Chapter 16
Elizabeth's POV
I almost thought I was hallucinating, until his fingers gently closed around mine. "Elizabeth," he said, his voice softer than I'd heard it in weeks, "I never realized you were thinking so much about me, about us. Don't worry. I'll take responsibility for the baby."
The warmth of his palm seeped into my skin, and I had to fight the visceral urge to snatch my hand away. Instead, I forced my lips into a smile that felt brittle. "I trust you, Aiden. And I'll wait for you."
This kind of nonsense could only be used when putting on an act in front of grandma.
"Oh, by the way, Grandma," Aiden said, deftly turning his attention to her. The sudden shift in topic was a masterclass in deflection, and I felt the suffocating pressure about marriage momentarily lift. "I'll be bringing a guest to the birthday celebration. It's someone I believe you haven't seen in a very long time."
My relief was short-lived. A new kind of alarm, cold and sharp, pricked at my nerves.
Grandma's brow furrowed, a slight line of confusion appearing between her eyes. "Who?"
Aiden just smiled, a secretive, almost smug curve of his lips. "You'll see. And she's prepared a gift for you that I know you'll absolutely adore."
My hand, resting in my lap, clenched into a fist so tight my knuckles ached. There was no doubt who he was talking about. Bianca. And the gift? The jewelry she had commissioned, designed to make a grand entrance at Grandma's party, was to solidify her place and give her the leverage she needed to come after me.
I would not let that happen.
After dinner, Aiden followed me upstairs.
Every cell in my body screamed in protest at the thought of sharing a space with him, but under Grandma's watchful gaze, I had no plausible excuse to send him away. I could only walk into the bedroom, feigning a calm I was far from feeling.
The moment the door clicked shut, his hand was on my arm.
"Elizabeth, can you not give Grandma the jewelry?" He asked, his tone attempting to be reasonable, placating.
I looked at him, my own brows knitting together. "But I've already decided on it. If not that, what else would I give her?"
He took a step closer, his hands moving as if to circle my waist, but I instinctively shifted away. The motion was subtle, but he caught it. An awkwardness settled between us, and he halted, a flicker of irritation crossing his features. "Grandma just said she wants us to get married. We should be presenting a single, unified gift. The jewelry you mentioned… you can save it for another occasion."
The pieces clicked into place with sickening clarity. It wasn't about unity; it was about eliminating the competition. He didn't want my gift to clash with Bianca's. He wanted Bianca to have the spotlight all to herself, to shine at a party filled with influential guests, while my own offering was relegated to the shadows.
Instead of agreeing, I changed the subject. "Aiden, you were with Ms. Johnson today, weren't you? How is she recovering?"
I remembered her fragility, the way she looked like she was one breath away from death, a life she seemed to think could be bartered for mine. Yet, her voice on the phone had been surprisingly strong.
He sidestepped the question, his grip on my arm tightening slightly. "About what I said, do you agree? Don't give Grandma the gift, okay?"
"Grandma is the one taking care of me right now. I'd feel awful if I didn't show my appreciation. Besides," I added, my voice hardening just a fraction, "You owe me a reason for asking me not to."
A shadow of impatience crossed his face. "Does there have to be a reason? I'm telling you not to, so just don't."
I wrenched my arm from his grasp and took two steps back, letting the shock and hurt show on my face. "Aiden, how can you talk to me like that? You're not acting like yourself."
He seemed to realize his mask of concern had slipped, revealing the cold indifference beneath. His expression froze for a second before he held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "No, that's not it. I'm just a little stressed. I think giving two separate gifts makes us look distant. People might misunderstand our relationship."
"Then you don't have to give one," I cut in sharply. "We can use the jewelry I commissioned as a gift from both of us."
He didn't lose his temper, not like he used to. Perhaps Bianca's reappearance had granted him a temporary sense of security. With the party so close, he probably didn't want to rock the boat.
"Elizabeth, why don't you understand what I'm trying to say?" He let out a heavy sigh, trying a different tactic. "Or can you at least let me see the jewelry? What does it look like?"
"It's not even finished yet. How am I supposed to show you?" I turned my head away, infusing my tone with disappointment. "Aiden, you're being so strange. If you don't love me anymore, just tell me. It's not like I'm forcing you to be with me."
"What did you say?" Aiden froze completely. He lunged forward, grabbing my wrist, his eyes suddenly turning red-rimmed. "What did you just say? Not be with me?"
He looked so genuinely shattered that for a moment, I faltered. Had he truly come to see me as the one and only lifeline keeping Bianca alive? That a single, casual sentence from me could provoke such a visceral reaction? Should I applaud him for his profound devotion to her?
"I just feel like you don't love me as much anymore," I murmured, deliberately playing into his emotional outburst. If he wanted to keep up this charade, I wasn't going to make it easy for him.
Aiden fell silent.
His gaze swept over me, a slow, appraising scan from head to toe, before finally settling on my stomach. "At the hospital, you disappeared for two days. I never asked you what happened."
He didn't know the Windsor family had taken me, or that I had escaped on my own. Now, he was finally asking.
Keeping a careful distance, I answered in a steady voice. "I fainted at the hospital. A kind person found me and helped me. I rested for two days, and when I felt better, I came back."
He frowned, his eyes scrutinizing me, weighing the truth in my words. From my perspective, it wasn't a complete lie. Alex had knocked me out, and I had no clear memory of what happened immediately after.
A thought seemed to strike Aiden, and he gave a tense, sudden laugh. "Really? You're just too fragile. I always tell you to exercise more, but you never listen. By the way, do you know who this kind person was?"
He was trying to change the subject, but the probing question underneath was obvious. I saw the clumsy maneuver for what it was.
I continued my act of blissful ignorance. "I'm not really sure. But his house was huge. Maybe it's someone you know? Perhaps he recognized me as your fiancée and took special care of me because of that."
A flash of genuine surprise crossed Aiden's face. My words had clearly startled him. He stared at me, a flicker of panic in his eyes. "Alright, well, since they let you come back, don't bother them again. The most important thing is for us to focus on our life now."
His response was so out of character that it almost made me laugh. Was this the same Aiden? But I understood the subtext perfectly: he wanted me to have nothing to do with the Windsor family.
"I'm going to bed," I said, standing my ground, a clear signal for him to leave.
He gave me another long, searching look, his expression softening. "You're not going to ask me to stay? You used to love falling asleep in my arms."
"I'm pregnant now. It's a delicate time," I replied coolly, deflecting again.
He pressed on. "About the gift. I'll be the one to decide. When your jewelry is ready, give it to me first."
This time, his tone was an undisguised command, leaving no room for argument.
I had nothing to say.
In some ways, the man was pathologically stubborn. In the past, I might have given in. But this wasn't the past.
"I'm going to rest," I repeated.
This time, he didn't argue. He turned and left the room.
Lying in bed, my mind was a tangled mess. Aiden was willing to spend fifty million on jewelry just to help Bianca win Grandma's favor. In his mind, he had already decided he would end up with her.
But he seemed to forget one crucial detail: Grandma already disliked Bianca. No matter what he did, it would be a futile effort.
And besides, using my design to please Bianca? That was a line I would never allow them to cross.
Neither Aiden nor Bianca had ever shown genuine concern for Grandma; they knew next to nothing about her real tastes. When they presented my work at the party and made fools of themselves, they would have no one to blame but themselves.