14. Christian
14
CHRISTIAN
Scarlett’s purse sat on my desk like a silent accusation. The pregnancy test box I’d found inside felt heavier than it should, like the weight of an entire future compressed into a small, plastic-wrapped reality.
My pulse pounded in my ears as I sat there, staring at it, trying to process what this meant—what we meant now.
She was pregnant.
Scarlett was carrying my child.
And she hadn’t told me.
I clenched my jaw and exhaled slowly, forcing myself to think. This wasn’t something I could shove to the side, not something I could handle later. I needed to see her. Now.
I grabbed my phone, called her number. It rang. And rang.
Voicemail.
That only made my chest tighten further.
I wasn’t going to do this over the phone anyway.
Grabbing my keys, I stormed out of my office, heading straight for my car.
Scarlett had spent so long fighting for her business, for her reputation. She had pushed me away to protect all of it. But this? This wasn’t just about the restaurant anymore.
This was us.
And I wasn’t going to let her shut me out.
The moment she opened her apartment door, her brows furrowed in confusion.
“Christian? What are you?—”
I didn’t wait.
I held up the pregnancy test box.
Her breath caught, and she paled, her fingers tightening around the edge of the door.
“Are you going to tell me?” I asked, my voice low, rough.
She swallowed hard. “Christian, I?—”
“You were going to keep this from me?” I stepped inside, closing the door behind me, my heart hammering in my chest. “Scarlett, this baby is mine—ours. You don’t get to hide this from me.”
She turned away, running a hand through her hair, her shoulders tense. “I just needed time to figure things out. I—I didn’t know how to tell you.”
I exhaled sharply. “That’s bullshit.”
She flinched. I immediately regretted my tone, but damn it, I was hurt.
“Scarlett,” I said, softer now, stepping closer. “Why? Why didn’t you trust me enough to tell me?”
She turned back to me then, her eyes flashing with emotion. “Because I’m terrified, Christian! Terrified that I’m going to lose everything I’ve worked for. That I’ll lose you!”
Her voice cracked, and that was when I saw it—the sheer weight of her fears pressing down on her.
I let out a breath, closing the space between us. “Scarlett…”
She shook her head. “I was barely keeping my head above water. Victoria has been attacking me from every direction, and just when I thought I had a grip on things, this—” She gestured helplessly at herself. “I didn’t want to be one more thing you had to deal with.”
My heart twisted. “Is that really what you think?” I asked, reaching for her hand.
She hesitated, but let me take it.
“You are not a burden to me,” I said firmly, squeezing her fingers. “You never were. And this—” I touched her stomach, just lightly. “This isn’t something you should be handling on your own.”
Tears welled in her eyes, but she blinked them away. “Christian, I don’t want to drag you into a mess. If you want to walk away?—”
I cut her off with a fierce, heated kiss, pouring all my frustration, all my devotion, into the press of my lips against hers.
She gasped but melted into me, her hands gripping my shirt like she needed something to hold onto.
When I pulled back, I cupped her face. “I’m not going anywhere, Scarlett.”
She searched my face, and I could see the battle in her eyes—the fear of trusting this, of trusting me.
But then, finally, she nodded.
I pulled her into my arms, holding her tightly against me.
“We’ll figure this out together,” I murmured into her hair. “You’re not alone in this. Not anymore.”
She let out a shuddering breath, clutching the fabric of my shirt.
I felt something shift between us—something real and unshakable.
For the first time, Scarlett wasn’t carrying everything on her own.
And I wasn’t going to let her ever again.
Later that night, after I’d gone back to my place, my phone buzzed on the nightstand.
I carefully slipped out of bed and picked it up. A text.
Unknown Number: You don’t belong in her life. Walk away before it’s too late.
My blood went cold.
Victoria. She wasn’t going to heed my warning wasn’t she?
Scarlett had barely been gone for a few hours before I found myself wanting her back in my arms.
Now that I knew the truth, now that I knew she was carrying my child, I wasn’t going to let another night pass with her thinking she had to face this alone.
I grabbed my phone and shot her a text.
Christian: Come over. We need to talk.
She didn’t reply immediately, and I paced my apartment, checking my phone every five seconds like a man who’d never been ghosted before.
Finally, my phone vibrated.
Scarlett: On my way.
I let out a breath. Good.
When she arrived, she barely had time to say hello before I pulled her into my arms.
She let out a soft sound of surprise, but she didn’t pull away. If anything, she held on tighter.
It hit me then, just how exhausted she must be. How much weight she’d been carrying alone.
No more.
I wasn’t just going to stand beside her in this fight. I was going to make damn sure she never had to fight alone again.
I eased back, my hands framing her face as I searched her eyes.
“From now on, we’re honest with each other. No more holding back, no more protecting me by shutting me out,” I told her.
She swallowed, but she nodded.
“Good,” I murmured. I reached for my phone and pulled up my messages. “Because I need to show you something.”
Her brows knit as she took the device from my hands, her eyes scanning the screen.
She sucked in a sharp breath.
You don’t belong in her life. Walk away before it’s too late.
Her fingers clenched around the phone, knuckles white. “Victoria.”
I nodded. “I figured as much.”
Scarlett exhaled, running a hand through her hair. “I got a text too,” she admitted.
My jaw tightened. “What did it say?”
Her lips parted like she wasn’t sure if she wanted to tell me, but she stopped herself.
No more secrets.
She pulled out her phone and handed it to me.
Give up. You won’t survive me.
I stared at the message, something dark and protective rising inside me.
“She’s trying to scare you,” I said, voice tight with controlled anger. “Trying to push you over the edge, hoping you’ll crumble.”
Scarlett’s eyes burned with defiance. “She doesn’t know me very well, then.”
My lips quirked slightly, pride swelling in my chest. That’s my girl.
I reached out and cupped the back of her neck, my thumb brushing over her pulse. “We end this, Scarlett. Together.”
She let out a breath, leaning into my touch. “How?”
I hesitated, knowing what I was about to say might scare her. But she deserved the truth.
“I have a plan,” I said slowly. “A way to expose Victoria. Publicly. But I need your cooperation.”
Scarlett lifted her chin. “Tell me everything.”
Her determination sent a rush of heat through me, and in that moment, I wanted her more than I ever had before.
Not just because she was beautiful. Not just because she was carrying my child.
Because she was strong. Because she stood her ground. Because she was mine.
I closed the space between us in an instant, claiming her lips in a kiss that left no room for hesitation.
She gasped against my mouth, but her arms wrapped around my neck, pulling me deeper into her.
I walked her backward, our bodies pressing together as heat flared between us.
I needed her. Needed her in every possible way.
I broke the kiss just long enough to whisper against her lips, “I love you.”
Scarlett stilled, her breath catching.
Then, slowly, she smiled.
“I love you too.”
I groaned, kissing her harder, deeper.
I would fight for her. For our child.
And together, we would end Victoria’s reign of sabotage once and for all.
As Scarlett caught her breath, she looked up at me, eyes searching. “What’s the plan?”
I exhaled, my hands framing her face. “We expose Victoria. We take this fight public.”
Her eyes widened slightly, but she didn’t pull away.
Instead, she nodded. “Let’s do it.”