Chapter 173 One Hundred And Seventy Three

Chapter 173 One Hundred And Seventy Three
The cool evening air hit Antonia's face immediately.
She wrapped her arms around herself tightly as Daniel finally drove away.
The moment his car disappeared down the driveway, she inhaled shakily.
Then slowly, she walked toward the front door.
Her heartbeat felt strangely uneasy now.
Like something was waiting for her inside. And somehow, she was right.
The moment she stepped into the house, she froze.
Kennedy was already home.
He sat in the living room, still dressed in his work clothes, one arm resting against the couch while the other held a glass of untouched whiskey.
The television was on quietly in the background.
But his attention wasn’t on it.
His eyes lifted slowly toward her the moment she entered.
And Antonia instantly sensed it.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Kennedy’s expression looked calm.
Too calm.
The dangerous kind.
Antonia swallowed slightly.
“You’re home early.”
Kennedy didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, his eyes slowly moved over her appearance.
The cardigan.
The slightly windblown hair.
The unfamiliar jacket still draped around her shoulders.
His jaw tightened almost invisibly.
“Yes,” he finally said quietly.
Silence followed.
Antonia slowly closed the door behind her.
“I thought you’d still be at work.”
“I finished early.”
The atmosphere in the room already felt tense.
Uncomfortable.
Kennedy set the whiskey glass down carefully.
“Where were you?”
The question came calmly.
But there was sharpness underneath it.
Antonia forced herself to stay composed.
“I just stepped out for a while.”
Kennedy leaned back slightly.
“To ease your mind?”
Her chest tightened instantly.
Because those were almost the exact words she had used with Daniel earlier.
“Yes.”
Kennedy nodded slowly.
“And?”
Antonia frowned slightly.
“And what?”
“Did it help?”
She hesitated.
“A little.”
Kennedy studied her face carefully.
Too carefully.
Antonia suddenly felt exposed standing there.
Like he could somehow see the guilt written all over her.
Kennedy’s gaze shifted briefly toward the jacket around her shoulders.
“That’s not yours.”
Antonia’s stomach dropped instantly.
She looked down.
Damn.
In all the emotional chaos, she had completely forgotten she was still wearing Daniel’s jacket.
Her fingers tightened around the fabric instinctively.
Kennedy noticed immediately.
The silence that followed became heavier.
Dangerously heavy.
Slowly, Kennedy stood up.
“Whose is it?”
Antonia’s pulse quickened.
“It’s just a jacket.”
“I can see that.”
His voice remained calm.
Too calm.
“But I asked whose it is.”
Antonia opened her mouth, then closed it again.
Because suddenly the memory of the kiss crashed violently back into her mind.
Daniel’s lips.
His confession.
The guilt.
The panic.
Everything.
What has she gotten herself into?
And the hesitation on her face was enough for Kennedy to notice.
His expression darkened slightly.
“You weren’t alone.”
It wasn’t a question.
Antonia quickly looked at him.
“Kennedy—”
“Were you?”
Her throat tightened.
Because technically, she hadn’t done anything unforgivable.
Not fully.
But emotionally?
It already felt dangerously close.
Antonia tried to steady herself.
“I just needed someone to talk to.”
Kennedy’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“And that someone was Daniel?”
Her breath caught.
“How did you—”
“I had someone see you.”
Shock flashed across her face.
“You what?”
Kennedy ignored the outrage in her voice.
“You spent the entire day with him?”
Antonia immediately grew defensive.
“You had someone following me?”
“I asked a simple question.”
Her anger rose quickly now.
“Yes.”
Kennedy’s jaw flexed.
“Yes what?”
“Yes, I was with Daniel.”
The words hit him harder than expected.
His chest tightened instantly.
“He picked you up from my house?”
“I needed fresh air.”
“With your ex?”
Antonia’s temper snapped slightly.
“Oh, now suddenly exes are a problem?”
Kennedy’s expression hardened.
“That’s different.”
A bitter laugh escaped her.
“Of course it is.”
“You know exactly what I mean.”
“No, Kennedy. I really don’t.”
He stepped closer slowly.
“Then let me explain it clearly.”
The tension between them became suffocating now.
“You’re my wife.”
Antonia folded her arms tightly.
“And you’re my husband.”
“Yes.”
“So where exactly have you been emotionally these past few weeks?”
The question struck directly into him.
Antonia’s voice cracked slightly now.
“You leave me alone constantly.”
“You barely talk to me.”
“You barely even look at me anymore.”
Kennedy’s frustration rose instantly.
“I’m trying to save my company!”
“And I’m trying to survive this pregnancy!”
The words echoed loudly through the room.
Both of them breathing harder now.
Antonia’s eyes glistened with tears.
“You think this has been easy for me?”
Kennedy looked away briefly, jaw clenched tightly.
Then his gaze returned to her.
“Did he touch you?”
The question stunned her.
“What?”
“Daniel.”
His voice dropped lower.
“Did he touch you?”
Antonia’s heart slammed violently against her chest.
Because now, the guilt truly exploded inside her.
And the memory of the kiss returned full force.
Her silence lasted only two seconds.
But to Kennedy, it felt like confirmation.
His face changed instantly.
Hurt.
Jealousy.
Rage.
Disbelief.
All at once.
“Antonia… answer me.”
She immediately shook her head.
“It’s not what you think.”
But the stammer in her voice betrayed her.
And Kennedy noticed.
Every single bit of it.