Chapter 5 Ch5 - Seed of doubt

Not possible?

Emily felt the blood in her veins freeze. It was like being dropped into a snowstorm-her ears went numb, her mind blanked out. Nothing registered.

She stared at him in disbelief. WHY was he so sure?

Sure, her health had always been fragile, but that didn't mean she couldn't get pregnant. They'd been sleeping together regularly, and since they'd both agreed to try for a baby, they hadn't used protection...

For a second, she questioned her own memory. But she had just seen the doctor yesterday.

There was no way she could be wrong.

Then his hand gently covered hers, resting on her skirt. His voice still carried that soft, almost teasing tone.

"I know you're trying to fix things, but you don't have to pull something like this just to get my attention."

Pull something like this?

To get his attention?

Emily felt like her whole world cracked open. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

She had thought about their three years of marriage. Thought carefully before deciding to tell him about the baby-because she didn't want to make this choice alone.

But this... this was what she got in return?

Aaron seemed to notice her blank expression, finally realizing she wasn't playing coy. His smile faded a bit as he shifted his tone to something more "concerned."

"WHAT'S WRONG? Are you not feeling well? Maybe that's why you're thinking like this?"

Emily couldn't even process it. She shook her head instinctively.

"Didn't your period just end, like, a week ago? Even if you were pregnant, there's no way you'd be feeling anything this soon."

Aaron reached out and ruffled her hair like he always did, like she was just his clueless little wife making silly mistakes.

Her dull, lifeless eyes stared straight at him.

That was the kind of husband he was-attentive to a fault. He even remembered her cycle. But this time, he got it wrong.

Her period hadn't come.

She was usually like clockwork. That's why she'd tested so early. Just to be sure, she'd even waited a few extra days before going to the doctor-she hadn't wanted to cause a fuss if it turned out to be nothing.

Maybe he mixed up the dates because he'd been out so much lately. Or... maybe there was another reason. Emily felt her breath catch in her throat. She didn't want to keep thinking.

Right then, she had the urge to pull out the report and slap it in front of him. Prove to him that he was the one who was wrong.

But something inside her held her back. Some instinct stopped her.

Aaron noticed how long she'd gone silent, saw how hollow her expression had become. His brows furrowed.

"Should I go with you to the hospital tomorrow? Just to make sure?"

"NO NEED." Her voice was drained, flat.

His touch suddenly made her feel sick. She turned her head away from his hand.

His arm hovered awkwardly in the air before he pulled it back and rested it on his thigh, his face twitching for a second before going blank again.

Emily took a quiet breath, staring at her nails, trying to pull herself back together.

"You promised to go with me to visit my grandma tomorrow."

Aaron looked up, like he'd forgotten. After a beat, he nodded, "Right. I'll come back at lunch and we'll go together, okay?"

"No," she cut in, voice hard.

The tension in the room thickened instantly.

Catching the shift in his mood, she added casually, "You're busy. No point running back and forth. I'll just meet you at the hospital."

That seemed to calm him a little.

"Alright. Whatever you want."

Trying to smooth things over, he reached out again, lacing his fingers with hers, "It's been a while since we had dinner together. Come on, let's eat."

Something about his touch made her skin crawl. Emily bit the inside of her cheek and pushed down the wave of revulsion. She let him lead her to the dining room.

She just wanted to see her grandma-soon.

Maybe to avoid repeating the awkwardness from earlier, Aaron didn't say anything about how little she ate. After dinner, she excused herself, saying she felt dizzy, and headed back to the bedroom.

Before he could come upstairs, Emily pulled the medical report from her purse and tucked it deep into the bottom of her lingerie drawer.

After her shower, she lay in bed, pretending to sleep, leaving only one small lamp on. She heard Aaron's quiet footsteps enter the room.

He came to her side, close enough that she could feel his breath. Then he reached out, gently brushing a strand of hair off her face.

After a moment, when he seemed convinced she was really asleep, he turned and walked to the closet.

The walk-in closet had been designed with an entrance on her side of the room, for convenience.

Even the softest sound carried-and Emily heard it clearly.

Aaron was going through her purse.

A minute passed, the noise stopped. Then came his footsteps again. He paused at her bedside for a moment... before finally leaving the room.

Emily had planted the seed of doubt the moment he reacted the way he did downstairs. That's when she decided to keep the pregnancy to herself-for now.

She knew Aaron.

Even if he said he didn't believe her, someone as suspicious as him wouldn't just let it go. He'd definitely try to find proof.

But she'd already moved the report. He wouldn't find anything.

Still...What about in another month?

The next day at noon, when she headed out again, the bodyguards didn't stop her this time. One of them followed her car as it pulled away, trailing behind as they made their way to the hospital.

Traffic was light, and they arrived ten minutes earlier than expected. Her grandma had been placed in a private room in this hospital, receiving top-tier care. Emily knew full well-on her own, there's no way she could've afforded this kind of medical treatment for her grandma.

She took off her sunglasses and pushed them up onto her head, then headed toward the reception desk like she always did.

VIP rooms didn't have strict visitation limits, but every visit still had to be registered-no exceptions. The log sheet was filled mostly with her and Aaron's names. The rest were rare, barely one or two visits each.

Her useless brother, Francie, had only shown up once in the past six months. She sighed and shook her head, signed her name, then handed the sheet back to the nurse.

"Mrs. Lopez, please wait here for a moment." The nurse gestured to a nearby chair.

Emily frowned. "I can't go in?"

Registration was usually just a formality. She came by so often that nearly every staff member here knew her-she never had to wait. But today, she caught a flicker of hesitation in the nurse's eyes.

"What is it? Is something wrong with my grandma?" she asked, voice suddenly tense.

"She's doing well, physically. It's just that..."

"What?" Emily cut in, brows knitting-just as a familiar voice spoke above her head.

"What's going on?" Aaron's voice came from behind, his large hand settling on her shoulder.

Emily's heart skipped a beat. She looked up and noticed the nurse immediately stiffen.

"No issue," the nurse said quickly. "You can both go in now. Mr. Lopez, please just come back and sign the register afterward."

"But earlier you said-" Emily started to protest.

Aaron gently patted her arm, cutting her off, "Your grandma's probably been waiting a while. Go on, she'll be happy to see you."