bChapter /bb152 /b

bChapter /bb152 /b

ADRIAN’S POV

“Dora,” I called out, my voice echoing slightly through the hallway as I made my way to our bedroom. My steps were quick,ced bwith /burgency I didn’t

have time to waste

Just as I raised my hand to knock, the door

There she was.

reaked open.

She stood at the doorway with a towel wrapped neatly around her hair, her face covered in a glossy mask, and slices of cucumber bnced over her eyelids like she had just walked out of a spamercial. She blinked, removing one of the cucumber slices with a long–manicured nail, and raised & brow at me.

“You’re back early,” she said casually, as if she hadn’t ignored

of my calls. “Is something wrong?”

I stepped into the room without waiting for an invitation. “What are you

doing, Dora? I called iyou /imultiple times. You didn’t answer.b” /b

She gave me a nk look, then held up her hands and wiggled her fingers. Her toenails were propped up on a cushioned stool, painted a glossy pink. “I was busy with my beauty time,” she said with a small smirk. “Do you think it’s easy looking this beautiful every day?”

I rubbed the bridge of my nose, trying to hold back the irritation building inside me. “So you’ve been in here the whole time?”

“Of course,” she said, clearly annoyed

It was interrupting her routine. “Is there somewhere else I’m supposed to be?”

“Yes, actually.i” /ifolded my arms and looked her square in the face. “The reason came back early is because I have visitors. And I’d like to btalk /bto them privately.”

She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. “So what does that have to do with me? I’m not nning toe down if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“It’s not about youing downstairs,” I replied, keeping my tone’firm. “When I said privately, I meant I want you out of the house, Dora.”

She gasped like I’d pped her, then scoffed and ced both hands on her hips. “You’re going to push me out into this zing sun today? Seriously? Do you even care about our baby? You expect me to walk around in this heatb, /ball so you can have some hush–hush meeting?” Her voice rose an octave as she added, “Are these people more important than your child?”

And just like that, she flipped the switch – ying the victim again. I should have seen iting. Dora always had a way of twisting every situation in her favor, painting herself as the wounded one. I had hoped that with everything going ontelyb, /bshe’d finally start acting mature. I was wrong.

I didn’t have time for this today.

Without saying a word, I reached into my back pocket, pulled out my wallet, and flipped it open. From it, I took out my ck Express card. Instantly, her eyes lit up. She didn’t even try to hide it. The argument vanished from her expression like it had never existed.

“Here’s what you’re going to do,” I said coolly. “Take the card. Go shopping for the baby. Get everything that’s still missing on the list. And if you want bto /bpick up something for yourself, go ahead. Just make sure everything needed for the baby is handled.”

She snatched the card from my hand like it was ba /bgolden ticket and studied it with ba /bgleam in her eyes. b“/bI’ll bgo /bchange into something better and be out bof /byour hair,” she said distractedly, probably nning which boutiques to hit first.

I raised a brow and crossed my arms. “What happened to ‘the sun is too hot‘b?/bb” /b

“Come on, it’s for the baby,” Dora said as she walked over to the wardrobe, her voice light and carefree.

I rolled my eyes. With Dora, when it involves money, everything else can wait. It didn’t matter how hot the sun was bor /bbhow /bufortable she bimed /bbto /bbe–sh ba /bcard in front of her and she’d turn into a soldier ready for battle. That was just how she was. Materialistic bto /bba /bfault.

bChapter /bb152 /b

bAs /bbshe /breached bfor /bthe wardrobeb, /bshe let the towel wrapped around her fall bto /bthe ground. I bimmediately /bbturned /baround, bfacing /bthe doar rat bShe /bbmight /bfeelfortable undressing bin /bfront of me, but I didn’t feel the same way. It made bmy /bskin crawl. I would never blook /bat her that pray. anymore. Probably not ever again. And I definitely wouldn’t let her see me that way either,

The only reason she was still in this house was because of the baby. I didn’t love her. Hell, I barely even liked her. The night bthat /bbchanged /beverything a mistake–ba /bstupid, regrettable mistake–but the consequence was real, and I wasn’t the kind of man to run from responsibility. That child, no matter how it came to be, was imine, and I’d be damned if I failed it.

“Why did you turn around?” Dora’s voice came from behind me, a hint of amusementced in her tone.

“Isn’t it obvious? You’re getting dressed,” I replied tly, still facing away.

bI /bheard soft footsteps approaching from behind, then felt her hand rest gently on my shoulder. I tensed immediately.

b“/bI know I’m dressing, and I’m notining,” she said. “You can look

at meb, /bAdrian.”

Before I could even respond, she stepped in front of mepletely

I shut my eyes instantly and turned my face to the side.

“For god’s sake, Dora,” I muttered, jaw clenching. Thankfully, bshe /bwas shorter than I, and I hadn’t seen much, but the fact that she thought this was okay made me even more irritated.

“Why are you behaving like this?” she asked, her tone softening, trying bto /bpull the sympathy card. “Are we not ba /bcouple?”

“No, we’re not ba /bcouple,” I said firmly. “I’ve told you this a hundred times already. I don’t see you that way. This…” I gestured vaguely around bthe /broom without looking at her-“whatever this is, it’s only happening because you’re pregnant with my child. That’s it. Don’t try to make it more than that.”

I spotted the towel crumpled on the floor and quickly moved to grab it. I turned slightly, careful not to see anything more than I already had, and held the towel out to her.

“Here,” I said sharply. “Cover yourself.”

She stared at me with big, disappointed eyes as she slowly took the towel from my hands. “I’m a woman, Adrian. You’re making me feel unwanted. Do you know how that feels?”

“I don’t have time for this right now,” I replied, my tone growing impatient. “I have people waiting for me downstairs. I didn’te up here to argue or entertain this. Put something on and leave like I asked you to.”

She let out a long, dramatic sigh and turned back to the wardrobe again, this time wrapping the towel tightly around her body. I watched just long enough to see that she was finally taking me seriously.

Without saying another word, I walked out of the room, shutting the door behind me.

She might try these tricks againter, but not today. I had enough on my te already and the Graysons were downstairs, probably wondering what bthe /bhell was taking me so long. Thest thing I needed was Dora turning this situation into another mess.