Pregnant... and So Is His Mistress!

Chapter 4

I stayed at the hospital until noon the next day. Max had only sent me one message the whole time:

"The ceiling at Chloe's place is leaking, so I brought her to stay at ours~"

It was obvious Chloe had sent that using Max's phone.

When I finally got home, I tried entering the door code, but it didn't work. As I was about to try again, the door opened from the inside.

Chloe popped her head out, wearing my apron.

"Sis, you're finally back!" she greeted me, all smiles.

"The old code was too complicated for my silly brain to remember, so Max changed it to my birthday."

She acted like she owned the place, her enthusiasm almost fake.

"Come in, sis. I'll get you some water!"

The smell of food hit me, and Chloe hurried to the kitchen. She called out, "Max, sis is back!"

Max appeared then, wearing the matching couple's apron I'd bought for us, he always thought they were childish and refused to wear them. Now, seeing him in it, it just felt... wrong.

He glanced at me, his face cold, and told Chloe, "Go back to your room for a bit."

Chloe gave him a quick nod and darted off to my bedroom, carrying a bag of snacks.

Now, it was just Max and me in the living room.

He gave me a sharp look, his arms crossed.

"So you've finally decided to come back?"

I ignored the accusation in his tone and asked, "Is Chloe eating peanuts?"

I remembered the time when Chloe first got pregnant. Max had asked me to make her special pregnancy-safe meals, and I had put a few peanuts in one dish. Chloe had a severe allergic reaction, and Max had gone off on me like I'd committed a crime.

Max frowned, clearly confused.

"What are you talking about?"

He'd already forgotten about that incident, but I wasn't about to explain it again.

"Nothing."

He didn't push it further. Instead, his gaze ran over me before he said, "Alright, go put on some makeup. It's Chloe's birthday today. I booked a karaoke room."

He hesitated a moment before adding, "Just light makeup though, don't steal the birthday girl's spotlight."

Without a second thought, I shot back, "I'm busy. You two go ahead."

Max's brows furrowed, clearly annoyed.

"Chloe already told her friends that her brother and sister-in-law are hosting her birthday party. How's she supposed to save face if you don't show up?"

I had to bite back a sarcastic laugh.

"I know you're jealous that she's young and fertile while you can't get pregnant, but it's not Chloe's fault you can't conceive. Why do you always have to pick on her?"

He paused, then smirked.

"How about this, you come to her birthday tonight, and I'll give you anything you want another day. Pick any trip, anywhere."

I let his words sink in for a second, then smiled sweetly and said, "Okay."

That evening, I pulled off a flawless makeup look and arrived at the karaoke room right on time.

When Max saw me, he froze for a moment, clearly taken aback, before hurrying over to grab my hand.

Chloe's face shifted for just a second before she put on a sweet, practiced smile and introduced me to her friends.

Her long-distance boyfriend, who was always causing drama with her, was lounging in a corner, chain-smoking like he didn't have a care in the world.

The waiter rolled in a huge three-tier cake Max had ordered for her, and as Chloe made her birthday wish, she clasped her hands together, her smile as serene as a princess.

"Since moving to the city, my brother and sister-in-law have treated me so well. My biggest wish is for us to be family forever, "

Before she could finish, my purse slipped from my hand and hit the floor, sending a piece of paper skidding out.

Max quickly bent down to grab it, but as soon as he saw the words "Post-Abortion Care Instructions" printed on the page, his face drained of color.

"Karla, what's this?!"