Crushed Affections (Dominic and Bella)

Chapter 448 Want to Stay the Night

After a moment, Dominic finally shifted his gaze away from her chest. He said, "The dinner was pretty boring, so I decided to come home early. I'm tired. I'm going to shower and get some sleep. You should rest early, too."

Bella followed him upstairs. As he headed toward the guest room, she called out, her tone light and teasing, "Do you want to sleep in my room tonight?"

Dominic froze, his body stiffening. His eyes were sharp, his expression a mix of restraint and warning, as if daring her to push him further.

Bella pouted. "I just thought the baby should get to feel some fatherly love every now and then. But if you're not interested, that's fine. You can wait until the baby's born to start bonding."

Dominic suddenly smirked, his lips curling with a hint of mischief. "If it's fatherly love you're after, wouldn't it make more sense for me to go in and 'check on' the baby directly?"

Bella prided herself on her newfound ability to tease him, but his comment turned the tables so effortlessly that it left her speechless. The implications of his words were impossible to ignore. Her face turned scarlet as she stammered, "Y-You're awful," before rushing into her bedroom to hide her embarrassment.

The next morning, Dominic was already gone when Bella woke up.

it was as though Dominic had disappeared. He didn't respond to her texts or calls. The only contact he made was through Carla, giving her occasional instructions, but even those were few and far

first, Bella assumed he was just busy. But over time, she began to suspect he was avoiding her. Perhaps he'd figured something out. Or maybe,

Leonard. But knowing how close the three of them were, she

the obvious choice. When she called him, he immediately started laughing. "Instead of trying to figure out what he's up to, why

making you forgetful suddenly felt very real. She hadn't even thought

Sean and returned to her room to dress up, intentionally choosing an outfit that made it seem

Bella deliberately acted slightly irritated but didn't say

meeting spot, Sean wasn't there. Just as she was about to call him, he texted her "See

car window. Sure enough, there was a high-end hotel across

was a

hesitation, she decided

thrilled. "Ms. Jones,

meeting someone. Wait outside the room. I don't need you to come in." Carla frowned. "Is it