Chapter 10
When Nathan arrived at the wedding venue, he was surprised to find the ceremony hadn’t yet begun. He quickly took his seat.
Crystal chandeliers cast dazzling light across the hall filled with guests. Jake and Hannah stood at the champagne tower, pouring amid applause, though Jake’s eyes kept drifting toward the entrance.
Avery hadn’t come.
As the officiant announced for the third time that the ceremony would soon begin, Hannah squeezed Jake’s arm and whispered, “Is something wrong?”
Jake shook his head. Turning slightly, he pulled out his phone and dialed Avery’s number, only to hear an automated message:
“We’re sorry, but the number you have dialed is not available…”
He frowned, his fingers unconsciously tracing her gold–embossed name on the invitation.
Avery Williams.
Her words from that night echoed in his mind: “I may not have another chance to say it in the
future.”
Not only had she spoken with such finality, but she couldn’t even offer a perfunctory congratulation?
Scanning the room, he spotted Nathan and instinctively took a step forward, wanting to ask why his
sister hadn’t come.
But as the officiant called everyone to attention again, Jake felt a sudden tug on his arm. Turning back, he saw Hannah’s face had gone alarmingly pale.
“Jake… I feel dizzy…”
Before she could finish, she collapsed, her wedding gown billowing around her like a blooming flower.
Jake quickly caught her in his arms. With the bride unconscious, the venue erupted into chaos.
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She Moved On He Crashed and Burned
Chapter 10
The on–call doctor hurried through the crowd to examine Hannah, soon breaking into a sweat.
As she prepared to conduct a more thorough check, she noticed something unusually firm around Hannah’s abdomen. Unzipping the side of the dress, the doctor’s frown deepened.
“Why is she wearing such a tight corset? Beauty isn’t worth risking your health like this!”
Jake’s voice was tight with concern. “What’s wrong with Hannah?”
The scene remained chaotic, and more detailed examination would require a hospital.
Hannah was rushed to surgery, and shortly after, a doctor approached Jake.
The physician looked him up and downt, seemingly confirming his identity. “Are you the expectant
mother’s husband?”
Jake’s head snapped up.
Expectant mother?
Wasn’t the baby he’d brought home a fake? A prop for their arrangement?
But the doctor, oblivious to Jake’s internal turmoil, continued in a way that only furthered his
confusion.
“This is extremely reckless. The patient is thirty–two weeks pregnant–how could she possibly wear a corset? Don’t you realize this not only restricts fetal development and movement, but could also trigger premature labor?”
Jake’s mind reeled from the doctor’s words.
The baby he’d brought home was still at the house. Hannah had told him just days ago she was on her period and couldn’t drink alcohol.
So whose child was growing inside her?
Ignoring the doctor’s continued lecture, Jake stared fixedly at the glowing red surgery light, his gaze dark and impenetrable.
When Hannah regained consciousness, her vision was still spotty, but her hand instinctively moved to her abdomen. Finding the corset gone, her eyes flew open in panic.
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She Moved On… He Crashed and Burned
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Chapter 10
“You’re awake.”
The voice from beside her made Hannah feel as though she’d plunged into ice water.
Jake stood by the window, backlit so she couldn’t read his expression.
Hannah turned her head to look at him, her hand clutching the bedsheet, palm already clammy with
cold sweat.
“Jake, what happened to me?”
“You don’t know?” His voice held genuine puzzlement. “You’re pregnant, yet you were wearing a
corset that compressed your body to the point where you passed out.”
“Jake… I don’t understand what you’re saying…”
“I’ve already informed everyone the wedding is canceled.”
Jake walked calmly to the bedside and sat down, picking up an orange and beginning to peel it.
The more composed he appeared, the more Hannah panicked.
Her phone was missing. She had no idea how long she’d been unconscious, or what Jake had
discovered–or how much he knew.
Hearing that the wedding had been canceled, she forced a smile.
‘… Why cancel? It’s not serious. We could go back now and-”
Whose child is it?”
…What?”
Hannah’s smile froze on her face.
ake–either accidentally or deliberately–squeezed the orange peel, spraying juice into Hannah’s yes. She jerked her head aside, tears instantly falling.
n the next moment, her chin was roughly grabbed and turned back.
I asked you: Whose child is it?”
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She Moved On… He Crashed and Burned
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Chapter 10
Their eyes met–both rimmed red..One filled with fear, the other with fury.
“The baby… isn’t it the one you brought home? The one we used to trick Avery? Jake… how would I know whose child it is? I don’t understand what you’re saying…”
Seeing Hannah continue to feign ignorance, Jake’s anger surged. His grip on her chin tightened until
his knuckles turned white.
“Are you playing dumb? Or do you really think I’m that gullible?”
“Hannah, whose baby are you carrying?!”
17:06
