Chapter 2 Do You Just Not Want My Children

"Come here." Adrian's bathrobe hung half-open, exposing a wheat-colored, heavily muscled chest. He extended a hand toward Isabella, his gaze cold and commanding.

She hesitated.

Adrian possessed terrifying stamina in bed. Every time they slept together, it felt endless, leaving her utterly drained.

Frankly, she dreaded it a little. Gathering her courage, she tried to negotiate. "Adrian, could we... maybe keep it a bit shorter today?"

Displeased by her lack of obedience, he let out a cold scoff. "How long we go isn't up to you. Come here. Don't make me ask a third time."

Left with no choice, Isabella walked over and placed her hand in his.

His palm was broad and searing hot. With a single, effortless pull, he dragged her into his arms and onto his lap.

The heat radiating from his bare skin was overwhelming, sending a flush to her cheeks and turning her limbs to jelly.

His hands clamped down on her waist as he captured her lips in a deep, punishing kiss, thoroughly devouring her mouth.

Her lips tingled. Instinctively, she raised her arms to loop around his neck.

But even that small gesture displeased Adrian.

Without hesitation, he yanked her hands down and pinned them behind her back, breaking the kiss. "I've told you—no little tricks. You follow my rhythm."

He hated being hugged. She knew that.

Isabella bit her lip, her eyes stinging with unshed tears of grievance.

Adrian offered no comfort. Instead, he stared into her eyes, an amused eyebrow arching upward. "Going to cry again? It's a bit early for tears, isn't it?"

Feeling wronged, she muttered back, "I need a schedule to cry now? Aren't you being a little too dictatorial?"

"Look at you, talking back now." His hand drifted down, squeezing her casually. "A side of you I don't see very often."

Sensing he was in a relatively good mood, Isabella recalled her mother's nagging from the day before and cautiously broached the subject. "Yesterday, my mom mentioned... having a baby..."

Instantly, the amusement vanished from his face. With a careless shove, he tossed her aside.

Caught off guard, Isabella tumbled off his lap, her knees hitting the hard floor.

Stripped of his body heat, a sudden chill washed over her, making her shrink back.

He glared down at her. "Isabella, do you really want a child that badly?"

She knew immediately she'd crossed a line. Unable to admit it, yet terrified to deny it, she simply shook her head.

Adrian stood up, his demeanor entirely detached. "I've told you before. I don't want children."

Without another word, he left her sitting on the floor and strode into the walk-in closet.

Isabella knew his mood was ruined. He was going to change and leave.

She scrambled up from the floor, taking a desperate step after him. "Adrian, do you really not want children, or do you just not want... my children?"

Her voice cracked on the question, thick with a suppressed sob.

He didn't spare her a drop of pity. Dressed in fresh clothes, he walked straight out the bedroom door.

Isabella stared at his retreating back, finally letting her tears fall.

Her mother's relentless pressure, Adrian's icy indifference, the suffocating weight of the Knight family... what was she supposed to do?

If she couldn't get pregnant, her mother would bring Maggie in to replace her.

Maggie had bullied her and stolen from her since they were kids. If Maggie managed to worm her way into the Knight family, she would truly have nothing left.

...

After Adrian's departure, Isabella dragged her exhausted body around the house, clearing dishes and tidying up.

She liked having some background noise while she worked, so she flicked on the TV.

To her surprise, the art channel was in the middle of broadcasting an exclusive interview. And Isabella instantly recognized the woman on the screen.

Elaine Foster. A renowned domestic painter, and Adrian's first love.

The host had just finished introducing Elaine's latest pieces and her upcoming exhibition, smoothly pivoting to more personal questions.

"Ms. Foster, rumors are swirling that you've recently started dating. Is there any truth to that?"

"It's true." Elaine nodded, offering a playful wink to the camera. "But it isn't exactly recent. We've been together all along."

"Wow, so your relationship is going strong! Truly enviable." The host beamed, offering her congratulations before teasing, "I heard your upcoming exhibition is titled 'Love of a Lifetime,' and that it's dedicated to this very relationship. Is that right?"

"It is," Elaine admitted with a graceful smile. "Just last night, he was actually helping me brainstorm ideas for the layout."

A sharp, physical pang struck Isabella's chest. She frantically scrambled for the remote and killed the power.

So that was why Adrian hadn't accompanied her back to the Hudson family home last night. He had been keeping Elaine company.

If he had been with Elaine all along, where did that leave her?

What was she, his actual wife, supposed to be?

If he loved Elaine so much, why had he agreed to marry her three years ago? Why hadn't he just married Elaine? And his refusal to have children... that was probably for Elaine's sake, too.

Suffocating under the weight of her misery, Isabella decided to step outside for some fresh air. But as she reached the front door, she noticed a small delivery box resting on the mat. Her name was printed on the label.

Strange. She hadn't ordered anything.

She picked up the package, giving it a light shake near her ear.

It sounded like a stack of something flat.

Cardstock? Documents? Or something else?

She tore open the tape. Inside sat a thick stack of glossy photographs.

The subjects were a man and a woman. In some, they were snuggled close, smiling at the lens; in others, they were locked in tight embraces...

In one, their cheeks were pressed together as they shared a kiss.

The man and woman were none other than Adrian and Elaine!

All the blood rushed to Isabella's face, only to drain away a second later, leaving her deathly pale.

Her fingers trembled so violently that the photos slipped from her grasp, fluttering to the floor like snow.

A second later, panic set in. She dropped to her knees, frantically gathering them up and shoving them back into the box.

Tears splashed down, staining the cardboard as she worked.

The porch outside was empty, but Isabella already knew exactly who had sent the package.

Elaine.

It was a blatant provocation, yet Isabella didn't even have the courage to confront Adrian about it.

Elaine was his first love, the woman he truly cherished. He gave her all his patience, all his devotion.

Isabella thought of how little she had. Aside from the hollow title of Mrs. Knight, she had absolutely nothing.

Even so, she refused to give up that easily. Because Adrian was her first love, too!

She wanted to hurl the photos straight into the trash, but she was terrified someone might see them.

After a moment of panicked hesitation, she crumpled the box and shoved it into the back of a storage closet.

...

That night, Adrian didn't come home.

Isabella was used to it by now. Her heart felt numbly tranquil.

But a text from Kieran Lewis shattered that fragile peace. "Adrian is drunk. Come over and pick him up. Location: Room 888, 3rd Floor, Cerulean Club."

Kieran was Adrian's closest friend. The two ran in the same elite circles, practically joined at the hip.

Suspecting nothing, Isabella quickly threw on a coat and hurried over.

Cerulean Club was an ultra-exclusive, members-only club. Outsiders were strictly barred from entry.

Isabella had to drop Kieran's name at the door before security finally let her through.

Unfamiliar with the sprawling layout, she wandered the dimly lit third floor for quite a while before finally spotting Room 888.

The heavy door was left slightly ajar. As she approached, voices and laughter spilled out into the hallway.

"Our brilliant artist really knows how to handle Adrian! Married or not, he always puts you first!"

"He poured a fortune into this new exhibition of yours, didn't he?"

"Hahaha... Elaine, don't you have something you want to say to Mr. Knight?"

"I do. I want to get back together with Adrian. I just don't know if he's willing."