Chapter 2 Lydia‘POV

"You're going, whether you like it or not! This is all for the family!" Hector snapped.

I let out a bitter smile, my eyes filled with resentment. "For your family, I have to sacrifice my own happiness?"

Marlo stepped in to mediate, her tone soft but reproachful. "Lydia, you really don't know how good you have it. The Ivor family is loaded — marrying into that is a blessing!"

"Is that so? If he's that great, why don't you marry him?" I said with a cold laugh.

Marlo's expression shifted instantly, and she turned to Hector with a wounded look.

Hector's brow furrowed tight. "Is that any way to talk to your mother? You've got less and less manners every day!"

I ignored him, turned around, and headed back to my room. I slammed the door shut, bit down hard on my lip, and finally let the tears I'd been holding back slide down my face.

I wiped my eyes and dragged my exhausted body over to the vanity mirror, where I found my neck covered in hickeys, trailing from my earlobe all the way down to my collarbone.

I reached up and touched the marks, and the memories of last night came flooding back.

I slapped my own cheeks in frustration, thinking I must have lost my mind to have done something so reckless.

Just then, my phone rang. It was Lenara.

I'd barely picked up when her excited voice came through. "Babe! How did last night go?"

My cheeks flushed. "Don't even get me started," I said, annoyed. "This is all your fault and your terrible idea. That male escort must have been on something — he kept me up the entire night."

"Oh my God! The entire night? Lydia, you must have had the time of your life!" Lenara teased.

I rolled my eyes. "The time of my life? My legs are like jelly. I'm still shaking when I walk."

Lenara laughed even louder. "That just means he was a total professional! Oh, by the way — did you use protection?"

My heart sank.

When Lenara heard my silence, she turned serious immediately. "Are you serious? You had sex with a male escort and didn't use a condom?"

"I... I took a morning-after pill before I left," I said quietly.

"The pill isn't foolproof!" Lenara was frantic now. "And who knows what kind of guys work in places like that? Go get yourself checked at the hospital. You don't want to catch something."

Her words sent a wave of panic through me.

Last night really had been too impulsive. I hadn't thought about anything before it just... happened.

"Okay! I'm going to the hospital right now."

I hung up, changed into a turtleneck to cover the hickeys on my neck, grabbed my bag, and headed out.

I was on edge the whole way there. Even after I arrived at the hospital, checked in, and sat down in the waiting room, my heart wouldn't stop pounding.

Honestly, I'd never been to the OB-GYN before. I had no idea what the exam would be like, and just thinking about it made me cringe.

Before long, the intercom called my name. I stood up and walked toward the exam room.

But the moment I stepped through the door, I saw a man sitting in the chair just inside.

He was wearing a black button-down shirt that fit his frame well. His legs were crossed, a magazine in his hands, his head tilted down as he flipped through it.

I recognized him immediately. It was the male escort from last night.

Of all the places.

The man looked up and saw me too. A flicker of surprise crossed those deep-set eyes, then his face went blank — cold, even.

I steeled myself and said hello. "You're here to see a doctor too?"

The man let out a short, dismissive snort, his lips barely parting. "Are you blind? What would a man like me be doing at the OB-GYN?"

I was so flustered I couldn't get a word out, my face burning red.

Just as I was ready to sink into the floor from embarrassment, a woman's coy voice drifted out from behind the exam room curtain. "Oh, I'm still with a patient — go wait outside for me."

The man said nothing. He stood up, and his tall frame passed right by me, leaving a faint trace of cedarwood in the air.

I turned to see a woman in a white coat step out — early forties, maybe, well put-together, pretty, and carrying herself with a certain elegance.

She looked at me and smiled. "I'm Dr. Emily, OB-GYN. Come on in and have a seat."

Watching the two of them interact so naturally, I had a pretty good idea of what was going on.

This doctor was probably one of the male escort's clients too. It wasn't exactly shocking, but it left me with an awkward feeling I couldn't quite shake.

Dr. Emily looked me over. "What brings you in today?"

I snapped back to attention and stumbled over my words. "I just... wanted to get tested. For STIs."

The doctor glanced at me and asked calmly, "Recent high-risk sexual activity?"

I nodded, my face red.

"How long ago?" She pulled out a chart and started writing.

"Last night..."

"Then there's nothing to detect yet." She set down her pen. "If you're concerned, you can start PEP now and come back for a follow-up in two weeks."

I walked out of the exam room with my prescription, had barely taken two steps when a large hand shot out from the side, grabbed my wrist, and yanked me over. My back hit the wall.

Before I could react, a solid chest was pressing toward me, and that familiar scent of cedarwood wrapped around me all at once.

I looked up. It was the male escort.

He didn't say anything. He studied me carefully, and when his gaze landed on the hickeys on my neck, his eyes narrowed slightly — like he was admiring his own work.

"What do you think you're doing?" I glanced around at the people passing by and was about to pull free.

The man had no intention of letting go. His hand gripped my waist and pulled me in, his lips close to my ear, his voice low and rough. "You left in such a hurry this morning — were you unhappy with my service?"

His warm breath fell against my neck, and I couldn't help the goosebumps that rose on my skin. The scenes from last night flashed through my mind before I could stop them, and my face went hot.

I took a deep breath and tried to keep my voice steady. "Didn't I already tip you three hundred dollars?"

The man reached out and lightly pinched my chin between his fingers. "That's all I'm worth to you?"

"Then what more do you want?" I could hear the waver in my own voice.

The man released my chin. His broad hand slid slowly down my neck, unhurried, deliberate, until his lips brushed against my earlobe, his voice dropping low. "Are you free to meet again sometime? No charge this time."

That snapped me back to my senses. I pushed against his chest and said, a little sharply, "Don't you get tired of seeing so many people every day?"

The man's brow furrowed slightly. "Who else am I seeing?"

"That woman doctor! Don't think I didn't notice — she's one of your clients, isn't she?"

The man paused, then suddenly laughed.

"What's so funny?" His laughter threw me off, and I asked, irritated.

He didn't answer. Instead, he pulled out his phone, opened his photo album, and held it up in front of me.

The moment I saw the screen, my mind went completely blank.

In the photo, I was lying on my side in bed, fast asleep. The blanket covered most of me, but the hickeys on my shoulder and neck were impossible to miss.

"You bastard!" I lunged for the phone in a fury.

The man raised his hand, lifting the phone effortlessly above his head. I stretched up on my tiptoes and couldn't reach it, so I just stood there glaring at him.

He took the opportunity to wrap his arm around my waist and pull me against him, his chin resting on top of my head, his voice lazy. "I'll be in touch."

With that, he let go of me, flashed a smirk, and walked away.

I wanted to go after him and demand answers, but then I saw Ivor walking out of the obstetrics room next door.

Ivor was in a dark gray suit, every bit the picture of upper-class polish.

A young pregnant woman had her arm linked through his. She was delicate-looking, and by the size of her belly, probably five or six months along.

She leaned against Ivor's shoulder with a pouty expression, her voice soft and aggrieved. "Ivor, please don't get married. I don't want our baby to grow up without a father."