Second Vows Adored by the Billionaire novel Chapter 27

"What's up?" Her voice sounded cold and tired.

"That prenatal medication I gave you, did you actually take it or not?" His tone was tight and almost accusatory.

Eloise's fingers went stiff, and her chest turned cold. "Not yet. Why, what's wrong?"

Victor's brows furrowed, and he almost snapped at her for not taking it, but then he remembered something. Tomorrow was his birthday.

Maybe she was just out preparing a surprise for him and hadn't had time to call yet. He forced down his anger and managed to pull together a smile. "It's fine. I'm just worried about you. Be careful out there, okay? I'll wait for you to come home."

Eloise let out a soft laugh. "Tomorrow? I probably won't make it back by then. It's pretty far."

Victor froze for a second, but he still didn't pick up on anything wrong. "Where'd you go this time? You're pregnant, you know. You really don't need to go all out preparing surprises for me."

So he finally remembered she was pregnant? The anger in her chest suddenly surged up like a tidal wave. Eloise gripped her phone so tight her knuckles went white, and her voice came out cold as ice. "Just keep waiting. I'm gonna give you one hell of a surprise."

She hung up, but her fingers were still trembling. She leaned back against the headboard and gently placed her hand on her belly as tears slid silently down her face. This "surprise" she was giving him? It was her leaving him forever.

*****

Victor stared at Eloise's photo on his phone screen, and the tension in his chest finally eased up a bit. He gave a self-deprecating smile.

She was pregnant and still running all over the place preparing a surprise for him, and here he was almost suspecting her because of Anita's situation. He'd really been overthinking things.

How could she ever do something like that? She'd always been so gentle and considerate, so kind it actually hurt to watch sometimes. And besides, she had no idea about the truth behind those pills.

Thinking about it made him feel a little guilty, but that guilt quickly turned into anticipation.

What kind of surprise is she planning this time?

Last time when she was lying in his arms watching TV, he'd casually mentioned wanting to try alpine bearberries from the Rockies. She wouldn't actually go all the way up there, would she?

It was such a long trip, and the Rockies were freezing cold, and she was pregnant.

But thinking about how she said she might not even make it back tomorrow, he was becoming more and more convinced that she probably really did go there.

She loves me that much.

Victor gently traced his finger over her photo, and a smile crept onto his face without him even realizing it. In this whole world, only Eloise would go this far for him.

Once she came back with those bearberries, he'd treat her right and never let her down again.

Meanwhile, Eloise went to bed early that night and slept without dreaming. When she opened her eyes again, it was already noon the next day.

Her phone's countdown app popped up with a reminder right on schedule: [Victor's Birthday.]

She almost reflexively started to get up and start preparing, but then, she caught sight of Chris in the bed next to hers and suddenly remembered she wasn't at home. She was on a yacht.

Chris' sleeping position was just... something else. Here was this gorgeous woman, five-foot-ten in a swimsuit, sprawled out like a starfish with absolutely zero regard for how she looked.

Eloise couldn't help laughing, and all the tension in her body suddenly melted away.

She swiped across her phone screen and deleted the reminder, along with every other countdown she'd ever set for Victor. She cleared them all out and left just one new line of numbers: [Seven days until I disappear.]

*****

Victor waited all day.

From the moment he opened his eyes that morning, he couldn't stop staring at his phone.

Every text he sent went unanswered, and every call rang and rang before going to voicemail.

Any other year, Eloise would've texted him happy birthday right at midnight and told him exactly when she'd be getting home. But this time, she hadn't sent a single word.

Her silence was driving him crazy.

Victor's fingers drummed absently against the desk, and his mind kept circling back to the same question.

What kind of surprise does she plan this time?

The hours crawled by, and the sky outside turned completely dark.

At exactly nine o'clock, Victor's phone screen was still blank.

He shot to his feet, an inexplicable tightness squeezing his chest.

Logically, he knew Eloise was sharp and capable. She always went out alone and had never run into trouble before. But unease still crept up on him, growing stronger every minute.

Victor couldn't sit still anymore.