Chapter 004

Morgan's POV

"Aurora, pulling over on the highway like that could've killed all three of us," I said, my heart still racing from her sudden brake maneuver.

Aurora drove us to her private airfield, her jaw clenched the entire way. At a high-end café nearby, she slid a hot latte across the marble table toward me, fixing me with the stern gaze of a mother who'd caught her child in a serious transgression.

"I only found out about the pregnancy today—" I started.

"Yes, you said that!" Aurora cut me off. "But that doesn't mean you should just disappear!"

I stared into my latte, unable to meet her piercing eyes. I understood why she was so angry.

Aurora Martinez was a powerful Latina tech entrepreneur who now controlled a renowned Silicon Valley venture fund for women. But she wasn't born wealthy. She had watched her single mother transform a small Mexican restaurant into a successful chain, all while Aurora grew up hating her supposedly irresponsible father—until she discovered the truth. Her father hadn't abandoned them; her mother had rejected his help and involvement.

Now Aurora was watching me prepare to do exactly the same thing, but with an unborn child involved.

"I wouldn't teach my child to hate their father..." I mumbled, still avoiding her furious gaze.

Aurora glanced at me, seemingly hesitant to stir up my emotions again, but her straightforward nature quickly took over. "That's not the whole issue! Yes, my mom lied to me, but my dad did make mistakes in his career. But he loved me, and the thought that he suffered for years thinking I hated him, while I thought the same thing—it was devastating. When the truth came out, I screamed at my mom, knowing she'd sacrificed everything for me... It's all so complicated. Morgan, you saw how hard it was for her to build that restaurant chain. I watched every moment of her struggle!"

I let Aurora vent. I'd witnessed her family trauma firsthand and knew it still pained her.

Aurora sighed deeply. "Morgan, raising a child alone isn't easy, even if you are not in a place as complicated as Hollywood."

"Aurora, you were lucky to reconcile with your father. But what if Alexander truly hates this child? Remember how nervous you were about meeting your dad?"

Aurora fell silent.

She'd already been a formidable CEO then, but deciding to contact her father had taken weeks. Her assistant had suspected her usually decisive boss was trapped in a toxic relationship after noticing her unusual behavior.

"Is there really no chance for you two?" Aurora complained. "I still can't believe you're going through with this... What happened this time?"

What happened? Nothing special. I just caught my husband kissing Olivia at the hospital three months ago. They've probably been like this all along, but seeing it with my own eyes was different.

"It doesn't matter now," I said. "He doesn't love me, never did. Now his beloved Olivia's condition has improved. They can finally be together properly, and I'll be far from this gilded cage. That's the plan."

"Hmm, great plan," Aurora said sarcastically. "Mind if I ask where the child fits into your perfect plan?"

I stared blankly at my coffee. When I'd crafted this escape plan, I hadn't known about the baby. But Alexander's reaction today had made it clear that even a child wouldn't change anything.

"You don't have to stay in a loveless marriage for this child, but you should tell Alexander the truth. God, why am I defending that heartless jerk? Look what you're making me do!" Aurora said in exasperation. Only she would dare speak this way about the controller of the Reynolds Media Empire, one of the most powerful figures in Hollywood.

Aurora pushed a flight confirmation with her company logo toward me, holding it down with one finger while grabbing my phone with her other hand. "Tell him. Whatever his response, you can still leave, but at least you tried."

Tell him I'm leaving with his unwanted child, a child with Reynolds blood? Would that ruin his chance to be with Olivia? Today of all days, when he finally sees hope of being with the woman Victoria approves of? That would be cruel, even for me.

"He deserves to know. It's his right, and the child's right," Aurora insisted.

I hesitantly took my phone, my fingers sliding across the screen.

When I put it down, Aurora's eyes widened. "What? That fast?"

"I texted him," I answered.

"You texted him?! He's your husband, you're carrying his child, and you texted him?!" She grabbed my phone from me, and I let her.

I felt exhausted, tired of seeing indifference in eyes I once loved, tired of hearing detachment in a voice that once made my heart race.

Aurora pressed my phone in front of me. "Seriously?! This is all you could do?"

The screen displayed my message to Alexander: [I'm at the airport. Say one word, and I won't board.]

"If he has even a tiny bit of feeling for me, just one word telling me he can accept me in his life, even divorced, I'll fight for this child, for a co-parenting relationship. But if not..." I took a deep breath. "Then what's the point of torturing everyone with an innocent child?"

An hour later, Aurora checked her watch. "The private jet is ready. The crew is waiting for us. Are you still waiting?"

For a full hour, we sat in the VIP lounge, my eyes fixed on my phone screen. Aurora's expression grew increasingly sad, while strangely, I remained calm. Perhaps I was used to disappointment, or maybe I hadn't held much hope this time. After the intense crying in the car earlier, it seemed I had little emotion left now.

"Five more minutes," I said softly, my fingers continuously sliding across my phone screen, making sure I hadn't missed any messages. I knew the private jet would wait indefinitely—a privilege Aurora had granted me, but also a burden—with no fixed departure time to use as an excuse to leave.

Just as Aurora stood to leave, my phone rang. Aurora turned excitedly, but it wasn't Alexander calling.

Three cold words flashed on the screen: [Robert Montgomery calling...]. My heart froze. I didn't want to answer his call.

"Hello," I heard my own detached voice say.

"Catherine's had an accident. Come back." With an even colder voice, Robert hung up before I could respond.

What happened to mom? My heart clenched.