Chapter 3 Which Do You Prefer

Anna instinctively retreated, stunned by the cold fury in Julian's eyes. While he slept, he appeared fragile, but awake, he radiated the silent threat of a predator.

Mrs. Miller quietly closed the door and offered Anna a reassuring look while Anna stood motionless, like a hunted animal.

"Do not be afraid, madam. Master Julian has only just returned to consciousness. He needs time to recover. For tonight, please rest in the guest room. We shall see tomorrow. And keep in mind: Hilary holds you in high esteem. You are not without support."

Despite the gentle words, Anna's thoughts raced. She had prepared herself for the possibility of Julian's death, not for his sudden return to life.

"My things are still in his room..." she whispered, uncertain if she should retrieve her possessions.

Julian's hostility had already convinced her she might never belong in this house. She wondered if it was best to leave before being cast out.

Mrs. Miller responded with a tired sigh.

"Leave them for now. I'll collect them and bring them to you tomorrow."

Anna simply nodded, weighed down by a sense of dread.

"Are you frightened by him?" she asked abruptly.

"I have served him for many years," Mrs. Miller replied. "He can be intimidating, yes, but he has never done me harm."

Anna did not answer. She wore his ring, but in truth, this was the first time they truly faced each other. It was only natural for her to feel distant.

Anna barely slept that night. Julian's unexpected awakening had upended everything she had prepared for.

The following day, Mrs. Miller came at eight and handed Anna her belongings.

"It's time for breakfast," she announced. "Master Julian is already at the table. You should join him."

"I doubt he wants me there," Anna replied, unable to hide her bitterness.

"Come anyway. When I mentioned Hilary's fondness for you, he didn't object. Maybe today he'll show some willingness to accept you."

With no other choice, Anna made her way to the dining room. Julian waited, seated in a wheelchair, posture upright and frame imposing despite his condition.

Anna sat down quietly, nerves on edge, as silence lingered between them. At last, he lifted his dark, unreadable gaze to meet hers.

"Morning, Julian. I am... I'm Anna Hart," she managed to say, her voice unsteady.

Julian lifted his coffee and took a slow sip before speaking in a voice as cold as ice. "I've been told you may be carrying my child."

Anna's stomach twisted into a tight knot.

"Which do you prefer? A surgical procedure or medication for the abortion?"

He delivered the words with chilling detachment, and the impact left Anna pale and speechless.

Mrs. Miller quickly stepped in, her tone gentle but firm. "Master Julian, this was all your mother's idea. Anna had no part in the decision."

"Don't use my mother as a tool to sway me," he snapped, shutting down the explanation.

He turned on Anna just as she tried to respond.

"Who said you could use my name?"

"Would you rather I call you 'darling'?" She tried to deflect, half in irony, half in desperation.

Anger flashed in his eyes. Anna, realizing her mistake, rushed to clarify.

"I'm not pregnant. My period started this morning. If you don't believe me, you can ask Mrs. Fisher, the housekeeper."

Julian offered no reply. He simply took another drink of his coffee.

Anna finished her breakfast in silence and stood up, the oppressive atmosphere in the house pressing in on her from all sides.

"Get the paperwork ready. We'll be getting a divorce soon," Julian said coldly.

She halted, unsurprised by the announcement.

"When will it happen?" she asked.

"In a few days," he answered. "Not until my mother's health improves."

"All right. Just let me know," she replied, then quietly returned to her room.

A short while later, she gathered her bag and headed downstairs... only to find Noah standing awkwardly in the foyer.

The young man approached Julian's chair, as tense as a child caught misbehaving.

"Uncle Julian," he said, forcing a respectful tone, "my parents are with Grandma at the hospital. Dad asked me to check in on you. I brought some supplements."

Without a word, Julian gestured to his bodyguard, who accepted the box and promptly tossed it into the trash.

"Uncle Julian!" Noah protested. "Those are high-quality products! If you don't want them, I can bring something else..."

A vicious strike to Noah's legs sent him crashing to his knees.

The sound startled Anna, who flinched in alarm.

Julian, holding a cigarette between his fingers, gazed down at his nephew with icy detachment.

"Are you disappointed to see that I survived?" he asked.

Noah began to tremble.

"N-no, of course not! I'm actually relieved..."

"So you're contradicting me now? Julian interrupted, his tone deceptively calm but dripping with menace. "Do you also deny paying off my lawyer?"

He let the ash from his cigarette fall, watching as it landed on Noah's pale face.

"Leave. If you test my patience again, I'll feed you to the dogs."

Panic seized Noah and he staggered out of the manor in terror.

Anna, left reeling by the harsh encounter, felt a wave of fear sweep through her. Even someone as repugnant as Noah had become utterly powerless before Julian. She silently vowed never to draw his wrath.

Clutching her bag, Anna hurried out of the house.

At the hospital, she confessed to her doctor that her period had been late and oddly light. The doctor ordered an ultrasound for her.

An hour later, Anna received the results.

There was no sign of uterine bleeding, but the ultrasound revealed a gestational sac.

Anna stared at the screen, frozen in disbelief.

She was pregnant.

The diagnosis struck her like a blow: since she had experienced some bleeding, steps needed to be taken to safeguard the pregnancy.

"Doctor, what if I don't want to keep the baby?" she asked, panicked.

