Chapter Thirty-Eight
Annie
Once Aston is up to speed on everything, he asks if he can take me out to dinner to help me unwind. Just the two of us. Something quiet and romantic. A night away from everything that’s happened.
Mum thinks it’s a great idea. She says I need the distraction, and honestly, she’s right. She also wants to spend time with Ella and make sure she’s okay after everything today.
So I pack an overnight bag, and Aston drives me to his place first so we can quickly see his parents. We chat for a bit, keep things light, then he grabs his own bag, and we head into the city for the night.
Security is meeting us at Granddaddy’s hotel and will escort us wherever we’re going. Aston refuses to tell me where we’re headed, but I don’t mind.
I like surprises.
Well… good ones.
I finish pulling my purple silk dress over my head, smoothing it down my body, then sit on the edge of the bed to slide on my black pumps.
“Are you wearing heels for me, baby?” Aston asks as he walks out of the en-suite, looking unfairly good and smelling even better.
“Yep,” I reply, slipping on the other shoe. “I figured I’d make an effort. Combat boots don’t exactly match this dress.”
He smirks as he crosses the room, taking my hand and pulling me to my feet until I’m flush against him. “You look stunning, Lennox,” he murmurs, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear.
“Thank you, kind sir,” I tease.
“Well, m’lady, your carriage awaits.”
I grin as we head out together. Security is already waiting downstairs, two large, suited men who look like they could take down a building if needed. Even I feel a little intimidated.
“Hey, guys,” Aston greets them casually as they escort us to the car Granddaddy organized.
We manage to get in without any paparazzi or evil minions spotting us, which instantly helps me relax.
The door shuts, and the guards slide into the front seats.
“So, where are we going?” I ask.
Aston smirks. “That new restaurant you’ve been dying to try.”
My eyes widen. “The one owned by that chef we watch late at night?”
“The very one.”
I practically bounce in my seat. “Oh my God, I can’t wait!”
He leans in, brushing a kiss to my cheek. “Only the best for my girl.”
The car pulls up, and there are a few paparazzi outside, so we stop briefly for photographs before heading inside.
The restaurant is even more stunning in person.
The place is packed, filled with soft lighting, expensive décor, and a handful of familiar faces.
And for the first time all day, I feel like I can breathe.
We’re shown to our table, and Aston pulls out my chair before taking his seat opposite me.
“You really are amazing for bringing me here,” I say, smiling.
“I’d do anything to see that smile,” he replies. “Especially after today.”
“I wonder if he does that potato stack thing in real life,” I say, scanning the menu.
Aston laughs. “You’re one of the biggest celebrities in the world, and you’re fangirling over a chef?”
“Absolutely.”
“I love that you’re still normal.”
“Babe, I only have one celebrity crush,” I say sweetly. “And he’s sitting right in front of me.”
He raises a brow. “Oh yeah? I don’t see anyone else at this table.”
“Ha. Very funny.”
“You might need to book in with Dr. Ludwick again if you’re seeing imaginary people.”
I toss my napkin at him. “You’re such a dork.”
“But you love me.”
“I do.”
He reaches across the table, taking my hand. “I love you too.”
“Aston? Annie?” The voice comes from behind me.
Aston’s expression shifts instantly, confusion, then shock, then something else I can’t quite place.
I turn.
And my stomach drops.
Amber.
For fuck’s sake, of course, it’s her.
I don’t even get a chance to react properly before she steps closer, and then I see it.
Her stomach.
Round.
Full.
Fucking obvious.
My breath catches as my gaze flicks back to Aston.
He looks… horrified.
“Aston, how are you?” she asks casually, resting her hand on his shoulder.
He doesn’t even seem to notice.
“You’re… pregnant?” he says.
She laughs lightly. “Bit hard to miss, isn’t it?”
My heart starts to pound.
“Um… how far along are you?” I ask, my voice tighter than I intend.
“Just over six months.”
Six months.
My entire world tilts.
Six months ago… they were together.
Holy shit. Aston’s going to be a dad. The thought slams into me so hard I feel sick.
“W-why didn’t you tell me?” Aston asks, his voice strained.
Amber shrugs. “Didn’t think it was your business. We’re not together anymore. You’ve clearly moved on.”
The room starts to close in.
Sound fades.
My chest tightens as heat floods my body, my pulse racing so fast it’s deafening.
I can’t breathe.
I can’t think.
All I can see is her… pregnant.
