Avery's world spun, and the warmth of the champagne left her lightheaded. The sudden heaving had caught everyone off guard, and now the room buzzed with whispers. Eyes turned toward her as if waiting for an explanation she couldn’t provide. Cassian’s gaze snapped to his wife, a flash of disbelief in his usually Stoic eyes. He was at her side in an instant. “What the hell?” His voice was low but filled with urgency.
“I—” Avery didn’t have a chance to speak. The nausea surged again, but she managed to stifle it. The whispers grew louder, and she felt the weight of judgment bearing down on her. Kane’s eyes narrowed, his expression unreadable.
"Let's go." Cassian gripped her arm, pulling her toward the exit.
Cassidy followed closely behind, her face masked with concern. As they reached the car, Victoria’s voice sliced through the night air.
“That was an embarrassment!” she snapped, her tone dripping with disdain. "A public disgrace to this family. Just look at her, making a spectacle of herself!” Her voice dripped with contempt!" She never misses an opportunity to belittle Avery.
Cassidy stepped in. Her eyes narrowed as she studied Avery’s face. “She’s burning up,” she said in a low, urgent voice. “This isn’t just alcohol, Cassian. Something’s wrong.”
As they ushered Avery into the backseat of the car, her mind swirled with fragments of consciousness. Victoria’s disapproving voice grated on her nerves. "You should be ashamed of yourself, Avery.”
Cassidy glared at her. “Not now, Victoria! Can’t you see she’s ill?” Avery sank further into her seat, her temples throbbing. Cassian glanced over, his frustration melting into concern.
"Pull over. We need to call Dr. Hargrove. Have him meet us at the Stanton house."
The drive felt like it lasted hours instead of minutes. Avery leaned back against the cool leather, her mind drifting. She could barely focus on Victoria’s scolding or Cassian’s silence. All she could think about was Dennis—why hadn’t he answered her calls? Why hadn’t he at least given her closure?
They arrive at the Stanton mansion just as Dr. Hargrove pulled in behind them. The elderly family doctor greeted them with a calm smile and set up to check on Avery inside the massive house. Kane and Jake arrived shortly after, both men surveying the scene with tense curiosity.
As Dr. Hargrove took Avery’s temperature, he made small talk, casually asking her about the event and how much she had to drink.
"Just a couple glasses..." Avery murmured, barely able to keep her eyes open.
The doctor frowned as he continued his examination. He then checked her pulse, his face still relaxed but attentive. Then, as if the next words were the most routine thing in the world, he said, "Try not to drink so much when you’re pregnant."
The room fell into silence. A cold, stunned silence.
Pregnant.
Cassian and Cassidy exchanged shocked glances. Cassian’s expression hardened immediately as the doctor’s words registered. Pregnant? It was impossible. They hadn’t touched each other since the wedding, and that had been a month ago.
“Wait—what?” Cassidy broke the silence, her voice thin with disbelief. They hadn’t touched each other since the wedding.
Cassian’s sharp intake of breath broke the stillness. “What did you just say?”
Dr. Hargrove looked up, oblivious to the firestorm he had just ignited. “She’s pregnant. A few weeks along, I’d say. You might want to do a follow-up at the clinic to confirm, but it’s pretty clear.”
The doctor’s words landed like a bomb, and before anyone could speak, he packed up his bag and left the room, unaware of the chaos he had unleashed. Cassian turned toward Avery, his eyes dark and cold.
“You’re pregnant?” His voice was low, but it was the calm before a violent storm.
Avery could barely think, her mind a fog of confusion and memories of Dennis. She hadn’t been with Cassian. That left only one possibility. The words to explain herself stuck in her throat.
Cassian stepped forward, addressing the Stanton family directly. “I’ve never slept with her,” he said, his voice tight with rage. “Not since the wedding. So unless there’s something we don’t know, this isn’t my child.”
Victoria rose to her feet, her fury immediate. “So, it’s true,” she hissed, advancing toward Avery with venom in her eyes. “You’re nothing but a w***e. Just like your father.”
“Victoria, stop!” Kane’s voice cut through the tension, but it lacked conviction. He looked at Avery as if searching for an explanation, but none came.
Victoria didn’t stop. “This is exactly what I expected. You’ve disgraced us all. I knew it from the moment Kane forced this ridiculous marriage. You’re worthless.”
“That’s enough, Victoria,” Kane finally commanded, his voice stronger now, but the damage had been done. Jake leaned back in his chair, his expression smug as he locked eyes with Avery. “So, who's the father, then?” His question dripped with sarcasm.
