Chapter 003

Morgan’s POV

I heard Alexander's "come in" and pushed open the door to the VIP suite. My arm was suspended in a medical sling, and when Alexander noticed it, his face flickered with disgust.

He definitely thinks I'm putting on an act. So typical.

For the past five years, he had never shown me a pleasant expression; it had always been either disdain or impatience. I couldn't help remembering my conversation with the doctor just moments ago—how he'd insisted the sling would help my shoulder recover faster, mentioning that I was lucky not to have harmed the baby when I fell. "But you might not be so fortunate next time, Mrs. Reynolds. Please be more careful."

Olivia sat on the hospital bed looking fragile and perfect as always. "Morgan, what happened to your arm?" she asked with manufactured concern.

"Are you worried about your sister or your 'living pharmacy'?" I replied coldly.

Olivia immediately put on her wounded expression, and Alexander's eyes grew alert and displeased. She was so skilled at playing the victim.

I didn't want Olivia to know about the divorce, at least not from me. She would use that information to bind Alexander even tighter to her side. "Alexander, can we talk outside? It's private."

We stood at the end of the corridor by the floor-to-ceiling windows, Los Angeles sunlight streaming through the glass. I pulled the divorce papers from my handbag, and when Alexander reached for them, I instinctively flinched away. This unconscious movement sparked his revulsion.

I hesitated, wanting to ask a question. I wanted to ask if my pregnancy would change anything, but instead what came out was: "You need to sign on the final page."

Alexander took the papers but didn't look at it, nor did he sign it. He needed his lawyer to review the terms. It’s not that easy to divorce a CEO. "I don't have time for your games, Morgan. If you really want a divorce, stop dragging this out."

The CEO of Reynolds Media Group had no time to waste, especially when his beloved Olivia was waiting nearby.

"I heard you," I blurted out suddenly. "You... you just told Olivia you're already married."

I couldn't control the hint of hope in my voice, even if it was only for our unborn child. Maybe his words meant he still had some respect for our marriage?

Alexander's blue eyes stared directly into mine. "I didn't want to give her false hope."

In that moment, everything became painfully clear. Alexander had always put Olivia's feelings first, protecting her from any kind of pain, even the kind born from hope. My feelings had never mattered to him. A wave of bitterness washed over me, twisting my lips into a grim, bitter smile. Seeing this, Alexander's frown deepened, a stark reminder of the huge gap between us.

I wanted to ask if he would ever think of me after I permanently left his life. But in the end, I only said, "Can you mail the papers to Aurora when you're done?"

"Always needing others to do things for you," Alexander said impatiently. "What about your stuff?"

"I'll take everything from the Hollywood Hills house today." In truth, I had very few personal items—a MacBook Pro, passport, and some clothes. Everything Alexander had bought me carried the Montgomery family's mark, and I wanted none of it. My items were packed in a small suitcase, which Alexander hadn't even noticed when he left home this morning.

"What are your plans after this?" Alexander asked, unusually, with an emotion in his voice I couldn't interpret.

"Do you really want to know?" I asked in return, thinking that if he was willing to listen, perhaps we could co-parent this child separately.

"Why is talking to you always so difficult?" Alexander shook his head in frustration, turned, and walked determinedly back toward Olivia's room.

Because you NEVER really cared about talking to me! I screamed silently in my mind. I watched him disappear behind the ward door, and finally, tears poured down my face. I'm so sorry, baby, I whispered to the life growing inside me. I can't tell your father about you. It would only make everything harder for all three of us.

I took out my phone and texted Aurora: [Aurora, it's done.]

She replied immediately: [Your car is downstairs, Your Majesty.]

Aurora is reliable, I believe she has already picked up my suitcase from the Hollywood Hills mansion; I had informed Elena about it. I exited the elevator to see Aurora's flashy red Tesla parked in the no-parking zone at the hospital entrance. I stumbled into her car, using my last ounce of strength to close the door. Aurora immediately sensed something was wrong, quickly driving away from the hospital to a quiet side street before pulling over.

"Morgan?" she called my name softly, reaching out to touch my shoulder.

That was the moment when the wall I'd been desperately maintaining crumbled completely.

A heart-wrenching sob erupted from deep in my throat, slicing through the stillness in the car like a knife. My body involuntarily bent forward, curving into an arc of pain, my fingers gripping the seat so tightly that my knuckles turned white.

I knew this would be the outcome. I should have been prepared. But why did it hurt so much?

Tears burst forth like water from a broken dam, flowing uncontrollably. I opened my mouth trying to breathe, but could only produce a series of broken gasps. It felt as if all oxygen had evaporated from the confined space. I struggled desperately to breathe, my lungs burning, each inhalation like breathing in shattered glass.

My chest heaved violently, fingers desperately clawing at the window as if that could somehow draw in more air. A wave of intense nausea hit me, and I doubled over as bile rose in my throat.

Aurora didn't say anything; she just kept rubbing my back, helping me catch my breath, until I gradually calmed down.

On the way to her private airfield, Aurora observed me several times through the rearview mirror before saying. "I didn't think you'd actually do it. I wasn't that surprised when you canceled the plan this morning, but I was more surprised when you reactivated it. Do you want to talk about it? It's okay if you don't want to."

"This morning at the doctor's office... I found out something," I said, thinking about the pregnancy, my tears almost started to fall again.

Aurora glanced at me, her eyes sharp with concern. "Something with your shoulder?"

"No." I swallowed hard. "When I got the news, I panicked. I thought maybe... maybe it would change things with Alexander. That's why I texted you to cancel."

"But then you changed your mind again," Aurora prompted, her fingers tapping on the steering wheel.

"I went to the hospital and overheard him with Olivia. The way he looked at her..." I paused, feeling the fresh wound reopening. "I realized nothing would ever change. Even this wouldn't matter to him."

Aurora frowned. "Morgan, what exactly did you find out?"

I placed my hand on my still-unchanged abdomen and took a deep breath: "Well... I'm pregnant."

Aurora slammed on the brakes, pulling the car to the edge of the highway, nearly causing the driver behind us to collide with our bumper. He honked angrily as he swerved past. She twisted in her seat, staring at me with wide eyes: "¡Dios mío! What did you say? You're PREGNANT? With Alexander's baby?"