Ch. Sorry Hayden, I’m Seven Months Pregnant with Another Man’s Baby 39 Sorry Hayden, I’m Seven Months Pregnant with Another Man’s Baby 39

Chapter 9 

“Trash is trash,” I said. “If you didn’t have a problem, if you were actually firm enough, nobody could have 

come between us.” 

“Don’t enjoy someone else’s body while making excuses for yourself,” I went on. “All you’re doing is proving you’re rotten down to the bone, and you don’t even have the most basic sense of accountability.” 

After that, I didn’t hesitate and headed straight for the tour group’s meeting point. 

His face went as pale as the snow around us in an instant. 

Julian followed right behind me. 

“No, Claire,” he said urgently. “I’m not making excuses. I’m not trying to dodge responsibility. I’m saying the 

beginning of all of this was a setup.” 

“I made that bitch pay,” he insisted. “She’ll never be a mother again, and that bastard kid, I strangled him 

myself.” 

“Everything you suffered, I paid her back twice over,” he went on, breathless. “I’m not shirking responsibility. 

Claire, believe me. Give me one more chance, please. I can’t live without you.” 

He pulled out a brand-new phone and shoved it toward me, showing me images of Jenna’s condition and 

what was left of the child’s body. 

I froze for a beat as goosebumps rose over my skin. 

I’d never imagined he could be this vicious. 

When he saw me stop, he flashed an ingratiating smile. 

“Claire, I really know I was wrong,” he said. “You’re the only one I’ve ever loved. Does this prove it now, that 

I’m serious and I’m determined?” 

I frowned. 

“Don’t pin your inhuman choices on me,” I snapped. “What you did has nothing to do with me, not even a 

little.” 

“I told you a long time ago I don’t love you,” I said. “I don’t need you, so can you do me a favor and get the hell 

away from me?” 

“Do you know what you look like to me right now?” I added. “Like a fly. Noisy and disgusting.” 

He stopped short, staring at me with a blank, helpless look. 

Maybe in his mind I was still the woman I’d been eight years ago, the one he could chase endlessly, the one 

who couldn’t bring herself to say anything cruel. 

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But I hadn’t loved him in a long time. 

Not hurting him would only be me hurting myself. 

I didn’t linger, and I broke into a run toward the group. 

I was terrified he’d catch up. 

It wasn’t until I got on the bus that I finally let out a full breath. 

The ride from our lodging to the viewing spot was supposed to take about three hours. 

On the way, I drifted in and out and fell into a string of messy dreams. 

In the dreams, Julian was the man I first dated, gentle and careful with me. 

When I got hurt on assignment, he stayed up all night to take care of me. 

There were also the early days of our marriage, sweet enough to make me believe in forever. 

At every party, every gala, he introduced me as the love of his life. 

Whenever we went out, he made sure we wore matching outfits. 

But more than anything, the dreams were full of Jenna, from the first tiny hints to the moment she stopped 

hiding it at all. 

Every “sweet” thing they shared was built on my blood and my flesh. 

It hurt. God, it hurt so much. 

Tears slid down my face before I even noticed. 

Someone beside me bumped my shoulder. 

When I snapped back to reality, the whole bus was thick with panic and fear. 

I looked up, and along the seam of the horizon, a massive bruise-dark wall was rolling toward us. 

Chunks of snow and ice slammed into the bus, making the whole frame rock. 

The tour leader had to brace himself against the seats just to keep from being thrown around. 

“Because of a sudden weather shift, there’s been an avalanche on our route,” he announced, forcing his voice 

steady. “For everyone’s safety, we’re canceling tonight’s viewing and turning back immediately.” 

“Please stay calm,” he added. “We’re going to be okay.” 

In the face of death, every grievance and every grudge suddenly felt weightless. 

I clutched William’s urn to my chest and prayed silently that we’d make it through. 

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The next second, a thunderous roar hit, and then snow came down from every direction, closing in like a 

trap. 

With a hard, violent jolt, something smashed into the bus. The driver yanked the wheel, and the cabin filled 

with the sound of heads hitting seats and each other. 

I was the only one who didn’t slam into the seat in front of me, because I crashed into a warm, solid chest. 

I looked up and met Julian’s devoted eyes, and I froze. 

Before I could speak, he smiled softly. 

“Don’t worry,” he said. “This time, I’m going to protect you and William.” 

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