Chapter 598 Serafina, Are You Pregnant? 2
After ending the call, Jacob sat in stunned silence for a long moment, only then noticing that his cigarette had burned out between his fingers. Ash had scattered across his trousers, and his long fingers trembled inexplicably.
When he looked up again, the pregnant woman had vanished.
Suddenly, Jacob floored the accelerator in an unconscious pursuit, but after driving several hundred yards, he slammed on the brakes so hard his body lurched forward violently. He sat there breathing heavily, trying to collect himself.
With shaking fingers, he relit the half-burned cigarette.
What was he doing? Why had he lost his mind chasing after a complete stranger—a pregnant woman whose face he hadn't even seen clearly? Was it simply because her hair cascading over her shoulders reminded him so painfully of his ex-wife?
If Serafina were pregnant, wouldn't her silhouette carry that same fullness? Wouldn't she shop at places like this for baby supplies, walking alone through falling snow like this woman had?
Where was her husband? Why hadn't the woman's husband come to pick her up? Were they having problems?
Jacob's expression grew confused as he caught himself. What was he thinking? Why was he prying into a stranger's private life? He needed to focus on his own future—his own life.
Yes, his own life. He was about to meet a woman named Chloe for a blind date. It had only been about a year since his arranged meeting with Serafina, and now here he was—divorced and dating again. Just one short year.
Gentle snow continued falling against his windshield. Jacob turned on the wipers, watching the black blades sweep back and forth like the only living thing in this vast, empty world. He sat quietly, slowly finishing the remaining half of his cigarette.
Moments later, his car started up and disappeared into the swirling snow, heading north—while Serafina's footprints led south. Another chance encounter, another unknowing divergence of their paths.
January 6th.
Jacob met with Chloe, this time without their families present—just two young people sitting over coffee, getting to know each other.
Chloe came from an excellent background with international education, now a successful lawyer in every sense. On paper, she and Jacob were perfectly matched, but Jacob knew in his heart that he wasn't genuinely drawn to career-driven women. Perhaps it was something in his blood, his very DNA—he still preferred gentle, nurturing types.
Women like Serafina.
Jacob was clearly distracted, steam from his untouched coffee obscuring his handsome features. Chloe studied his striking profile with obvious interest, her slender fingers toying with her coffee cup as she discussed art and invited him to a concert.
But Jacob's mind was elsewhere entirely.
He hadn't caught what Chloe said and had to ask, "I'm sorry, what was that?"
"There's a concert next week. Would you like to go?" Chloe shifted uncomfortably, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear to reveal delicate gold earrings.
Jacob stared at her earlobe, suddenly thinking of Serafina. Serafina had always preferred pearl earrings. She would never dress in all black like Chloe either—her clothes were mostly in warm tones.
Just a few days ago, a housekeeper had brought up a dry-cleaning bag, explaining that it contained Serafina's clothes that the cleaners had forgotten when they relocated. The outfit—a Chanel suit she'd worn to their first arranged meeting—now hung in his walk-in closet.
Jacob's mind wandered again.
Chloe tolerated his distraction, not because she didn't mind, but because she understood that wanting to be with a man like this meant not minding too much.
Jacob was worth billions, with countless women in Evergreen City vying for his attention. Even the opportunity to meet him was a rare privilege. Chloe knew the cardinal rule of marrying into wealth: see nothing, hear nothing, think nothing—just be understanding.
After the concert topic faded, conversation stalled again. Just as Chloe desperately searched for another subject, Jacob suddenly stood and strode rapidly toward the café entrance, moving so quickly it caught her completely off guard.
"Mr. Windsor, what's wrong?" Chloe called after him anxiously, unable to understand what could make Jacob lose his composure like that.
Was there trouble at the Windsor Group?
At the café entrance.
The former spouses faced each other across just a few steps, separated by only three months but feeling like different people entirely.
Jacob's eyes fixed on Serafina's belly with laser intensity.
Serafina was pregnant.
Though Jacob had never been a father, he had enough basic knowledge to recognize a pregnancy of three or four months. Which meant she and Floyd had gotten together right after the divorce—perhaps even the day they signed the papers.
So Serafina had been telling the truth. She and Floyd were real.
And he'd been foolishly hoping she was lying, pathetically staring at her forgotten clothes and thinking about calling her, looking for excuses to see her again. Meanwhile, she was already carrying Floyd's child.
'I'm such a fool,' he thought bitterly.
Rage and disappointment consumed every one of his senses.
He looked at Serafina with a mocking smile. "Pregnant before marriage? Were you that desperate and reckless? Or did you and Floyd start sleeping together while we were still married?"
His words were not only ungentlemanly but deliberately cruel.
In the falling snow, Serafina's face went deathly pale.
She'd just returned from court, where Lila had been sentenced to three years without parole.
In a few days, she'd follow her mother to Crystal City to start a new life. She hadn't expected to encounter Jacob on her way home, and he looked furious—accusing her of adultery, using words that shamed both her and the child.
But she and Floyd had always been completely innocent. She had never betrayed Jacob. The child she carried had been conceived the night before he left for Sovelan.
But he'd forgotten. Of course he'd forgotten. How could he remember anything related to her? He'd promised to be there during her most vulnerable moment, then forgotten instantly. He could ignore her for an entire week without a single phone call, making himself completely unreachable.
Serafina's face remained ashen, her lips trembling as she tried to defend herself.
Just then, a soft female voice interrupted, "Jacob, is this your ex-wife?"
A graceful figure approached—Chloe.
She stood beside Jacob, perfectly matched in every way, even their clothing colors complementing each other. She placed one hand intimately on Jacob's shoulder, speaking with obvious familiarity. They were clearly a couple.
Jacob's eyes remained fixed on Serafina with dark intensity. "Chloe, my girlfriend."
He felt nothing special for Chloe and had no real intention of pursuing a relationship, but in this moment—perhaps out of spite—he wanted to see Serafina hurt. He wanted to see her look devastated.
But Serafina showed no such reaction.
She lowered her head, gently stroking her rounded belly, and spoke words that cut him to the bone, "When you two get married, don't forget to send me an invitation. I might not come, but I'll definitely send a gift."