Chapter 6
At that moment, Jack seemed to finally realize what was happening. His gaze flickered between me and Ethan, disbelief written all over his face.
Before he could speak, Mr. Thompson appeared beside us. Ethan gave me a reassuring glance, then gently took my hand and led me to his father.
“Father, I’d like you to meet my fiancée, Miss Lily Carter.”
The words landed with the force of a bomb. Jack’s eyes went wide in shock.
“Impossible! This… this can’t be real!” he shouted, his voice shaking.
Behind us, Rachel, who had been sprawled on the ground, stared at me, her eyes filled with disbelief and anger.
On the big screen above, our names, Ethan’s and mine, flashed in bold letters. The room went silent in stunned surprise.
Jack couldn’t hold it together anymore. He lunged toward me.
“Lily! Tell me this is some kind of mistake!” he pleaded. “Why would you marry my brother? Don’t you love me the most?”
I let out a cold, humorless laugh.
“Suddenly? Jack, do you even remember what I saw that day at the hospital?”
His face turned pale, and his breath hitched.
“No, Lily, whatever you saw, I can explain! Please, just let me explain!”
I motioned to a staff member nearby. The screen switched, showing footage from the hospital security cameras.
It was crystal clear, Rachel dragging Jack into the disabled restroom, their muffled sounds of passion unmistakable.
“Oh my God! The second son of the Thompson family, caught having an affair at a hospital? This is beyond low.”
“Seriously? Like mother, like son! Wasn’t Mrs. Thompson originally Mr. Thompson’s mistress? And now her son’s doing the same thing? It’s no wonder!”
“I heard Lily saved Jack’s life, and this is how he repays her? That’s disgusting.”
The room erupted in whispers and gasps. Jack, still struggling with the bodyguards, tried to keep his cool.
“It’s not like that, Lily!” he shouted. “I just ran into Rachel at the hospital. She said her leg was cramping, and I helped her. We didn’t do anything!”
“You have to believe me!”
I shook my head, my disappointment sinking in deeper. This man couldn’t even take responsibility for his actions.
“Is that so?” I asked, my voice steady. “Then let’s take a look at this next clip.”
The screen shifted again, now showing Jack and Rachel entering a mansion, surrounded by cheers and laughter. I’d had the staff enhance the audio, and the conversation they had was crystal clear.
“Damn! No wonder they were sneaking around at the hospital! Rachel’s already pregnant!”
“And the Thompsons knew about it? They’ve been covering for him the whole time? What a mess. The Carters are one of New York’s most respected families, and this is how the Thompsons treat them?”
Ethan’s hand tightened around mine, offering silent support as the room buzzed with gossip and shock.
Mr. Thompson snapped. He spun around and slapped his wife hard across the face, his fury evident.
“Look what you’ve done! How could you support this? The Carters are our family’s in-laws! You’ve completely ruined everything!”
Mrs. Thompson collapsed to the floor, clutching her cheek, glaring at me with pure venom.
“Who knew if this crippled girl would ever walk again?” she hissed. “I was just trying to make sure the Thompson family had an heir! What’s so wrong with that?”
Her words stung, but I didn’t react.
“It’s your fault, Lily! You’re nothing but trouble!” she spat, struggling to get back on her feet.
She charged at me, but Jack stepped in front of her, blocking her hit. Panic spread across his face as he desperately tried to explain himself.
“It’s not like that, Lily. The baby Rachel’s carrying isn’t mine! She’s pregnant by someone else. She begged me to pretend it’s mine. Please… you’ve got to believe me!”
The excuses kept coming, and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. He was sinking lower by the second.
I met his gaze directly, my voice calm but firm.
“Is that so? Then how do you explain carrying her to my bedside last night, to fool around in front of me?”
“Unless… someone else was controlling you and forced you to sleep with her?”
