Deirdre McKinnon was stunned. Then, her eyes began to redden.

It turned out that he had been aware of that. He had called her just to confirm it. If he had known she was pregnant, why hadn’t he laid it bare?! Because he had gotten a kick out of seeing that little glint of relief in her eyes? Because he’d wanted to see that little shimmer of solace crumble now?

Deirdre bit her lower lip and willed herself to appear calm as she remembered how much Brendan detested seeing her cry. “B-Brendan? I swear—I swear to God—I’ll be obedient and do whatever you ask me to. J-Just let me… Let me keep my child, okay? P-Please? I swear, it won’t… it won’t get in your hair. T-Then when Charlene wakes up, I promise I’ll leave with my child. It’ll vanish into thin air… as if it never exists.”

Her shaky voice didn’t touch Brendan in the slightest; he had a heart of stone. Instead, he looked at her and uttered with mockery in his black eyes, “Oh, you must be joking. You became Mrs. Brighthall and have been enjoying all these f*cking luxuries and comfort that you don’t even deserve. It’s all because you are fortunate enough to have that face. I may give you some leeway, but I’ve always made clear that only Lena can bear my child. I’ll never allow you to carry my baby.”

‘ I’ll never allow you to carry my baby.’ Deirdre repeated it to herself inwardly.

His cruel words cut her like knives, which hurt her even more than if he had just swung his hand and slapped her across the cheeks.

Why did Brendan have to treat her this way?

It was getting harder to breathe…

Then, footsteps echoed from outside the living room. Deirdre lifted her head, feeling alert. Steven was here, and Brendan had finally exhausted all his patience.

“I want it done quickly, Steven!” he barked out his orders. “Take her to a private hospital where confidentiality will be assured. I don’t want a word of this escaping to the public!”

Shock could be seen in Deirdre’s eyes. She jolted at the sheer agony of witnessing the father of her child treat her baby like a beast meant to be slaughtered! “No! Noooooo! Please, Brendan!”

The man ignored her. He just shot Steven a look.

Deirdre’s mind went blank, and she went down on her knees as she shrieked, “No, Brendan! Nooooo! Please, please, please—let me keep this child, please! You can even give it up for adoption. Just let me… let me carry it to term!”

She knocked her head on the floor hard repeatedly, making her forehead bleed.

Brendan’s features twisted into a grimace of disgust. “God, you really don’t deserve to have her face. Lena would never bend even a single knee. You’re f*cking pathetic!”

Deirdre wanted to laugh. Of course Charlene McKinney would not—she would never need to. She was loved! Brendan loved her! He, the heir to the Brighthall Family, was head-over-heels in love with her! She had been in a coma for years till now, yet Brendan stayed by her side through it all.

Who was Deirdre compared to an angel like Charlene?! Deirdre had always been Brendan’s cheap replacement. Her worth rested on the fact that she looked just like Charlene—so what else could she do other than grovel at his feet and beg?

“Let me keep the baby, please…”

“Never,” Brendan said coldly. He had gotten sick of arguing with Deirdre.

He then turned to Steven and snarled, “What are you waiting for? Get her out of my sight and take her there! Stop wasting time!”

Steven immediately went to pull Deirdre up.

“No! Nooooo! I don’t want to go!” she shrieked, fighting as tears ran down her face. “Brendan, pleaseeeee! How can you hate the baby? It’s your baby—you’re the father! It’s your flesh and blood!”

Brendan remained in his seat, unmoved and uncaring. He could not even spare her a brief look of pity. That thing was no child of his. It barely meant more than a stray dog to him.

Despair closed its arms around Deirdre as she fell on the floor with a crash. Jolts of pain flared across her skin from her abdomen, feeling almost like a cry from the little life inside her. The child was doing its best to prove that it was there.

Deirdre cried her eyes out.

Suddenly, a high-pitched ringing sound blared from the second floor and reverberated in the living room.

Deirdre was stupefied. Before she reacted, Brendan dashed toward the stairs. This alarm only rang when a change came over Charlene’s comatose body, so nothing was more important to him than this sound.

Steven tailed him immediately. Anyone who worked for Brendon long enough would know how much Charlene meant to Brendan. Even if Deirdre might literally be dying on the floor, Charlene would still be his priority.

Deirdre suddenly found herself alone in the living room. She leaned against the door, balling herself into a fetal position to alleviate the pain in her abdomen.

“Hush, baby. Hush.” Beads of sweat ran down her ashen face, but a faint, relieved smile managed to creep its way onto her lips. “You’re safe. Mommy will protect you.”

She would be brave enough to keep it safe from anything. Anything—even if Brendan might hate her because of that.