Crushed Affections

marrying someone else, and your child... Won't that make him an illegitimate child?"

Lia looked at Bella with a hint of sadness. She said, "You seemed fine these past few days, so I thought that you might not have known. I didn't want to tell you. I was afraid it might upset you, especially with your pregnancy. Are you really okay with it? If he ends up The mention of her child struck Bella's nerves. She gritted her teeth. "That's why I want to cut ties with him. As long as I have no connection to him, my child won't have to live with society's judgment, being pointed at and talked about!"

Lia couldn't help but scoff. "He won't let you and your child go so easily. Right now, both of you are under his control. For now, it's manageable, but who knows what'll happen down the line? I just don't understand Gloriana. Back then, Dominic teamed up with the Sawyer family to ruin the Klein family for your sake. Yet, she's now crawling back to Dominic. Does she really have no shame, or is she just that desperate?"Property © 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.

Bella didn't care about what was going on in Gloriana's mind. She didn't want to get involved in any of Gloriana's dirty schemes. All she wanted was to have her child and live a peaceful life.

Cara came in from the kitchen, bringing freshly prepared food to the table. "Dinner's ready."

Lia helped Bella to the table. When she noticed the extra set of dishes, she asked, "Is anyone else coming?"

Cara wiped her hands on her apron. "Mr. Miller is. He'll be here soon, so don't wait for him. Go ahead and eat."

Lia muttered under her breath, "A man with many attachments... How long has it been since you two saw each other? Even for dinner, it's like you need an audience to get permission."

Bella didn't react much. She simply plated some food for Lia. "Eat your food. Talk less and eat more. This place is his. He can come and go as he pleases. I have no say in it."

Soon, Dominic arrived. He first scanned the surroundings, checking if everything in the house was to his liking. Finally, his eyes landed on the dinner table.

Cara quickly stepped forward to hang his coat. "Mr. Miller, please go ahead and eat."

He nodded slightly and sat next to Bella. The only sound at the table was the clink of cutleries against plates. No one spoke.

After a while, Dominic finally broke the silence. "Do you think we're still missing anything at home? If there is, I'll have someone bring it."

Bella shook her head. "We don't need anything else. Everything's good."

She didn't look up at him when speaking, and the subtle distance between them felt almost deliberate.

Perhaps it was because Lia was still present, but Dominic didn't press the conversation further. The three of them ate in strained silence. When

Lia left, he quietly asked Bella about

her health.

en

Bella remained aloof, lounging on the couch and flipping through a book as she answered slowly, "I'm fine. The baby's healthy."

There was silence again, an endless stretch of it. The two of them sat facing each other, yet it felt like no more words were needed. The stillness in the air was almost maddening.

Dominic tried to break the tension. "Isn't there anything else we can talk about aside from the baby?"

Bella casually shifted her gaze from the book to his face. "What else is there to talk about?"

It was as though she was saying, aside from the baby, what else could they possibly discuss? Her calm and distant demeanor made Dominic doubt for a moment if the intense feelings she once had for hing had all been a figment of his imagination.

He took a deep breath. "You saw the news, didn't you? Don't you have anything to say about it?"

Bella thought for a moment before responding with a question of her own. "What do you want me to say? Besides the baby, we have no other connection. I have no right to interfere, nor would I ever be so

presumptuous."