The CEO’s Masked Secret Wife novel Chapter 130

130 A Soulless Heartbeat

“How wonderful, Vivian cooed, wiping tears from her own eyes. “The miracle of life.

I pulled my arm from Isabella’s grip, stepping back. “How much longer is this going to take?”

I stood mechanically, following Isabella and her mother into the examination room. The technician, a young woman with kind eyes, smiled warmly at us.

“What happened in the clinic today?” Noah pressed.

“Are you absolutely certain this baby is yours?”

To avoid a scene, I moved to stand beside Isabella, though I made no move to touch her. The technician applied clear gel to Isabella’s still–flat stomach and began moving the wand across it.

I stared at the screen, waiting for some kind of emotion to hit me. The “blob” looked like nothing more than a gray smudge. I felt absolutely nothing.

“I heard my child’s heartbeat today,” I said, staring into the amber liquid. “And all I wanted was to get the hell out of there.”

“Yes!” Isabella answered excitedly.

“And you believed her?”

What kind of monster was I becoming?

“Set it up,” I said firmly. “Whatever it takes.”

Noah and Damian exchanged glances.

She pressed a button, and suddenly the room filled with a rapid whooshing sound. Isabella began crying in earnest, clutching at my arm.

“Isabella was all tears and excitement. Her mother too. Acting like we’r ne big happy family.” I laughed bitterly. “The technician called me ‘Dad. I wanted to throw up.”

The waiting room of Haven Harbor Women’s Clinic felt like a prison cell. Stark white walls, uncomfortable chairs, and the sickeningly sweet scent of artificial flowers

130 A Soulless Heartbeat

created the perfect setting for what felt like my execution.

“That’s our baby’s heartbeat, Liam!”

Liam’s POV

“What choice do I have?” I snapped. “She’s pregnant. The timing works. What else am I supposed to think?”

“My uncle is an obstetrician,” Noah said suddenly. “There are prenatal paternity tests now. Non–invasive ones. They just need a blood sample from the mother and you.”

I listened to the sound, waiting for some paternal instinct to kick in. Nothing came. No wonder. No awe. Just a hollow emptiness that disturbed me deeply.

“Because you don’t love the mother,” Damian pointed out. “It’s natural.”

“I’m fine where I am,” I said, remaining in the corner of the room.

“Mr. Sterling” the technician said carefully, “would you like to sit down? Some fathers get overwhelmed during the first ultrasound.”

“I know,” Damian said. “And that’s why you’re going to fight for her.”

“I don’t see anything,” I said coldly.

“Isabella claims it is,” I replied tightly.

Hope sparked in my chest for the first time in a month. “Your uncle could arrange this?”

“If she’s telling the truth, why wouldn’t she?” Damian pointed out.

The words “our baby” made my stomach turn. I didn’t respond, focusing instead on the medical chart hanging on the wall across from us. Anything to avoid looking at her.

As he stepped away to make the call, Damian gripped my shoulder. “One way or another, we’re going to get you through this. And then you’re going to win Hazel back.”

‘ou never

“You’re not a monster,” Damian said firmly, sliding another glass of whiskey across his kitchen counter toward me. You’re a man being forced into a situati asked for.”

Isabella’s smile faltered again. “Dr. Garcia said everything looks perfect. Aren’t you

130 A Soulless Heartbeat

happy?”

“And now I’m leaving. Good afternoon, ladies.”

“Isabella Clairemont?” A nurse called from the doorway.

For the first time in weeks, I felt something close to hope. If there was even a chance that Isabella was lying–that I could be free to pursue the life I truly wanted with Hazel and Leo–I had to take it.

Damian refilled my glass. “Have you tried calling Hazel again?”

Isabella gasped, tears filling her eyes. “Oh my God, Liam, look!”

Vivian narrowed her eyes at me. “Yes, Liam. Be a supportive father.”

I closed my eyes, picturing her face, remembering how she’d felt in my arms in that elevator. The desperate way she’d clung to me, the tears in her eyes as she’d driven

away.

Noah leaned forward. “That doesn’t make you a monster, Liam. It makes you human.” I glanced at the grainy image without taking it. “It still looks like a blob.”

I’d heard my child’s heartbeat. I’d seen the first images of the baby growing inside Isabella. And I’d felt absolutely nothing. Worse than nothing–I’d felt revulsion.

“Every day. She won’t answer.” I rubbed my face. “It’s been a month. A fucking month of hell.”

Isabella’s smile faltered. “Liam, this is our baby’s first ultrasound.”

“Ecstatic,” I replied flatly, checking my watch again. “I need to get back to work. You and your mother can take a taxi.”

“But you drove us here,” Vivian protested.

I pulled away, checking my watch for the fifth time in ten minutes. “Let’s just get this over with.”

“A decent human being would feel something,” I argued. “Some kinu of connection, some instinct. I felt nothing”

“I love her,” I whispered. “I love her so much it’s killing me.”

<

130 A Soulless Heartbeat

“Isn’t it beautiful?” she asked, thrusting one toward me in the hallway.

“No,” I replied flatly at the same time.

“I’m fine,” I snapped. “Just finish up.”

Isabella’s face crumpled slightly. “Liam, please come hold my hand.”

Three pairs of eyes turned to me in shock.

“Isn’t this exciting?” Isabella whispered, attempting to take my hand.

The technician glanced at me uncomfortably before continuing. “Well, everything looks good so far. Let me see if we can hear the heartbeat.”

Noah returned, a determined look on his face. “My uncle says it’s possible. He’ll help us arrange it.”

I walked away without looking back, ignoring Isabella calling my name. In my car, I sat staring at the steering wheel for several minutes, trying to understand what was wrong

‘ with me.

Damian crossed his arms. “That she saw an opportunity and took it. She’s been trying to get you back for years, Liam. This would be the ultimate trap.”

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify