Chapter 2: The Secret Beneath Her Heart
Lily finally broke free.
Maria reached for her again, but the little girl slipped through her trembling hands and ran barefoot across the polished marble floor.
"Mom!"
She dropped to her knees beside Catherine, wrapping both tiny arms around her mother's shoulders.
Catherine immediately forced herself upright despite the pain shooting through her hip.
"No, sweetheart..." she whispered, pulling Lily behind her. "Stay behind me."
Richard watched them without moving.
His expensive cane rested against the marble floor.
His breathing remained calm.
That frightened everyone far more than shouting ever could.
"You've turned my own daughter against me," Richard said quietly.
Catherine slowly shook her head.
"No... you did that yourself."
Silence.
The sentence hung in the hallway like broken glass.
Richard's jaw tightened.
Before another word could leave his mouth, Catherine suddenly gasped.
A sharp pain twisted deep inside her abdomen.
One hand instinctively pressed against her stomach.
Maria noticed first.
Her face turned white.
"Mrs. Hargrove..."
A small crimson stain slowly appeared beneath the cream-colored fabric of Catherine's dress.
June covered her mouth.
"Oh my God..."
Lily looked down.
"Mom... why is your dress red?"
Catherine closed her eyes.
The secret she had protected for weeks could no longer stay hidden.
"I'm pregnant..."
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Every person in the hallway froze.
Even Richard.
