Chapter 76\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ellie POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEllie?\u201d Lance called as he knocked on my bedroom door. \u201cAre you still alive in there? Have you grown roots? Should I call the gardener?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was sitting on my bed, where I\u2019d been all morning, unable to control the tears spilling down my face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There wasn\u2019t any particular reason for the crying-no event that had triggered it. I just couldn\u2019t stop. It kept happening lately. I knew it was the pregnancy hormones, but that didn\u2019t make it any easier.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What made it worse was that I was trying to keep my pregnancy a secret. If anyone saw me behaving like this outside my bedroom, they\u2019d probably think I\u2019d lost my mind-or worse, have me committed. So I stayed in my room as much as I could.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As much as I knew Lance meant well, the fact that he kept trying to drag me out of my room was driving me crazy. He had no idea what was really going on, of course. He was just trying to be a good friend. But God, I really needed him to leave me alone right now.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cVery funny,\u201d I called out, trying my best to keep my voice steady. \u201cI\u2019m not in the mood.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou sound stuffy,\u201d Lance replied. \u201cWhat\u2019s going on? Come on, open the door and talk to me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cQuit being so damn nosy,\u201d I snapped. But Lance just brushed off my tone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll stop being nosy when you stop being mysterious.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re infuriating, you know that?\u201d I muttered. Even I could tell how tired I sounded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re kind of starting to freak me out,\u201d Lance said. \u201cCome on-open the door. You haven\u2019t eaten all day. You\u2019re going to make yourself sick.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you, my babysitter?\u201d I grumbled, but I opened the door anyway.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, but you seem like you could use one.\u201d His tone stayed light, but I saw the shift in his eyes as he took in my appearance. \u201cWhy are you hiding like a moody vampire? Afraid the sun will burn you up?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI just don\u2019t want to deal with your brother today,\u201d I replied dismissively.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSee, normally I\u2019d accept that as a reasonable response. But this is the third time this week you\u2019ve done this. Don\u2019t bullshit me-something\u2019s going on.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDo we have to talk about this in the hallway?\u201d I asked, turning back into the room. Lance followed me in and\u00a0<\/p>\n
shut the door.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re being all serious and freaking me out,\u201d he muttered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I watched his eyes move around the bedroom. It was dark, the curtains drawn, and the lights off. There was a box of tissues and an empty water bottle on the nightstand, but nothing else. He frowned and looked at me expectantly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t have the energy to mess around right now,\u201d I sighed. \u201cI\u2019m exhausted.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re exhausted all the time lately. And you\u2019ve obviously been crying again. Are you sick? Ellie, you\u2019ve got to give me a straight answer. I\u2019m genuinely getting worried.\u201d His voice was gentle.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI appreciate that you\u2019re concerned about me.\u201d I sank down on the bed, feeling heavier by the second. \u201cYou\u2019re a\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 76\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
really great friend, Lance, you really are. But this isn\u2019t something I can talk about with you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you want me to call Rae? You really seem like you need to talk to someone.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even just the mention of Rae made my tears well up again. I sniffled pathetically, trying to hold them back. Lance moved toward me instinctively, reaching out to comfort me before hesitating.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEllie, what the hell is happening?\u201d The concern in his voice was raw.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t-\u201d I shook my head.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt can\u2019t be that bad. Let me help you.\u201d He finally took my hands in his own.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked at him through blurry vision, but I could still see how earnest he was. And maybe it was the hormones, maybe it was just the exhaustion, but the words came tumbling out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m pregnant.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re pregnant?\u201d he said in disbelief. \u201cWith Nolan\u2019s baby?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTwins,\u201d I said, my voice breaking on the word.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lance let out a surprised huff and sank down to his knees in front of the bed. \u201cNo wonder you\u2019re so miserable.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I laughed breathlessly. \u201cYou have no idea. I don\u2019t know what I\u2019m going to do. I can\u2019t tell him. If he finds out, he\u2019s never going to let me leave, Lance. I\u2019ll be stuck here for the rest of my life.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHey, no-it\u2019s going to be okay.\u201d He slipped up onto the bed next to me and wrapped his arms around me. I let my head fall against his shoulder as the tears ran down my face. \u201cI\u2019m going to make sure that doesn\u2019t happen.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t let you get involved in this.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou already told me. That means I\u2019m involved. So let me help. We\u2019re friends, right? And nobody knows better than me the situation you\u2019re stuck in with my bastard brother. I\u2019m not going to let you be a prisoner here for life.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t tell anyone about this. I can\u2019t trust anyone. I\u2014\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not going to say a word,\u201d Lance assured me, rubbing my arm comfortingly. \u201cBut you don\u2019t need to carry this all alone, either. I\u2019m going to help you any way I can\u2014even if it just means giving you a hug and reminding you you\u2019re not crazy for being scared. I can only imagine how terrifying this is for you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s scary enough being pregnant, but having to hide it from everyone has been impossible. I didn\u2019t think it would be this hard, but between the morning sickness and the mood swings and everything else\u2014I must look like a crazy person. And besides that, I know Nolan already suspects. The way he looks at me sometimes, and the way he\u2019s been snooping around my room\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s been snooping around your room? God, he\u2019s such a creep,\u201d Lance said, frustrated.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean, I honestly can\u2019t even blame him. With the way everything\u2019s been going and the way I\u2019ve been acting, I\u2019m sure it seems suspicious,\u201d I replied softly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cStill doesn\u2019t give him the right to snoop,\u201d Lance muttered. \u201cLook, whatever you need, I got you, Ellie. I care about you, and that\u2019s got nothing to do with Nolan. So if you need a shoulder to cry on, or someone to bring you food if you\u2019ve got cravings, or whatever you need-just tell me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I leaned into him, the warmth of his body grounding me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 70\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re welcome. And look, that includes getting you out of here if you need to leave. Like I said, I\u2019m not going to let you be anyone\u2019s prisoner for life. If you need an escape\u2026 well, I\u2019ve got a boat and a very fast car.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That made me smile, and Lance returned it with a victorious grin of his own.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere we go,\u201d he said softly. \u201cNow you don\u2019t look quite so miserable.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy are you willing to go to so much trouble for me?\u201d I asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI just am,\u201d he replied, tightening his grip on my shoulders a little.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I wanted to press him on that, but I chose not to break the moment. Right now, the comfort of having him hold me and tell me everything was going to be okay was all that mattered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
COIN BUNDLE: get more free bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
D\u00a0<\/p>\n
A Cold Marriage That Turned Warm 76 Chapter 76\u00a0 Ellie POV\u00a0 \u201cEllie?\u201d Lance called as he knocked on my bedroom […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[62],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-unremembered-mate-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23645","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23645"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23645\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23645"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23645"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23645"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}