Facade of Love

Chapter 460 Alice's Arrival

Idris scrunched his brows, clearly confused. "What are you talking about?"

I could not spill the beans about what I had to do, the dangers I could not drag him into. Some battles I had to fight on my own.

Pushing down the lump in my throat, I finally said, "Okay, let's give each other two years. You dig into what went down on New Year's Eve. Whatever you find, I hope we can face it together, head- on." Original from NôvelDrama.Org.

"Two years?" He looked baffled, his brow furrowing. "Why two years? It won't take me that long to figure it out. I don't need two years."

"It's for Alice," I explained, meeting his eyes. "She's pregnant, and it's starting to show. Whatever you uncover, you've got to stand by her and the baby, right?"

I would not be saying any of this if I had not learned about Alice's past. However, now I knew that no matter what Idris found out, he had to take care of Alice and her baby.

We had reached a point where the only way for Alice to have her baby without scandal was for Idris to marry her.

It was the only way to shield her from the gossip.

Especially since her dad was Chandler, and the man who was supposed to take care of all that was Idris's own father.

It felt like we were stuck in a no-win situation, just going through the motions that fate had laid out for us.

Idris and I both clammed up, wrapped in our own silent worlds.

I could lash out at someone like Moore, let my anger and disdain run wild, and show no mercy. However, Alice? No way. It was not just that she had not done anything to deserve it, but she was Chandler's kid. That alone was enough to slam the brakes on any bad blood I might have felt, all because of that little spark of respect I had for her on behalf of her dad, the hero.

I stayed put that night at Clearwater Residence. Idris held me close, and we did not say a word as the hours ticked by.

Come morning, the booze finally caught up with Idris, and he crashed hard. As for me, I was wide awake, my mind racing. I kept an eye on the clock, figuring Lucas would show up any minute now.

Maybe it was the break in the rain that had been hanging over Lake City for days, but the sun was out in full force, making the world look postcard-perfect.

I could not sleep for any longer, so I slipped out of Idris's arms and just stood by the window, soaking in the rays that felt so warm they almost made my head spin.

It had been ages since I had felt that kind of calm.

I would have stayed basking in that sunlight if it had not been for the engine rumbling downstairs. I peeked out and saw a red Volkswagen Beetle. It was definitely not a car from the Youngs' fleet.

A moment later, the doorbell echoed up to me.

I threw on a jacket, headed down, and swung the door open. The person on the other side caught me off guard, and I just stood there for a few seconds, totally taken aback.

"Ms. Cruz," I said, finding it impossible to be as informal with her as her mom and Maxwell were.

When she saw me, her eyes widened in shock, even more than mine had. It was clear that she had not expected to find me there at all.

It took her a moment to compose herself, her lips a pale line of tension. "Ms. Scott, what are you doing here...?"

"Idris had one too many last night. I just helped him get home," I explained, opening the door wider and gesturing for her to step into the hallway.

She must have been here before, knowing her way around.

Once inside, she gripped the food container tightly and said, "I... didn't realize you'd be here. I rang up Mr. Candor this morning and heard about Mr. Young's rough night. I was worried he might have a headache, so I thought I'd drop off some chicken soup."

I gave her a small, reassuring smile and nodded. "I was just passing by and helped him out. You're here now, so I'll get going."

"Ms. Scott," she called out, stopping me in my tracks.

I turned a question in my eyes. "What's up?"

She held the food container close, and for a second, her stunning face seemed to struggle with emotion. Then, gently touching her stomach, she looked up at me earnestly. "There's already a little heartbeat inside me. The baby's starting to grow."

I was not sure why she was telling me that. I stayed silent, watching her closely, waiting for her to continue.

With a tremble in her voice, she went on, "I know you and Mr. Young used to be married, and maybe he had feelings for you once. However, things have changed. I can't bring myself to end this pregnancy or to end a life. I'm going to take Mrs. Young's advice and marry Mr. Young to have this baby."