Awakening The Hidden Dragon

CH 0005 THE BETRAYAL

The words hit him like a physical blow.

Knox had imagined this moment a thousand times. A thousand different ways she might react to seeing him. Tears of joy. Relief. Maybe even anger that he'd been gone so long.

But this? This cold indifference? This barely concealed contempt?

"Right," Knox said quietly, his voice carefully controlled. "Let's go."

They walked to the car in silence. Bianca moved slowly, one hand supporting her lower back, the other on her belly. Knox wanted to help her, to offer his arm, but something in her body language told him she wouldn't appreciate it.

He opened the passenger door for her anyway.

Bianca got in without a word of thanks.

Knox slid behind the wheel, started the engine, and pulled out of the parking lot. The silence in the car was suffocating.

"How have you been?" Knox tried, his voice gentle.

"Pregnant," Bianca said flatly, staring out the window.

"I mean besides that. Are you feeling okay? Is the baby—"

"The baby's fine. I'm fine. Everything's fine."

The words came out clipped. Dismissive. Like she couldn't be bothered to have this conversation.

Knox's hands tightened on the steering wheel. The warmth he'd felt earlier, the anticipation of reuniting with the woman he loved, was rapidly evaporating.

"Bianca, what's going on?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. I just got out of prison and you're treating me like... like I'm nothing."

Bianca finally turned to look at him, and the expression on her face made Knox's blood run cold.

"What did you expect, Knox?" Her voice was hard. Bitter. "You want me to pretend everything's okay just because you're back? I was alone this entire time while you were locked up.."

“We had conjugal visits.”

“That wasn't enough.” She rolled her eyes.

"I didn't have a choice—"

"If you didn't kill your father, perhaps you would?" Bianca snapped. "You made that choice! And I'm the one who's been dealing with the consequences ever since!"

Knox's jaw clenched. "He deserved what happened to him. After what he did to my mother—"

"I don't care what he deserved!" Bianca's voice rose. "I care that my boyfriend became a murderer and left me to handle everything by myself! Do you know what it's been like? Do you have any idea?"

"Then tell me," Knox said quietly, forcing himself to stay calm. "Tell me what it's been like."

"Forget it. You wouldn't understand anyway."

They drove the rest of the way in hostile silence.

St. Mary's Medical Center loomed ahead. Soon, Knox parked and moved to help Bianca out of the car, but she was already opening her door, already struggling to her feet without his assistance.

Inside the clinic, Bianca checked in at the front desk while Knox stood awkwardly behind her. The receptionist smiled warmly at Bianca, then glanced at Knox with barely concealed curiosity.

"It's you.. how are you today?” She smiled politely and turned to the young man,” Your husband?" she asked.

"Boyfriend," Bianca corrected coldly. "Baby's father."

The distinction felt like another knife in Knox's chest.

And somewhere in the back of Knox's mind, a small voice whispered a question he didn't want to acknowledge.

What if there was a reason she was acting like this?

Knox pushed the thought away. He was being paranoid. Prison had made him unaware of pregnancy symptoms. Bianca is probably just stressed. Delivery day is in a few days after all.

They'd work through it. They had to. For their child's sake.

"Bianca Aldama?" A nurse appeared in the doorway.

Bianca stood immediately, not waiting for Knox.

The appointment ended with the standard pleasantries. “Keep taking prenatal vitamins. See you in 4 weeks.”

Knox and Bianca were on their way out, when Bianca stopped at the restroom, leaving him at the entrance.

"Mr. Rivera?" A different nurse approached him in the corridor. Older woman, kind eyes, name tag reading ‘J. Patterson.’ "I'm sorry to bother you, but I wanted to say congratulations again."

Knox's expression didn't flicker. "Again?"

"From when you and your girlfriend came in for the first pregnancy test." She smiled warmly. "I was on duty that day too. Must've been what, eight, nine months ago now? I remember because you both were so nervous, and then when it came back negative, she seemed so disappointed. But I told her, 'Don't worry, honey, it'll happen when it's meant to.' And look at you now! Her previous records are already in our system, so it was easy to print her files.”

He paused. “Previous?”

“Yes. Last year. Same department.”

Knox stood perfectly frozen. "Nine or ten months ago," he repeated, his eyes darting around the hospital in a daze.

"Yes! Time flies, doesn't it?"

He took a moment to digest what he just realized before nodding, "It does. Thank you."

Then the nurse smiled and walked away.

Knox's breath became shallow. His heart trembled but he tried to remain composed.. Nine or ten months ago? Negative test?

He'd been in Rikers nine or ten months ago. In fact, he had never seen the sun in the last seven years, so how in the world could he and Bianca come here?

Bianca emerged from the restroom, checking her phone. She didn't even look at him as she walked past. "Let's go. I have things to do."

Knox caught her arm. Not rough. But firm enough that she stopped.

"Who'd you come here with while I was away?" His voice was quiet. The kind of quiet that made smart people nervous.

"What are you talking about?" Bianca jerked her arm free, glaring at him. "Don't grab me."

"Nine, ten months ago. When you took a pregnancy test here. Who brought you?" Because it certainly isn't him.

The micro-expression that crossed her face lasted less than a second. But Knox had a thing for reading people. He saw it. The flash of panic before the mask of irritation slammed down.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"The nurse just congratulated me. Said she remembered us from the first test. The one that was negative." Knox's eyes had gone cold now. The warmth that used to live there when he looked at her had vanished like it had never existed. "I was in Rikers nine or ten months ago, Bianca. So I'll ask you one more time. Who brought you?"

"God, you're so paranoid!" Bianca's voice rose, sharp and cutting. "This is exactly why I can barely stand being around you anymore! You get out of prison and suddenly you think you got balls!"

"Answer the question."

"What right do you have to dare question me? You don't own me, Knox!"

People in the corridor were starting to stare. Knox didn't care.

"Were you sleeping with someone else?" The question came out with a curious expression.

“Wh–where did you get that?” She shouted, trying to cover her panic with outrage, “What are you now, a stalker? Or did you get a private investigator to spy on me?”

“So it's true?” His voice was filled with fury.

"Oh my God!" Bianca laughed cruelly. "You really want to do this here? Fine! Yes! Yes, something was going on with me and someone else! Of course you'd blame me! But have this in mind, I wasn't the one thrown in jail! You left! And you think I'd allow myself to be alone for seven years?! Are you that delusional?"