Chapter 63
Chapter 63
The blanket slipped from Briony’s shoulders and tumbled onto the snow–covered ground.
A biting chill wrapped around her, making her shiver.
“When Irwin threw something at you,” Stewart said quietly, “the first thing you did was shield your stomach.”
Briony froze, her breath catching in her chest.
She hadn’t expected Stewart to notice something so small. Then again, he had been a father before–clearly, he’d done his homework back when Rosita was pregnant.
But what did it matter now, whether she was pregnant or not? What did any of this have to do with Stewart?
She’d already made up her mind–she wasn’t going to have a child.
A child that would never be born… Stewart didn’t need to know about it.
Steadying herself, Briony lifted her head to meet his gaze.
Their eyes locked. Stewart’s stare was dark and razor–sharp, as if he could see straight through her.
Briony refused to look away. Her voice was even, almost bored. “I just have cramps. It’s that time of the month.” Stewart watched her, searching her eyes for any sign of a lie.
But Briony was too calm, too controlled.
His voice was cold as ice. “You’d better not be lying to me.”
She let out a short, bitter laugh. “Oh? What are you so worried about? Afraid I’ll secretly have a child and put them in line to fight Irwin for the Wentworth inheritance?”
“Briony.” Stewart’s hand slid to rest gently on her flat stomach. “Trust me, you not being pregnant is the best outcome for everyone.”
“You’re unbelievable!” Briony snapped, shoving his hand away and trying to pull back, but his grip on her wrist was ironclad.
“Let go of me, Stewart!”
He stood his ground, watching her anger with a probing look. “Last time at the hospital, you were sick. You said it was food poisoning, but it was morning sickness, wasn’t it?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about!”
Unable to break free, Briony raised her hand and slapped him hard across the face.
Smack.
The sharp sound of her palm echoed with the howling wind and swirling snow.
Stewart looked stunned. He clearly hadn’t expected her to hit him.
Briony used the opening to wrench free, grab the fallen blanket, and wrap it tightly around herself.
Putting a few paces between them, she fixed him with a cold, unyielding stare.
“What makes you think I’d ever want to have your child?”
Stewart pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek where she’d slapped him, his eyes locked on her from just a few feet away.
The snow and wind blurred their vision, as if nature itself wanted to keep them apart.
Briony’s voice cut through the storm, icy and emotionless.
Chapter 63
“This was always a transaction, wasn’t it? If that’s all it is, what exactly are you so delusional about?”
“What makes you think–when you’ve always kept me at arm’s length, treated me like a stranger to be used and guarded against–that I’d ever be desperate enough to bear your child?”
“Listen to me, Stewart. I’m not pregnant. And even if by some accident I ever was, I wouldn’t keep the baby. Because you are the last person I’d ever want to have a child with.”
With every word, Stewart’s expression darkened, shadows settling over his face.
Briony stared him down, voice still cool. “Are you done interrogating me?”
He said nothing.
“I’ve said everything I needed to say. I have nothing to be ashamed of.”
“From now on, Stewart, let’s keep out of each other’s lives. If we ever cross paths again, let’s just pretend we’re strangers.”
Without another word, Briony turned, yanked open the car door, and climbed inside without a hint of hesitation. This time, Stewart didn’t try to stop her.
He stood motionless in the snow, his sharp features fading into the storm, unreadable.
Thud.
The car door shut, shutting out the biting wind and the swirling snow.
Briony brushed the snow off her blanket, her body trembling as the tension slowly ebbed away.
Staring straight ahead, her face blank, she spoke quietly. “Stella, let’s go.”
Stella glanced out the window, checking on the man outside.
He hadn’t moved. He wasn’t going to stop them.
She let out a silent breath of relief, released the brake, and turned the car around.
The car drove off, its taillights fading into the white, leaving Stewart alone in the heart of the storm.
Chapter 64
