Accidentally Pregnant By My Alpha Best friends (Madeline) novel Chapter 142

142–My Husband’s Disgusting Mate

Kaylee:

I had said those haunting words to Graham, words I would never have spoken under normal circumstances.

But I realized that the harder I tried to hold on to him, the further I pushed him away.

Still, the guilt in his eyes told me there was a small chance for us.

After all, he had never cleared up the rumors or the suspicion that he still loved Madeline.

He had admitted it too many times to ignore, yet I refused to believe he meant it.

I always felt that he simply didn’t know what he wanted.

The only reason he gravitated toward her was because I couldn’t give him a child, and that excuse made it easy for him to fall back into her orbit.

But things were going to change soon, I knew that deep inside.

I stayed in his bedroom with him, watching how he kept himself apart from me.

He lay on the couch after returning from a run, showered and lied down exhausted.

His body probably ached from not being near Madeline anymore.

And I remembered something else, something he had let slip when confessing his love for her. He had called her his mate.

I had overheard it once, during a conversation he didn’t realize I was there for.

I hadn’t confronted him about it, questioning him would only make him bolder, and I wasn’t ready to deal with that.

Then a soft knock sounded at the door.

I immediately stood from the bed, motioning for him to stay down.

I had promised myself I would act differently, not lash out at him, not curse him, not bruise his pride the way I used to.

But when I opened the door, disappointment swept through me.

Lord Eldon stood there, smiling like a man who lived off trouble.

Before I could speak, he gestured for me to move aside, exactly the type of dismissive behavior he had adopted ever since learning I struggled to conceive.

He started walking straight toward his son.

“He’s actually resting,” I said, hoping to stop him.

Graham heard my voice and pushed himself up from the couch.

“His tiredness will vanish once he sees what I brought,” Lord Eldon said, rubbing his hands together and exchanging a knowing look with his son.

Even Graham looked confused. “What did you bring me?”

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“Come with me. I’ll show you.” Eldon held out a hand like he was coaxing a child. Graham didn’t take it, but he followed him anyway.

I hurried after them. Their suddenly renewed bond terrified me.

Graham had been emotionally broken before, wounds that created deep abandonment issues, and his father knew exactly how to exploit them.

I knew too, I had used those weaknesses for five years. But things were slipping now.

Ever since Madeline reentered his life, Graham had been healing. And once he healed, he wasn’t mine to influence

anymore.

They stopped near the living room. I leaned to see past Graham’s shoulder and felt my stomach drop.

Sitting on the couch was a tiny, familiar face. A demon–like reminder of Madeline’s existence.

“Gina?” Graham’s voice burst with joy.

He rushed forward, scooping her into his arms and tossing her lightly before hugging her close. But she wasn’t nearly as excited as he was.

“My Gina is here,” he said, beaming.

“How is she here? Why is she here?” The realization finally dawned on him as he set her down.

“It’s a long story. I spent the entire night arranging this. And this is how you thank me?” Eldon’s voice shifted as he turned toward Gina. “Come here, my little grandchild.”

He crouched and opened his arms, but Gina hugged herself and stepped behind Graham.

“Are you upset about what I said earlier about wanting Bodhi?” Eldon asked.

These kids were unbelievably sharp.

One would think a child wouldn’t hold onto moments like that, but they were Madeline’s children, they remembered everything, and they knew exactly how to twist a mistake into leverage.

“I was only saying it. I actually like you more,” Eldon added.

Penny appeared with chocolates. The two of them acted like Gina belonged to them, not to Graham.

Gina hesitated, then started walking toward Eldon, but Graham immediately placed a hand on her shoulder and pulled her back.

The shift in Penny and Eldon’s expressions was instant.

“Father,” Graham said, “why is she here? Why isn’t she with her mother?”

His question stunned me. He had wanted Gina desperately, yet at the first opportunity to have her, his thoughts circled right back to Madeline.

As Graham questioned his father, his eyes drifted to me.

“Kaylee, can you take Gina to the room and make sure she’s looked after?” His voice softened, and I instantly recognized the opportunity, my chance to show him I wasn’t the villain everyone painted me as.

That I could be a mother, even without being able to give birth.

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I nodded and hurried to Gina’s side.

“Would you like to come with me? We can watch cartoons on my phone,” I told her gently.

She slipped her tiny fingers around mine, and something inside me tightened, a small, painful spark of longing.

Maybe it was the desire for a child of my own. Maybe it was simply the ache of knowing I would never have one. Either way, the feeling rose sharply.