The Moment I Realized I Can't Lose You novel Chapter 2

The dining room fell dead silent before Joaquin's mocking voice sliced through the air. "You really will make up any lie just to avoid helping her, won't you? We've used protection every single time since we got married. How exactly did you get pregnant?"

Audrey's face froze, and a bitter smile touched her lips.

Two months ago, on the night of that 'health checkup,' he had unexpectedly bought her a massive bouquet of red roses and drank heavily.

That night had been wild. When she reminded him to use protection, he had simply kissed her earlobe and whispered, "Tonight, I don't want any distance between us."

She had been so drunk on happiness, believing the flowers, the checkup, and his passionate attention meant he was finally falling for her.

Now, the truth was glaringly obvious. His erratic behavior was simply because Rainey had returned. Only Rainey had the power to make a notoriously cold, self-disciplined billionaire lose control to the point where he couldn't even remember what he did while drunk.

Taking her silence as guilt, Joaquin doubled down on his assumption. She was just lying to get out of the surgery.

"Audrey." He frowned, his tone turning businesslike. "I know you and your cousin aren't close."

He pulled out an exclusive black card and tossed it onto the table. "There's ten million dollars on this card. Consider it your compensation."

Audrey lowered her eyes to the gleaming gold 'J' embossed on the card, her bitter smile deepening.

Over the past year, every dime of allowance and every gift he had ever given her barely added up to a million. Yet, for the woman he truly loved, he casually dropped ten million without batting an eye.

"If you have any other conditions, name them." Seeing her remain silent, Joaquin continued, "As long as you agree to the transplant, I will accommodate you."

Audrey looked up at him, suddenly feeling like she was staring at a stranger. His detached, calculating demeanor made it feel like they were merely negotiating a corporate merger. The entire year of waking up next to him, the fleeting moments of tenderness—it had all been a delusion.

But the baby growing inside her was very real.

Closing her eyes, she swallowed the lump in her throat. When she opened them again, her gaze was filled with a hardened resolve. "Whatever you want to think of me, go ahead. I am not donating my bone marrow."

"It hurts so much..." Rainey sobbed. "Joaquin, I was trying to get out of bed, and I accidentally hit my hand on the bedframe. The IV needle got ripped out, and there's so much blood... Am I going to die tonight?"

"I'm on my way." Joaquin stood up immediately, murmuring soothing words into the phone as he strode toward the foyer.

At the door, he paused and glanced back at Audrey, who was still sitting frozen at the table. "Marriage isn't something you can just throw away because you're throwing a temper tantrum. I'll pretend you never said anything about a divorce tonight. Think carefully about the transplant."

"I'll be home late. Go to sleep."

With that, he walked out without looking back.

The heavy door slammed shut with a definitive thud. Audrey felt her heart shatter into pieces right along with it. She closed her eyes, gently resting her hands over her stomach. "Don't worry, baby. Mommy is going to protect you."

Since Joaquin had made his choice, she was done choosing him.