With his baby.
I shove back from the table so fast the chair topples behind me, crashing into the polished timber floor hard enough to turn heads across the restaurant.
“Are you okay, Annie?” Amber asks, instinctively reaching for me.
Her hand settles against the gentle curve of her stomach.
The gesture is innocent.
Unthinking.
It still feels like someone has driven a blade straight through my ribs.
Every sound around me fades beneath the roar filling my ears as my eyes lock on the place where her fingers rest, my brain refusing to look anywhere else.
The elegant restaurant, the soft music, the conversations carrying on around us all dissolve into meaningless background noise while one horrifying realization crashes through me with enough force to steal the air from my lungs.
She is pregnant.
Six months.
My mind reaches for the timeline before I can stop it, piecing it together with ruthless efficiency that borders on cruelty.
Six months since Aston ended whatever they had.
Six months since he came back to me. Six months of believing we’d finally found solid ground after everything we’d survived together.
Dear God…
A nauseating wave rolls through me.
Every memory we’ve built over those months rushes forward at once, every kiss, every promise, every whispered conversation about our future colliding with the image standing right in front of me until I can’t separate one from the other anymore.
My thoughts twist themselves into knots, searching desperately for another explanation, but panic has already taken hold, drowning out reason before it even has a chance to speak.
All I can see is Aston becoming a father.
Not with me.
With her.
I finally drag my gaze away from Amber and find Aston already standing, his chair shoved back behind him, his expression draining of color as our eyes meet. His mouth opens immediately, urgency written across every line of his face as he reaches toward me.
“Annie…” Whatever comes after my name never reaches me.
I don’t want to hear it.
Because if he says the words I’ve already convinced myself are coming, if he tells me he was trying to find the right time to explain, if he confirms the nightmare my mind has already stitched together…
I don’t know if I’ll recover.
“How could y-you?” My voice cracks as it tears out of me, loud enough to silence the nearest tables. “How could you do this to me?”
The devastation that flashes across his face should make me stop.
It should make me question everything I’ve just decided.
Instead, it only hurts more.
I turn before he can reach me and force my legs to move, weaving blindly between startled diners with tears already burning behind my eyes.
I hear my name echo across the restaurant, hear chairs scraping and hurried footsteps following after me, but none of it is enough to break through the panic driving every step.
The cool night air hits my face the second I burst through the doors, but it does nothing to slow the frantic rhythm of my heartbeat.
One of our security guards catches up beside me while the other hangs back with Aston. “Miss Slade.”
I barely hear him.
The SUV is already waiting at the curb, its rear door swinging open before we reach it.
“Please…” My voice comes out thin and shaky as I climb inside. I wrap my arms around myself, suddenly unable to stop trembling. “Please just take me back to the hotel.”
The guard hesitates for only a fraction of a second, concern flickering across his features before he gives a quiet nod and closes the door behind me. The vehicle pulls away from the curb, swallowed almost immediately by the chaos waiting outside.
Camera flashes burst against the tinted windows in relentless waves, photographers crowding the sidewalk as if they can somehow capture the exact moment a heart breaks.
White light flickers across the leather interior over and over, but I barely notice it.
The city disappears into streaks of color beyond the glass, while I sit frozen against the seat, my thoughts replaying the same horrifying conclusion until I can’t tell whether I’m remembering something that happened or imagining something that hasn’t.
My phone vibrates in my hand.
Aston.
His name fills the screen.
I stare at it until my vision blurs.
Every instinct I have screams at me to answer, to let him explain, to give him the chance he’s desperately trying to take.
I can’t.
Because if I hear his voice…
If he confirms what my mind has already decided…
Then this stops being the worst fear I’ve ever had…
And it becomes my life.
The call ends.
A heartbeat later, the phone begins vibrating again.
I close my eyes and let it ring.
By the time we reach the hotel, I’m barely holding it together. The guard opens the door, but I don’t stop to thank him. I rush inside, straight to the elevators, jabbing the button repeatedly like it’ll make it come faster.
I can’t breathe.
My chest is tight, my vision blurring, everything spinning.
The doors open, and I stumble inside, pressing the button for our floor with shaking hands.
The ride feels endless.
When the doors finally open, I almost trip stepping out.
I can’t see properly through the tears, my lungs burning as I fumble with the keycard. The door clicks open, and I rush inside, kicking off my heels as I slam it shut behind me.
I press my back against the door.