I Refuse to Be Your Second Choice novel Chapter 272

Blood streamed out in an instant.

Ariana’s scream tore through the silence, raw and desperate.

“This is what happens when you go after things that aren’t yours,” Camila said. She stood, looking down at Ariana with cold eyes. “And remember, if you so much as mention a word about today to anyone, I’ll make sure you end up somewhere so terrifying, you’ll wish you were dead but never get your wish.”

Camila tossed her hair back, caught Eric Bailey’s eye, and the two of them strode out of the warehouse together.

Eric drove straight to a hotel. Camila didn’t argue. She’d promised him, after all—once she dealt with that woman, she’d give him her time. They checked into a room, Camila pulling on sunglasses and a mask as they took the elevator up.

Half an hour later, their bodies finally spent, they lay tangled in the sheets.

Eric, shirtless, pressed his face gently against Camila’s barely-there bump, the way a father might hope to connect with his unborn child. Camila’s expression, hidden from his view, was tight with impatience.

“Careful, don’t press too hard,” she said, sitting up and reaching for her clothes.

“Right, right, you’re right.” Eric was still lost in the afterglow, full of hope about the baby and the rare tenderness they’d just shared. “Once the baby’s born, I’ll transfer all my overseas properties, cars, and stocks to your name.”

He couldn’t be with her through the pregnancy, and that guilt made him want to give her everything he owned. But he couldn’t risk the Bailey family finding out, so all he could do was quietly change over his assets abroad.

The way she acted like it was nothing made Eric’s worry deepen. “Is something going on with you?” he asked quietly.

This wasn’t the first time he’d caught her drinking since she got pregnant. He remembered one morning, driving past a bar, spotting Camila coming out with a group of people. She was dressed up, makeup heavy, wobbling in her heels—definitely tipsy. Eric had been shocked and angry that she would do that, knowing she was pregnant. He’d pulled over, ready to confront her, but a traffic cop had come by, telling him parking wasn’t allowed there, not even for a minute. Frustrated, he’d watched her disappear down the street, telling himself he’d call her later, maybe go see her in person.

But work had swallowed his day. By the time he thought about it again, his anger had faded. It wasn’t that he stopped caring. He just knew Camila hated when he got too involved in her life, and she hated feeling controlled. He figured maybe she’d had to be there for work—she had responsibilities at the White Group, after all. She was a mother; surely she knew better than to risk the baby.

But now, seeing how little she cared, Eric felt a cold worry settle deep in his chest. Something was definitely wrong.