Countdown to "I Do" novel Chapter 15

**Midnight Roads Unseen by George Orwell**
**Chapter 15**

Adrian had been ensconced in the monotony of office life for what felt like an eternity, the weight of deadlines pressing down on him like an unrelenting storm cloud. His focus had been so singular that he had repeatedly brushed aside Ella’s attempts to coax him into a date, her cheerful invitations met with polite but firm rejections.

Ella, however, exhibited a remarkable resilience. She never displayed any signs of disappointment, merely sending him the occasional text or a snapshot of her prenatal care routine, as if trying to reassure him that everything was perfectly fine. Adrian, caught in his own whirlwind of work, took these gestures at face value, believing wholeheartedly that her intentions were genuine.

But one fateful day, the tranquility of his assumptions was shattered. Julian, a friend from the past, sent him an unfiltered photograph from a private room at a local bar. The image struck Adrian like a bolt of lightning. In the soft, sultry glow of the dimly lit room, he saw Ella wrapped in the arms of a strikingly handsome man, their lips locked in a passionate embrace that spoke of intimacy far beyond mere friendship. The man’s hand was brazenly exploring beneath Ella’s clothing, a sight that ignited a firestorm of emotions within Adrian.

“Adrian,” Julian’s message accompanied the photo, heavy with urgency and concern. “As your former good friend, this is your final warning. Ella is trouble. Even while pregnant with your child, she’ll still find a way to connect with other men. The moment you become less valuable to her, she will discard you without a second thought, moving on to the next guy as if you never existed. You need to wake up and see the truth!”

Each word Julian typed was laced with a palpable frustration, a disappointment that Adrian felt like a physical blow. He stared at the image, his vision blurring as anger coursed through his veins, turning his eyes a vivid shade of red. How could she betray him like this? She was carrying his child—his flesh and blood—yet here she was, entangled with another man. Hadn’t he done everything he could to support her? Hadn’t he put their tumultuous past behind him, investing so much of himself into their future?

The fury that surged within him was overwhelming, a tempest of emotions that demanded release. With trembling fingers, he typed a terse reply: “Send me the location. I’m on my way now!”

—

12:19

Once Julian relayed the location, Adrian threw himself into his car, the engine roaring to life as he sped toward the bar, his heart pounding in sync with the rhythm of his rage.

Arriving outside the private room, a chilling aura radiated from him, the kind that made even Julian take a cautious step back, instinctively aware of the storm brewing within his friend.

Inside, oblivious to the world outside, Ella and her companion continued their fervent kiss, lost in a moment that seemed to stretch into eternity. Ella’s lips clung to Leo Carter’s with an intensity that suggested a deeper connection, her fingers exploring the contours of his muscular waist, a dance of seduction that left Adrian seething.

Her eyes glinted with a fierce ambition, a malice that made Leo take a step back.

“That woman, Isabella, is so foolish, desperately trying to please Adrian while giving so much for nothing. She deserves what she gets.”

“Whether she gets back with Adrian or not, he will only ever have my child. And then, everything the Foster family owns will be mine!”

“Leo, is that drug I asked you to prepare ready yet? After this baby is born, I still plan to use it on Adrian! Don’t mess up my plan.”

The air in the room thickened with tension, the stakes higher than ever. As Adrian stood outside, his heart racing with betrayal and fury, he knew that the path ahead was fraught with danger, and he was ready to confront it all.