Chapter 3 Unexpected News

Her voice was calm and undisturbed, carrying a sense of liberation even she had yet to fully process.

Karen's eyes widened in disbelief.

Austin abruptly turned his head, his dark eyes burning into her. Her eerie composure left a sudden, hollow ache in his chest, as though something vital had just been violently wrenched away.

This alien sensation of losing control vexed him. He hastily suppressed it, his mind defaulting to its usual cynicism. What new scheme is she attempting now? Playing the victim before my grandmother? The art of feigned retreat?

"Mother, you heard her!" Margaret eagerly interjected, her eyes gleaming with triumph. "The Raymond family empire needs an heir! This divorce is what's best for everyone."

Ella looked at Karen with a gentle, resigned smile. "Grandma, there's something you don't know. When I was eighteen, I was trapped on a snowy mountain... My body was severely damaged by the extreme cold. The chances of me ever conceiving are almost zero. I could never give the Raymond family an heir anyway."

The snowy mountain?

Austin's expression shifted subtly. This was the second time she had mentioned that mountain, yet his memories of that specific detail were a frustrating blank. Instinctively, he stepped forward to question her, but Ella had already turned away, refusing to meet his gaze.

"Ella, whatever decision you make, I'll support you," Karen sighed, closing her eyes in defeat. She knew how deeply Ella had loved Austin. If Ella was finally letting go, she must be entirely broken.

Ignoring Austin's intense, scrutinizing stare, Ella gently squeezed Karen's hand, urged her to rest, and walked out of the bedroom without looking back.

Standing outside the mansion, Ella tilted her head back, letting the cold rain mix with her unshed tears. Divorcing him felt like taking a rusty knife and carving out the softest part of her heart. But it was over.

Heavy footsteps approached from behind.

Austin walked up to her, his aura cold and dangerous. "Ella, whatever manipulative game you're playing, stop it now. Judith was so terrified by the media last night she nearly ended up in the emergency room. Drop this act. It only makes me despise you more."

Ella suddenly felt a suffocating tightness in her chest. All her fourteen years of devotion, her sacrifices, were branded as despicable schemes just because Judith shed a few fake tears.

"In all these four years," she asked softly, "did you ever have even the slightest feeling for me?"

Austin's eyes narrowed, imbued with disdain. He remained silent, but his silence was the loudest answer.

"If you agree to sign the papers quietly," he said coldly, "I'll give you the townhouse and ten million dollars. I won't have it said that I mistreated you."

Did he really think money could buy out her heart?

Ella shook her head, her eyes completely dead. "I don't want your money, Austin. I just want out."

Leaving him staring at her retreating figure in sheer bewilderment, Ella walked away into the storm. She took out her phone to call her best friend, Sarah. But as the call connected, a sudden wave of severe dizziness hit her. The world spun, and overwhelming darkness swallowed her whole.

...

When Ella regained consciousness, the sterile smell of antiseptic filled her nose. She found herself in a hospital bed, an IV drip attached to her arm.

Her best friend, Sarah, rushed to her side, her eyes red. "Ella! You terrified me! You called and just collapsed. Thank God I found you in time."

"What... what happened?" Ella murmured, her voice raspy. Her health had always been fine, aside from the coldness in her bones.

Before Sarah could answer, the female doctor walked in, holding a medical chart. A warm smile graced her face.

"Ms. Brooks, you fainted due to exhaustion and low blood sugar, but there's good news," the doctor said cheerfully. "Congratulations. You're six weeks pregnant."

Ella's pupils constricted. The world seemed to stop spinning for a fraction of a second.

"I'm... pregnant?"

Her hand instinctively flew to her flat stomach. The fertility pills. The nights of Austin treating her like a mere vessel. It had actually worked.

A bitter, ironic smile tugged at the corners of her lips. She had yearned for this child for so long, hoping it would bind Austin's heart to hers. But now? Now she had just agreed to a divorce.

If Austin and Margaret found out about this baby, they would never let her keep it. They would snatch her child away, hand it over to Judith to raise as the Raymond heir, and kick Ella to the curb.

No, Ella thought, her sorrow instantly hardening into fierce maternal instinct. Austin Raymond, you wanted a divorce to be with your true love. Then you will never know about this child.

She looked at Sarah, her voice trembling but resolute. "Sarah... I need to leave the city. Now."