elevator, and down to the ground floor.
By the time she stepped outside, Darren had already pulled up, rushing toward her the moment he saw her sway on her feet.
“Hospital,” she croaked, clinging to his arm. “My stomach—hurts so bad.”
He caught her before she collapsed and helped her into the car, speeding off toward Bristen Hospital.
***
Two hours later, Krystal and Darren walked out of the hospital room.
“I thought you were dying,” Darren muttered, running a shaky hand through his hair. “Holy shit, Honey. I’ve never seen your face that pale.”
She let out a breathless laugh, resting her hand on her stomach. The meds had eased the pain.
“I thought my insides were twisting into something fatal,” she whispered. “Thank God it was just a stomach infection. But the pain... it was terrifying.”
“The pain looked brutal. I was ready to lose it,” he said, relieved. “Thankfully, it wasn’t anything worse.”
As they passed through the hallway, a piece of paper fluttered to the ground. Darren bent and picked it up.
“Hey, look—this has your name on it. Krystal Vale.” He scanned it, then raised his eyebrows.
She leaned over his arm, glancing at it.
“Two months pregnant,” he read out loud, then looked at her up and down, grinning. “So? How does it feel? Any nausea?”
She let out a dry chuckle and snatched the paper from him. “How funny,” she said. “Krystal Vale. Even the surname is the same as mine before marriage.”
“What a weird coincidence,” Darren muttered, reaching for the paper. “Give it here. I’ll toss it.”
“No,” she said quickly, folding it up and tucking it into her hand. “I wanna keep it. Coincidences like this don’t happen every day. Kara’s going to laugh her ass off when I show it to her.”
“You’re so damn childish,” Darren said, shaking his head with a grin.
“Shut it. Don’t mock your boss,” Krystal snapped, shooting Darren a glare.
They started walking again, their footsteps echoing faintly in the hallway.
Darren turned his eyes back to her, frowning. “What are you planning to do next? You didn’t leave because of Lorenzo this time either. So what now? You’re just... stuck here?”
Krystal’s mind drifted to everything that had happened with Lorenzo. He didn’t care about anything—nothing but Esther. Even after everything. Even after she lied to him.
She answered quietly, her voice almost emotionless. “There’s no point staying. I’ve made up my mind. We’re leaving. I won’t stay here any longer. Soon, I’ll be out of this city.”
Darren let out a heavy sigh, tilting his head back to look at the sky like he was praying for patience.
“For the millionth time... I’ll make the arrangements.”
Instead of heading out of the hospital, Krystal turned and made her way toward Damion’s office.
***
“That son of a bitch!” Krystal exploded, slamming her hand on the desk. Her face twisted in frustration. Then, glancing at Damion, her tone softened. “I’m so sorry you had to deal with that because of me.”
Damion waved her off with a calm shrug. “It’s nothing. I only tolerated him for your sake. Otherwise, do you really think that guy would’ve walked out of my hospital in one piece after pulling that stunt?”
“Sorry, sorry!” Krystal clasped her hands in front of him, shaking them with a dramatic pout.
“Forgive her, she’s two months pregnant!” Darren chimed in out of nowhere, slamming a crumpled pregnancy report on the table.
Both Damion and Krystal gasped at the same time.
“Idiot!” Krystal smacked the back of Darren’s head.
Damion snatched the report in disbelief, eyes wide.
“You’re pregnant?!” he asked, stunned.
“No!” Krystal said quickly, waving her hands. “It’s fake! I found it on the ground on my way here. It just happened to have the same name as mine, so I kept it. I thought it was funny, that’s all.”
Damion raised an eyebrow, glancing between the paper and her. “What a weird coincidence.”
“Right?!” Krystal chuckled.
But someone else had heard the conversation.
Standing by the doorway, Esther froze in place.
She’d followed Krystal and Darren secretly after seeing Krystal exit the doctor’s office earlier. The moment she heard Darren say ‘She’s pregnant,’ Esther staggered back like someone had punched her in the chest.
“She’s pregnant?” Esther whispered to herself, nearly tripping over her own feet as she backed away from the room instantly in shock. Her body stiffened. Then, her panic turned into pure rage.
“What the fuck?! What the actual fuck!” she hissed under her breath, trembling with fury. ‘No wonder Lorenzo’s been cold lately. That bitch is screwing everything up.’
Her thoughts spiraled. ‘How the hell did she get pregnant? Is it even his? Or some random bastard’s kid? But if it’s his, I’m screwed.’ Her voice cracked. Jealousy burned through her.
“This can’t happen. If she’s pregnant, then Lorenzo… He won’t marry me. He won’t even look at me!”
Esther’s jaw clenched. “I need to get pregnant too.”
Without wasting another second, she stormed off and dialed Lorenzo’s number.
He didn’t pick up.
She called again.
And again.
Finally, on the third ring, he answered, voice flat and distant. “Hello?”
“Lorenzo,” she blurted out, breath shaky, voice trembling. “I-I’m pregnant.”
There was a pause.
“What?” Lorenzo’s voice was cold, wary.
“It’s yours. We slept together, right? It’s your child.”
There was a deadly silence. Then he barked, “Have you lost your mind? We slept together once. That was two years ago, Esther. How the hell could you be pregnant now?”
“Just believe me!” she blurted. Her voice was shaking, desperate. “I’m telling the truth. It’s yours!”
The call ended abruptly with a long, cold beep.
Esther’s panic turned to fury. Esther cursed under her breath and called again. Once. Twice. Three times. By the fifth try, he finally picked up.
“What, Esther?!” he barked.
Burning with rage, she shouted, “You’re abandoning me just because Krystal is pregnant?! You slept with me and now you want to be with her? You promised me you’d be with me!”
There was a loud slam on the other end. There was a dangerous pause. Then his voice dropped, low and lethal.
“What the hell did you just say?”
Esther kept rambling, pleading. “Just give me a chance. I’ll give you more babies—just be with me—”
But he cut her off, his voice now full of venom. “Who the hell did you say is pregnant?”
Esther growled, her voice dripping with resentment. “Don’t play dumb. I saw her. She was in the hospital talking to the doctor about being pregnant.”
Across the city, inside the Velare Hotels’ CEO office, Lorenzo sat frozen in his chair. The quiet hum of the city outside didn’t reach him. His grip on the pen trembled, the metal tip tapping repeatedly against the desk, his jaw locked tight.
“Pregnant? I haven’t even touched her. How the hell could she be pregnant?”
“Lorenzo? Lorenzo?” Esther’s voice was still coming through the phone.
But he didn’t answer.
He hung up.
Then suddenly—he snapped.
With a furious roar, he slammed his hand on the desk, sweeping everything off it with one swift, violent motion. Papers, pens, his phone—everything crashed to the floor.
His breathing was ragged, his chest heaving.
He stormed out of the office.
***
An hour later, the doorbell at Krystal’s apartment rang over and over. Annoyed, she yanked it open.
“What the hell do you—” She froze. “Lorenzo?”