Chapter 25
Cynthia’s words completely eased the uneasiness in Nathan Tracey’s heart.
The tension in his features slowly melted away, replaced by a genuine, heartfelt smile.
“Cindy,” he said softly, placing a warm hand over her stomach, “we’re going to be a family-forever.”
Though he couldn’t feel any movement yet, his touch was filled with tenderness and anticipation.
Cynthia smiled too, her heart swelling with peace.
The warmth of the Tracey household stood in sharp contrast to the figure silently bending down at the gate.
Alexander Lowell picked up the gifts he had so carefully prepared-now scattered and forgotten on the ground.
In the past, all it took was a thoughtful present and a few sweet words to coax a smile out of her.
But not this time. This time, he couldn’t win his girl back.
From the Capital City to Riverport City, the flight alone took five to six hours.
Would she even come back to see him again?
Even if he longed for it, the chances of seeing her were slim now.
Especially now… now that she was carrying another man’s child.
Alexander had always prided himself on being a master strategist. Until today, he had still been mapping out ways to bring her home. He had even considered forcing her back to Capital City, no matter how hard she resisted.
He had believed-foolishly-that if they just spent enough time together, her soft heart would eventually find its way back
to him.
But he never saw this coming.
Cynthia’s pregnant.
How had things changed so fast? How had she moved on so completely?
Clutching the scattered gifts, Alexander walked slowly away, shoulders heavy with defeat. The sadness radiating from
him was unmistakable.
She was pregnant now. How could he bear to force her to leave, to risk hurting her?
“My Cindy hates pain more than anything,” he whispered to himself, voice thick with sorrow. “She’s already lost so much. I
can’t let her lose this child too.”
Cynthia had always longed for a family
He remembered vividly-when her parents had just passed away, she’d been like a tiny, abandoned hedgehog. Soft and fragile, but putting up prickly defenses, pretending to be strong
The first night he brought her home, she’d been so young-her tiny hand clutching his, refusing to let go for even a
second.
He’d spent years gently nurturing her into the bright, confident, slightly spoiled girl she became. Sweet and headstrong. but never annoying-always lovable.
Chapter 25
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And then… he destroyed her. With his own hands.
Alexander’s chest ached with regret, but he no longer dared to disrupt the happiness she had now.
“She’ll be happy with Nathan Tracey, won’t she?”
He boarded a flight back to Capital City, carrying every unsent gift with him.
Back home, the Lowell estate had returned to the suffocating silence of ten years ago. No laughter. No warmth. Even the
staff walked on eggshells, afraid to speak above a whisper.
Alexander became something less than human-just a machine wired for work. He barely returned home anymore.
Because home… wasn’t home without Cynthia in it.
His office, however, was a different story.
It was filled-wall to wall-with photographs of her. Images taken in secret by someone he hired. In them, her belly grew
little by little, her expressions shifting between laughter, irritation, and quiet peace.
She looked so alive. So real.
…. But so far away.
He no longer dared to see her in person. He was terrified that his presence would upset her… or worse, hurt the child she
now carried.
So he held onto the photos instead, tracing the lines of her smile with his eyes.
And when he closed them, he could almost hear her voice. See her standing there, teasing him or pouting or laughing. A life once his-now only a memory.
