Bound by the Past, Locked by the Heart novel Chapter 205

She had assumed Stella was calling to beg for mercy, but after thinking it through calmly, she realized the girl had an entirely different motive.

Stella clearly just wanted to provoke her, hoping to push her into an emotional meltdown.

Logically, things shouldn't have escalated to this level of hostility. Provoking her now did absolutely nothing to help the Whitmans.

The only plausible explanation was that someone was using this incident as leverage, blackmailing Stella into doing their dirty work.

A single name flashed across Willa's mind: Scarlett Sterling.

What exactly was she plotting?

Willa pressed a hand to her stomach, experiencing a crushing wave of terror for the first time.

Later that evening, Randal made an unexpected return to the Estate, though she was already tucked into bed by the time he arrived.

Exhausted by her pregnancy, she had made a habit of going to sleep as soon as the sun went down, never anticipating his sudden visit.

Randal slipped into her room with quiet steps and flicked on the light.

The sudden glare stung her eyes, and Willa immediately squinted. "Turn the light off."

He reached out and plunged the room back into darkness.

"Why are you asleep so early? Are you still feeling sick?" Randal's voice carried a heavy, unmistakable exhaustion.

As Willa's eyes adjusted to the dimness, the faint moonlight filtering through the window allowed her to make out his silhouette.

"I'm not sick, just tired," she mumbled, her voice raspy as she sat up and pulled the covers tighter around herself. "Why are you back?"

He sat on the edge of the bed, a faint trace of tobacco lingering in the air around him.

She covered her nose, her brow furrowing. "You've been smoking?"

Randal went rigid. In the dark, he couldn't read her face, but he could practically feel the immediate plunge in her mood.

"I... I was just being stubborn. I was waiting for you to cave first."

He stood obstinately by the bed, his head bowed like a stubborn child awaiting a scolding.

"Then why did you come back now?"

He let out a long, heavy sigh, laced with defeat and resignation. "I couldn't wait any longer. If one of us has to yield for this relationship to survive..."

"Then I'll be the one to yield."

A sharp pang hit Willa's chest. All the venom she wanted to spit out lodged in her throat, and she forcefully swallowed it back down.

She turned her face away to hide the stinging behind her eyes, opting for a mocking tone instead. "Is that right? Well, I heard Mr. Yates has been having quite the wild time lately. Drowning in beautiful women, riding high? What's wrong? Got bored already?"