Forced Marriage: My Wife, My Redemption by Lilyheart

Chapter 228: Top priority...

"Boom!" It was like a detonation in Davis’s head. The floor beneath him seemed to dip, his vision tilted. His hand trembled lightly, his eyes widening as the words continued to echo in his ears. Yet, one word resonated drowning out everything else.

"Pregnant."

It felt foreign and unfamiliar as it struck him like a thunderclap tearing through a calm sky, the sound of lightning slicing across his thoughts.

For a moment, he stood frozen, rooted to the spot,—paralyzed, staring, breath shallow, lips parted but unable to form words.

Jessica, watching his stunned silence, felt her heart race with growing trepidation. His reaction was far from what she had imagined. She didn’t know whether to fear it or brace for impact. She didn’t want to imagine his next action. She feared what he might say.

She stared at the man who had just moments ago been full of life, now turned to stone by a single sentence. Under any other circumstance, it might have been amusing. But not now. Not with something so life-altering. Perhaps she’d laugh about it later—but not now.

As Davis remained silent, unmoving, just staring at her, her nerves which had only just begun to settle after she worked hard to calm them frayed all over again.

Her pulse jumped violently. Her heart thudded in her chest, loud and fast, threatening to burst free. She couldn’t take it anymore.

She slid toward the edge of the bed and stood up slowly. His body remained still, but his eyes followed her, silently. Tentatively, she reached out and took his hand in hers, her fingers caressing the back of his palm.

"Dav, can you say something? You’re scaring me." Her voice was barely above a whisper, as if she were mumbling to herself.

Davis withdrew his gaze on her briefly as his eyes landed instead on the pregnancy test strips she’d left on the bed—their red lines glaring back at them as if daring anyone to question their truth.

head toward her. His lips parted, but no words came. Emotion clamped tightly

compared to Davis, she realized

I said?" she asked again, her tone gentle and her

nodded slowly. Then, without a word,

off guard. She froze, unsure where to place her hands, stunned by the sudden closeness. His arms

breath. "Dav... I can’t breathe,"

she heard him murmur, voice shaky and thick with emotion, "Baby, thank

rapidly. "Did you just say ’thank you’?"

her, soft and sincere, before he pulled her into another embrace and kissed her forehead

he said. "I’m really grateful...

herself for rejection,

to sit on the bed, crouching before her, his eyes searching her face

remained quiet. Her emotions were all tangled together, too complex to put

deep breath, "I didn’t think I’d ever hear those words," he said quietly. "To think that in such a short

does that mean

his head, firm and resolute. "Angry? How could I be angry when you’ve just given me a reason to lift my head high again? Angry? When I had just been handed a

can do now, considering your condition. People like you don’t always perform. Your wife will be nothing more

The sting of those words bit deep but he couldn’t entirely deny it because back then,

he thought. Even hope. But in just a few short weeks of being with Jessica, things had changed. She had awakened something in