Avery couldn’t answer. Her mind raced. Dennis. He was the father. It was Dennis. But no words escaped her lips.
“What kind of game is this, Avery?” Cassian spat, recovering from his shock. “Are you trying to humiliate me? Have you been sneaking around, sleeping with some random man after our wedding?”
“Everyone,” Kane said sternly, “we’ll keep this within the family. No one is to speak a word of this to the press or anyone else. The merger is done, and this is still a marriage of convenience. Nothing changes.”
But everything had changed. Jake chuckled softly, his eyes never leaving Avery’s. “Convenient for whom?” he asked mockingly.
Cassian turned his back to her, his expression unreadable. “Let’s go,” he muttered, storming out of the room. Avery’s heart raced, her thoughts spiraling back to Dennis.
The drive back to their mansion was quiet but very tense. Cassidy sat in stony silence, her entire demeanor shifted. When they arrived, she didn’t speak to Avery, didn’t even look at her. It wasn’t until they were alone that Cassidy turned on her, her voice laced with contempt.
“You hypocrite,” she spat. “You’ve been playing the innocent victim, all the while sneaking out of this house to sleep with some other man.”
“No—no, it’s not like that,” Avery stammered. “It happened before the wedding. I swear it.”
Cassidy scoffed. “Before? And you thought marrying my brother while carrying another man’s child was acceptable?”
“I didn’t know,” Avery pleaded. “I didn’t know until now.”
But Cassidy wasn’t listening. Her eyes, once filled with empathy, were now cold. “So much for being a good girl. You deceived everybody.”
Cassian, who had been listening in the doorway, stepped forward. His face was a mask of disgust. “Your family assured me that you were innocent. Pure.” He sneered, the words tasting bitter on his tongue. “A virgin, they said. And now this? You’re nothing but a liar and a pretender. I will never raise another man’s child.”
Avery flinched at his words, the cruelness of his tone cutting deeper than she thought possible. She tried to explain again, but Cassian wasn’t interested in hearing anything she had to say. For the next few days, the hostility from both siblings grew unbearable. The silence was filled with tension, their glares heavy with judgment. Every time Avery tried to speak, she was met with accusations. They didn’t believe her. And Dennis… Dennis still hadn’t answered her calls.
A week later, Avery made a decision. She had to confront Dennis in person. He was the only one who could make sense of this, he could help her decide what to do next. When she arrived at his house, her heart pounded in her chest. She knocked, but there was no answer. Desperation clawed at her insides. She tried the door, and it creaked open.
“Dennis?” she called out, stepping inside.
But the sight that greeted her turned her blood to ice. There he was, tangled in sheets with a woman she recognized all too well, his so-called cousin. The one he had sworn meant nothing to him. Her legs wobbled beneath her as she stood there, her heart pounding in her chest, a mix of betrayal and disbelief coursing through her veins.
“Dennis!” she gasped, her voice trembling with rage and hurt. “How could you do this to me?”
Dennis noticed her, his expression one of annoyance rather than guilt. He stood, making no effort to cover himself. "Oh, it’s you."
Avery stepped forward, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. “What the hell is going on? You told me you loved me. You said she was just family.”
His smile widened, dripping with arrogance. “Family? Avery, you’ve always been so naive. She’s not my cousin. she’s my real girlfriend. This?” He gestured dismissively between them. “It was just a game."
Avery’s voice shook. "What do you mean a game/ You’ve been ignoring me. For weeks."
Dennis shrugged, completely indifferent. "I didn’t think I owed you anything."
Her anger rose like a flood. "You are the first man I have ever been with, you dismiss me and don’t return any of my calls. I am pregnant."
For a brief moment, his face faltered, but then it hardened again. “And you think that’s my problem?”
“What?!” Avery’s voice cracked as tears threatened to spill from her eyes. “Dennis, this is your child.”
He let out a bitter laugh. “My child? You really think I’m stupid, don’t you?”
She was too stunned to speak, so Dennis continued, “Your stepmother set everything up. The dates, the relationship, all of it. I never loved you. I was just following orders. “She wanted someone to keep an eye on you. She paid me to get close, to keep you distracted. And now you’re pregnant with some other guy’s kid? Please.”
Avery’s breath caught. "Dennis…"
Dennis leaned against the doorframe, his voice laced with venom. "I never wanted you or a baby. I’m not interested in raising it. I don’t care if it’s mine.” Avery had nothing else to say, she just stood there as tears silently rolled down her cheeks. All of Dennis' words washed over her, and she had a hard time processing it all.
With a final note, he said, “You should leave now. And Avery, better watch your back with who you call family."