CHAPTER 5

“Am I pregnant?” Her entire body trembled. “Are you sure?”

The doctor laughed, amused by the naïve and desperate way she handled the whole situation.

“Absolutely,” she said.

Fear and despair silenced her, as if she no longer knew what to do. Ashley heard the doctor’s advice, but didn’t pay much attention. Her focus was on the idea of having to tell Oliver.

She left the doctor’s office, determined not to tell her husband anything. This pregnancy wouldn’t matter to him since Oliver didn’t love her, but how could she hide a pregnancy for so long?

She drove towards her father’s house, who now lived in one of the most expensive mansions in Las Vegas. Oliver kept his promise to keep Ethan in high society.

“What are you doing here?” The man was astonished by his daughter’s sudden visit.

“Hello to you too, father,” she entered the house, slowly sinking into the sofa. “I have some awful news to tell you.”

Old Ethan walked up to her and sat beside her, wide-eyed.

“I’m pregnant, father,” she said, with a lump in her throat.

“A child?” - But the man’s eyes gleamed with happiness, which Ashley found absurd.

“The child is Oliver’s,” she said reproachfully.

“I know about that,” he continued with a smile on his face. “And this news is wonderful.”

“How can you say that?” She stood up indignantly. “I was forced to marry that disgusting man, beaten by his mistress, treated like a stranger in that house, and you tell me this is wonderful?”

“It’s a child, Ashley,” he also stood up. “I perfectly understand the difficult moment you’re going through, and there’s not a single day that I don’t blame myself for it, but this child is innocent.”

“Something tells me that it’s not because of this pregnancy that you’re happy.”

The accusation she made sounded quite serious to Ethan’s ears, and he immediately feigned indignation.

“You’re offending me.” he turned his back to her and went to the shelf, grabbing a bottle of vodka. “Of course, this child will inherit all of Oliver’s fortune, and naturally, everything he stole from me will come back to my hands, but I’m not concerned about that right now.”

“It’s too obvious!” Ashley scrambled. “Since that damn day you bet me at that casino, I’m sure your biggest concern has been money.”

“You’re offending me again.”

She laughed at the way her father evaded the truth.

“And have you not offended me at any moment?” But she knew this conversation wouldn’t lead her anywhere. Ashley needed to find a safe way out of the mess her life had become.

“Oliver can’t know that this child exists,” she said, causing Ethan to choke on his drink.

“Are you going baffling?” He wiped his mouth and inspected her. “How do you plan to hide a pregnancy?”

“That’s why I need your help, father,” it was almost like a cry for help. “At least once in your life, you could do something good for me.”

“Now you’re being unfair.” He had an excuse for everything she said. “I don’t agree with the idea of hiding this child from Oliver.”

“He has a mistress, and you know it,” Ashley wondered if she could call that woman a mistress. “Stefany is a wicked woman. When she finds out I’m pregnant, she’ll do anything to make me lose the baby.”

That was the perfect argument, even if it wasn’t entirely true. With just that excuse, Ashley could convince her father to help her.

“It would be an enormous risk,” the idea made the man shudder, “and what can I do to help you?”

“You need to say that you’re very ill and that my help is necessary for your recovery.”

“For nine months?” Ethan found the idea absurd. “That won’t work.”

“I have Oliver in my hands,” she said with great certainty, “if he doesn’t do what I want, I’ll ask for a divorce, and he’ll lose the society he desired so much.”

Ethan continued pondering on this silently. Deep down, the man knew he owed his daughter this great favor. There were still nights when he would sit on the bed and cry for having given Ashley, so young and full of dreams, to a malicious and rude man like Oliver. He was sure that comfort wasn’t worth the freedom of his own daughter.

“I’ll help you,” he finally replied, “but only for the safety of the child you carry in your womb.”

“Thank you, father,” she sighed in relief, “in a month, we’ll put our plan into action. But we can’t stay in Las Vegas.”

“No?” he freaked out again. “If Oliver finds out we’re lying to him, the consequences will be very serious.”

“He won’t know, father,” Ashley picked up her things from the sofa and began to leave the house, “you just have to trust me and do everything I say.”

But Ashley didn’t give the man time to justify himself. She knew that if she stayed there for a few more minutes, Ethan would fill her head with crazy ideas to make her give up hiding the pregnancy from her husband.

He returned home, and as he entered the mansion, the first face he saw was Stefany’s. The woman looked at her from head to toe, disdainfully looking at Oliver’s wife.

“What are you doing here?” Ashley looked at her.

“I don’t remember owing you any explanation,” Stefany replied. “By the way, this house belongs to Oliver, so get used to my presence.”

“I am Oliver’s wife, so this house is mine, too.”

The woman burst into laughter. A loud, mocking smile that made Ashley’s anger rise over a hundred decibels.

“Oliver has told me everything about you two,” the mocking smile remained on her face, “he feels so sorry for you, you were bet by your own father, like an object. Do you really think you’ll be able to make him love you?”

“That was never my intention,” she was harsh, “as you yourself said, I’m here against my will.”

“You still feel like you own this house,” she started circling around Ashley, which made her completely disgusted.

“That’s exactly how I feel,” she said, ready to end that conversation once and for all. “You can come here anytime you want, as long as you don’t disturb my peace.”

Ashley pushed the woman aside and started walking towards the stairs. When she was halfway there, she felt Stefany’s hand grab her arm.

“You should be very careful before pushing me,” she threatened. “I am much more dangerous than you think.”

“And I’m not as naïve as you assume,” she shook her arm but couldn’t break free, “I’m not afraid of you.”

But those words alone were enough to ignite Stefany’s fury, who was already prepared to throw Ashley down the stairs. Ashley could feel the danger approaching. Her eyes widened when she realized she had lost her balance, and then she felt a hand grab her waist. When she turned around, she found Oliver saving her.

“What’s going on here?” he asked, perplexed.

Immediately, Stefany let go of Ashley’s arm, and her demeanor changed drastically.

“Nothing, darling,” a fake smile formed on the woman’s face, “we were just talking.”

“And where were you, Ashley?” It was as if he almost immediately believed his mistress’s excuses and turned his arrogance towards Ashley.

“I went to see my father,” she said, stepping away from him, “or am I forbidden to do that too?”

He began to climb the stairs again.

“You’re not forbidden,” his voice rose, “as long as you tell me where you’re going.”

“I’ll let Oliver know,” he stopped on the upper floor, giving her one last look, “even if it’s just to show you who’s in charge.”

And Ashley left behind an arrogant man and a woman who had pure jealousy on her face. Stefany felt her stomach churn as she saw Oliver married to a girl much prettier and younger than her.

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