Things were eerily quiet for the next two weeks.

Thomas had been dragging Charlotte around to meet with the Beaumont clan, and that's when she realized those old-timers at the hospital were the big shots of the family.

Thomas's a smart cookie but too soft sometimes, especially with family. Trying to get a word in with the Beaumonts was like hitting his head against a brick wall.

Charlotte, though, is made of sterner stuff - no emotional strings attached to the Beaumonts, so she could speak her mind and step up where Thomas tiptoed.

"If I had met you and Annie at the same time, I bet things would've turned out different," Thomas said one day after they wrapped up some family drama, driving Charlotte out to a fishing place. "You and Liam, you're good together. I can tell he's serious about you,"

He'd tell her again and again, but Charlotte wasn't sure what made him so sure.

"Keep an eye on Chloe. She's not the type to back down easy, probably cooking up something."

Charlotte never dropped her guard around Chloe, but Chloe had gone into serious hiding. Even Thomas, playing the family card, couldn't get a glimpse of her.

At the fishing spot, Liam was chilling by the lake.

Charlotte, not a fan of getting her feet wet, stayed back, lounging on a chair, and shot him a text instead.

Liam, done with his phone, spotted Charlotte and strolled over.

"All sorted out?" Liam asked, drying his hands.

He knew Charlotte was knee-deep in the Beaumont family business with Thomas but didn't make a fuss about it.

Charlotte was taken aback - she figured Liam would be sick of her meddling with his family.

"They're all talk, easy to handle," she said.

"Is that so?" Liam raised an eyebrow, "Those old foxes are cunning. If you think they're pushovers, they're probably playing you."

Charlotte paused, second-guessing if she'd been too naïve.

Then her phone rang, and she picked up, "Uncle, what's wrong?"

"Chloe just said she's pregnant!"

The news hit Charlotte like a truck.

What?

"Pregnant? What do you mean?"

"It's Chloe!" Thomas nearly roared from the other end, "She says it's Liam's kid!"Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

Charlotte's grip on her phone tightened, a cold wave washing over her in the midst of the sunny day.

She slowly turned to Liam, who had overheard Thomas, and he looked like he'd seen a ghost.

And right there, Charlotte wondered what kind of bad karma was biting her in the butt, making life give her such a raw deal.

She started to question everything, especially Liam.

He had sworn nothing happened with Chloe that night.

She was convinced Liam wasn't a fan of Chloe, but now, whether he'd warm up to a kid? That was another story.

But Liam's feelings aside, the Parkers, especially Kenneth, would move heaven and earth for this baby.

Chloe's baby might as well be a get-out-of-jail-free card for her.

And Charlotte? She's not gonna let this slide.

She was this close to bringing Chloe down, like, really close to showing her true colors to the whole Beaumont crew.

She was on the edge of nailing it!

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And now? She's a hot mess, tears just tumbling down her face.

She's so pissed but has nowhere to channel it, just blurts out at Liam, "You said Chloe wasn't your type."

She's not mincing her words 'cause she's way past caring.

And Liam? He's losing it even more, "It's not mine!"

But there's no way to tell yet. They gotta wait a bit for the DNA test, and right now, everyone's assuming it's Liam's baby.

An entire month - Chloe's got way too much time to stir up trouble.

"Liam, you can't just wait to drop the bomb that it's your kid after it's born. That'd just be too much."

Charlotte's like a glass doll, her eyes are waterfalls, and she's so delicate like she's gonna break any second.

She's just standing there, each tear like a dagger to Liam's heart.

"The kid's not coming into this world," Liam swears to her, "Doesn't matter who the dad is, it's not happening." But Charlotte can't buy it.

He got engaged to Chloe when she lost her mom, he could marry Chloe if the baby turned out to be his.

She can't trust him as far as she can throw him.

"Just go," Charlotte said, lost, spinning in place. When Liam reached for her hand, she pushed him away, "You're gonna sort this out, right?"

Liam usually ignored these kinds of questions, but this time he answered seriously, "Yes."

But Charlotte couldn't bring herself to believe.

After Liam had gone, she just stood there, drying her tears, and then walked into the lake as if in a trance.

Just a heads up: is the only place to read the complete version of this book for free. Don't miss out on the next chapter-visit us now and continue your journey! The cold water went up her shoes, her dress, over her head.

That choking feeling woke her up, and the pain cleared her head.

She fought back to the surface, her tears gone, replaced by this fierce look, ready to face whatever came next.

It was just a pregnancy, the baby wasn't even there yet.

There was still a chance for things to change.

After she changed her clothes outside, she could hear the party and the happy chit-chat even before she got back to the yard.

Chloe was coming out the door, the center of attention like a celebrity.

Kenneth and the Beaumont family seniors were all there, trailing behind her carefully as if they were afraid she might trip or something.

Charlotte felt a chill in her heart seeing this.

Liam had a point, these folks only came off as weak because they wanted her to think they were.

Maybe the Beaumonts had been backing down to her recently just to keep her busy, so she wouldn't have the time to snoop into what was really up with Chloe?

Chloe was approaching with a victorious grin plastered on her face when suddenly, her feet gave out and she nearly took a spill!

The crowd was a hot mess, but they caught her in time.

"Come on, you're about to be a mom. Gotta watch your step!" Patricia chided her with a laugh.

Chloe, looking every bit the part of a mom-to-be, had softened up a bit, "Somehow I tripped, but I'm alright."

"Alright? You've got the next Parker family head in there, and the first grandchild for the Beaumonts! If you'd hurt yourself, who'd be responsible?"

One of the Beaumont elders jumped the gun and went off on Charlotte, "You did that on purpose, didn't you? You're both trying out this live-in thing, but you're not pregnant. You're jealous, aren't you?"