Bound by the Past, Locked by the Heart novel Chapter 213

"Willa?" he called softly. "What's wrong? Your hands are freezing."

As he spoke, he pressed his other hand against her forehead. "No fever. I've felt like something's been off with you lately... It's almost like you're pregnant."

He finished with a low, teasing chuckle.

But Willa jerked her hand back as if she'd been burned.

It was such an extreme reaction that she even stunned herself. She quickly forced herself to play it cool, turning her head toward the window. "H-how is that possible?" she stammered, her voice weak. "I just feel a little nauseous. It's probably just the heat."

A suffocating silence fell over the car.

She could feel his intense gaze drilling into the side of her face. That awful churning in her stomach flared up again at the worst possible moment.

She swallowed hard, forcing the nausea down, but cold sweat began pooling in her palms.

"I'm taking you to see a doctor right now. You need a follow-up for your injury anyway."

Without waiting for her consent, he issued a sharp command to the front seat. "Barney, skip the Estate. Head straight to Mercy General Hospital."

"Yes, Mr. Yates."

Barney promptly replied, expertly whipping the car around at the next intersection.

Willa's heart hammered against her ribs. If she went to the hospital now, her pregnancy would undoubtedly be exposed.

And she hadn't even formulated an escape plan yet.

"Y-you don't have to go through all that trouble..." she forced out. "I really just need to rest. As for the follow-up... I can just have a bodyguard take me in a couple of days."

The car pulled up to the hospital, Willa's heart practically lodged in her throat.

Just as she was scrambling for another excuse to avoid going inside, Randal's phone rang. Scarlett Sterling's voice drifted through the receiver, though it was broken up. She seemed to be talking about picking a date to get their marriage license and plan the wedding.

"There's no rush. Let's talk about it later," he said, deliberately lowering his voice into a gentle cadence.

"Yeah, just wait for me there. I'm heading over right now."

He ended the call.

Stashing his phone, Randal glanced at her, then reached out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"Something came up. I'll have Barney take you home first, and I'll go with you another day."

She kept her head down, staring at her tightly clenched hands, only daring to look up after he opened the door and stepped out.

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