The prospect horrified her. With divorce looming, the idea of carrying Julian's child felt like the worst possible outcome.

The doctor fixed her with a serious look.

"Do you know how many women long for a pregnancy and never get the chance? Why would you turn away from what life has given you?"

Anna lowered her gaze, at a loss for words.

"Where is your husband?" the doctor pressed. "Even if you don't want the child, you should discuss it with him."

Anna's brow furrowed in frustration.

"You're only twenty-one," the doctor continued, glancing at her file. "Are you not married?"

"I'd rather not be," she whispered under her breath.

"In any case, an abortion is never a trivial procedure," the doctor said calmly. "You need to think very carefully before deciding. No matter what your relationship with the father may be, the child is innocent."

He handed her the medical file and concluded, "With this bleeding, the outcome of the pregnancy is still uncertain. If you wish to protect the baby, I can prescribe treatment. However, you will need to remain on bed rest for an entire week and then return for a follow-up examination."

Anna hesitated, her heartbeat thundering in her ears.

"What do I need to do to save them?" she finally asked.

The doctor allowed himself a faint smile.

"That sounds like a change of heart. You're young and healthy, and your child will likely be just as strong. Take the medication, get plenty of rest, and we'll see how things progress."

Beneath the harsh glare of the sun, Anna stepped out of the hospital, drained and soaked in cold sweat. She wandered without direction, her thoughts in chaos. One truth settled heavily in her mind: Julian could never find out about the pregnancy. If he did, he would not hesitate to force her onto an operating table.

She took a taxi to her Uncle Morgan's house. After her parents' divorce, her mother, Ambre Garcia, had moved in with her brother.

Zoé, Morgan's wife, met Anna at the door. Her welcoming smile vanished the instant she noticed Anna had arrived empty-handed.

"Really? Not even a small present?" Zoé scoffed. "I heard you spoiled your father with expensive gifts, but you show up here with nothing?"

Anna's cheeks burned with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, Aunt Zoé. I'll bring something next time."

"There's no need!" Zoé snapped, her voice cold. "The Ashfords must have cast you out. If Julian actually cared about you, you wouldn't be running back here for shelter."

Ambre quickly stepped in to defend her daughter. "Even if Anna left that family, that's no excuse to humiliate her!"

Zoé shot back, "Oh, spare me, Ambre. You're living in my roof. If you're not happy, the door is open."

Ambre's face flushed with anger, but she kept quiet. Anna, distressed by the argument, leaned close to her mother.

"Mom, maybe it's time for you to find a place of your own. I have some money saved..."

Ambre didn't hesitate. "Alright. I'll start packing my bags now."

Within half an hour, the two of them had left the house and climbed into a taxi.

"Don't worry about me, Anna," Ambre said bitterly as they rode away. "I've got some savings put aside. The only reason I stayed there was because your grandmother wanted someone to care for her. Otherwise, I would have left ages ago."

Anna stared down at her hands.

"Aunt Zoé wasn't completely wrong. I'll be divorcing Julian in a few days."

Ambre looked stunned for a moment, then gently squeezed her daughter's hand.

"It's not the end of the world. You still have your studies. Once the divorce is final, you can focus on your degree."

Anna nodded. "Yes. And I'm not going back to the Harts. From now on, it will just be us-living together."

Anna kept her pregnancy secret, determined not to burden her mother with any more worries.

When she returned to Ashford Manor that evening, she found the house shrouded in a strange, oppressive quiet. Mrs. Miller emerged unexpectedly from the shadows, causing Anna to jump in surprise.

"Have you had dinner, Madam? I left some food out for you. I also brought you a few tampons, just in case."

"Thank you. I've already eaten. Why is it so quiet tonight? Isn't Julian here?"

Mrs. Miller shook her head. "No, he's not. The doctor told him to rest, but as usual, he ignored the advice. No one can control him."

Anna nodded, already well aware of Julian's stubborn pride and refusal to listen to anyone. Any sympathy she once felt for him had long since vanished.

That night, she lay awake, turning over thoughts of the child inside her. Her worry only grew deeper.

The next morning, Anna avoided leaving her room, afraid she might run into Julian. At half past nine, Mrs. Miller came to her door and knocked gently.

"He just left, Madam. You can come down for breakfast now," Mrs. Miller informed her.

Anna couldn't help but smile, grateful for the housekeeper's kindness.

After eating, she received a call from a classmate who needed an urgent translation. The payment was generous, but the job had to be finished by noon. Anna accepted without hesitation.

By eleven thirty, she had completed the work, reviewed the file, and was about to send it off. Suddenly, her laptop froze, the screen flashed blue, then faded to black. The entire system crashed.

Luckily, Anna had saved the document on a USB stick. All she needed was access to another computer.

She hurried to Mrs. Miller and explained, "My computer just broke. Is there another one I could use in the house?"

"Yes, but it's Master Julian's," Mrs. Miller replied.

Anna's heart went cold at the thought.

"It will only take a minute to send it. I doubt he'd mind if it's just for a moment." The housekeeper tried to reassure her, sensing her distress. "You're pressed for time, aren't you?"

Anna glanced at the clock-eleven fifty.

Determined, Anna climbed to Julian's office. The room had been left undisturbed, locked away throughout all the months of his coma. Her hands shook as she powered on the computer.

To her astonishment, it didn't ask for a password. The screen flickered to life right away.