Chapter 6

Hospital ward.

Charlotte woke up feeling like she'd been hit by a truck, her whole body aching and completely wiped out.

The faint smell of disinfectant and the blinding white walls told her she was in a hospital.

Yesterday, she'd been super stressed and ended up passing out on the side of the road.

"Baby!" Charlotte shot up, clutching her belly with both hands.

When she hit the ground yesterday, she tried to shield her baby, but she blacked out and had no idea what happened next.

If anything happened to her baby, she'd never forgive herself!

She desperately wanted to feel her baby move, but it was still too early in her pregnancy for that.

Before she could call for a doctor, a tall figure stepped out of the bathroom.

Frederick stood there, holding a damp towel, his eyes narrowing as he looked at her belly. "What baby?"

He must've heard her shout "baby" when he was in the bathroom.

"What baby? I have no idea what you're talking about."

Charlotte tried to play it cool.

She hadn't expected Frederick to be here. Thank goodness she hadn't said too much.

"You just shouted 'baby,'" Frederick said, his eyes boring into her.

He thought he might've misheard, but her reaction now made it clear she was hiding something.

They'd lived together for years, and he could tell when she was lying.

"You misheard!"

Charlotte denied it and quickly changed the subject. "Why are you here? Aren't you worried Serena will get jealous if she finds out you came to see me?"

She used a sharp, sarcastic tone, hoping to get rid of him fast.

But it had the opposite effect.

Frederick's face darkened, and he tossed the towel aside, stepping closer to her bed and looking down at her.

He grabbed her chin, his voice cold and commanding, "I don't like that tone, and I don't like you using a baby as a trick. You could never be pregnant with my child."

Hearing him say she couldn't have his child, Charlotte felt a mix of relief and sadness.

On one hand, her pregnancy remained a secret. On the other, she felt a deep sadness for herself.

Frederick was even more heartless than she thought.

Charlotte forced a smile and said, "Yeah, how could I have your child? You took away my chance to be a mother."

Her voice was filled with disappointment and resentment.

On her first night in the Percy Family, one of Frederick's men gave her a pill.

He said Frederick didn't like using condoms, so she had to take the contraceptive pill.

She felt so wronged at the time, and later found out the pill would make it hard for her to conceive.

So when Charlotte found out she was pregnant, she felt it was a miracle. Even if she got divorced, she was determined to have her baby.

If she lost this baby, she might never get to be a mom again.

Charlotte's heart was a rollercoaster of emotions, and her eyes started to get a little red and watery.

Frederick looked at her, seeing the stubborn beauty with tears glistening in her eyes. The coldness in his own eyes softened, and he let go of her chin without even realizing it.

But his voice stayed icy, "Don't start crying. I didn't even pinch you that hard."

"Should I be grateful for that?" Charlotte shot back without missing a beat.

Her attitude lit a fire in Frederick's chest.

He frowned at her, noticing that the usually sweet and charming Charlotte was now staring back at him with the same coldness.

The fire inside him burned even hotter.

"If you keep this up, I'll regret taking care of you all night and not taking advantage of you while you were out cold."

Charlotte was quiet for a moment.

She had thought Frederick had just shown up, not realizing he had been there all night.

It was something she had never experienced since they got married.

But so what?

Even if Frederick had changed a bit, it didn't change the fact that they were about to get divorced.

Charlotte smiled. "So, do you want me to thank you now? Or maybe we could have some fun right here on the hospital bed?"

Charlotte had no idea how tempting she looked at that moment.

Even with no makeup and in a hospital gown, she had a fragile beauty that made people want to protect her and hold her close.

Frederick's eyes slowly moved down her body.

Years of knowing her so well let him imagine what was under her clothes.

He swallowed, feeling his throat tighten, and had to admit he could never get enough of Charlotte.

Frederick's predatory gaze moved closer.

His hot hand pressed between Charlotte's legs, then moved upward, about to touch her breast when Charlotte chuckled.

Charlotte's delicate hand gently pinched Frederick's fingers, her pinky teasingly scratching his palm.

She looked at him with a playful expression. "Are you really planning to have a wild time in the hospital? It's fine to be notorious here, but if the doctors or nurses tell Serena, I wonder what she would think?"

Mentioning Serena's name was like throwing a bucket of cold water on him, instantly killing Frederick's desire.

He pulled his hand back, his gaze coldly fixed on Charlotte.

"You're a buzzkill."

"Right back at you," Charlotte shot back without fear.

Frederick got off the bed, and the oppressive feeling left with him.

Charlotte breathed a sigh of relief, thinking Frederick would leave after she teased him, but he didn't.

Charlotte asked irritably, "Aren't you leaving? Planning to stay overnight?"

Frederick frowned again.

He hadn't realized before that Charlotte could be so sharp with her words.

"Looks like you are getting better. You're well enough to argue, I guess. Time to go home. Grandma wants to see you."

Charlotte hesitated.

If it were anyone else wanting to see her, she would refuse, but Anouk Percy was different.

Anouk had always been kind to her.

But...