Divorcing the useless son in law ; The return of the Tycoon

Pregnancy

"Are you sure about this, doctor?" Seraphine asked, her hand shaking as she held the white paper in the quiet clinic room.

It was four months after the divorce. The sun was setting over the city, filling the doctor's office with a soft orange light. Seraphine sat on the small examination bed, looking down at the medical report in her lap. Her body was thin, her face looked tired, and her eyes were full of deep fear.

Doctor Miller set his silver pen on the wooden desk and looked at her with gentle eyes.

"Yes, Miss Ollivier," the doctor said softly. "The blood tests are completely clear. You are six weeks pregnant. Your baby is healthy, but you are very weak. You need to rest and stop stressing yourself."

Seraphine sat completely still. Her heart was beating fast in her chest. A thousand thoughts raced through her mind like wild wind.

A baby.

She was carrying a child.

She rested her cold hand gently against her stomach. For a brief second, a warm feeling filled her heart. But then, a cold wave of terror washed over her.

Who was the father?

Her mind went back to the months before the divorce. She had been with Lucian, but she had also been married to Caelum. The dates were close. She sat there in the quiet room, trying to count the weeks in her head, but her brain felt completely foggy.

"Is everything alright, Miss Ollivier?" Doctor Miller asked, seeing how pale her face had turned.

"Yes... yes, doctor," Seraphine whispered, quickly standing up and putting the paper into her handbag. "Thank you for everything."

She walked out of the clinic into the cool evening air. The city streets were busy with cars and people rushing home, but Seraphine felt completely alone in the middle of the crowd.

She stood by the side of the street, clutching her handbag tightly against her chest.

In her mind, she suddenly saw Caelum's face. She remembered how soft his eyes used to be when he looked at her. She remembered how he used to hold her when she had bad dreams, whispering warm words to comfort her in the dark.

If the baby belonged to Caelum, everything could change.

She imagined walking into Caelum's grand executive office at Brightwick Freight. She imagined pulling out the ultrasound picture and handing it to him. Caelum loved children. He had always wanted a family.

If he knew she was carrying his child, he would soften. He would forgive her for the divorce. He would take her back, and they could be a real family again.

Her eyes lit up with a sudden, desperate hope. She did not want to think about the possibility that the baby might belong to Lucian. She refused to think about it.

She quickly walked down the sidewalk, flagged down a yellow taxi, and opened the door.

"Take me to the Brightwick Freight building," Seraphine told the driver, her voice full of sudden energy.

***

Twenty minutes later, Seraphine stood in the high-floor lobby of the Brightwick building.

The building was clean and quiet. Warm yellow lights illuminated the marble floor, and gentle music played from small speakers in the ceiling. Behind the grand wooden desk sat two young secretaries wearing neat blue suits.

Seraphine walked up to the front desk, holding her head high, trying her best to look calm and important.

"I am here to see Caelum Vanterpool," Seraphine said clearly.

The head secretary looked up, her eyes scanning Seraphine's wet coat and tired face.

"Do you have an appointment, ma'am?" the secretary asked politely.

"I am his wife... I mean, his ex-wife," Seraphine corrected herself quickly. "Tell him Seraphine is here. It is about a very important family matter. He will see me."

The secretary looked doubtful, but she picked up her desk phone and dialed an internal extension. She spoke softly into the receiver for twenty seconds, then slowly set the phone down.

"Mr. Vanterpool is in an executive meeting with Miss Marwick," the secretary said calmly. "His aide, Mr. Quill, said you may wait in the side visitor lounge for ten minutes."

Seraphine felt a sting of pain in her chest. In the past, whenever she visited Caelum, he would drop everything he was doing to greet her with a warm smile. Now, she was just a guest being told to wait in a side lounge.

She walked into the carpeted lounge and sat down on a soft leather sofa. Her hands rested on her lap, trembling slightly.

Through the glass walls of the lounge, she could look across the hallway toward the executive floor.

Ten minutes later, the wooden double doors of the main conference room opened.

Caelum rolled his wheelchair out into the wide hallway. He was wearing a dark grey suit that made him look tall, handsome, and full of calm power.

Beside him walked Thessaly Marwick. She was laughing softly at something Caelum said, holding a blue folder under her arm. She reached down and adjusted Caelum's tie collar gently, her movement looking completely natural and easy.

Caelum did not pull away. He simply smiled up at her, his eyes warm and relaxed.

Seraphine watched them through the glass, and her breath stopped in her throat. Her hands tightened into tight fists on her lap.

She had never seen Caelum look so relaxed around another woman. When he was with her at home, he was always careful, quiet, and guarded, as if he was afraid of making her family angry.

With Thessaly, he looked like a real partner. They stood together like two powerful trees standing side by side in a storm.

A deep, burning jealousy flared up inside Seraphine's chest. She couldn't take it anymore. She stood up from the sofa, pushed open the lounge door, and stepped out into the hallway.

"Caelum!" Seraphine called out, her voice echoing loudly across the quiet carpet.

Caelum and Thessaly stopped walking and turned their heads toward her.

Barnaby immediately stepped forward, placing himself between Seraphine and Caelum's chair.

"Miss Ollivier," Barnaby said in a strict, professional tone. "This is a private executive floor. Please keep your voice down."

Caelum looked at Seraphine. His face did not show any surprise or anger. His clear dark eyes were completely calm, like a quiet lake on a windless day.

"It is alright, Barnaby," Caelum said softly. He turned his chair slightly to face her. "What do you need, Seraphine?"

Seraphine took three fast steps forward, stopping in front of his wheelchair. She glanced sideways at Thessaly, who was standing beside Caelum with a calm, curious look on her face.

"I need to speak to you alone, Caelum," Seraphine said, her voice shaking with emotion. "It is about something very important. It is private."