Crushed Affections

Lia's face flushed with embarrassment. She asked, "What are you talking about? I can tell that you're distracted. Didn't sleep well, did you? Who said I did anything with him? Come on. Get ready, and join me for breakfast. I'm heading to the studio after." Bella helplessly rubbed her forehead, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Her face looked pale, and her complexion was far from healthy.

She squeezed some toothpaste onto her toothbrush. The cool mint flavor should have been refreshing, but instead, it made her stomach churn. The morning had passed in a haze of nausea, and no matter what she ate, she ended up throwing it up. Dominic knew about the news, of course, but he had not said anything about it. He acted as if nothing had happened. Bella wondered if he had just decided to drop all pretenses after their argument yesterday. Was he too lazy to lie now?

Bella certainly wasn't going to ask him. Instead, she kept her distance, accepting that aside from him being the father of her child, they had no other connection. She would stay clear-headed and recognize where she stood.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

...

Dominic sat at his desk at the president's office at Miller Corporation, his expression dark and brooding.

Two bodyguards were restraining Gloriana, her face as pale as a ghost. "It's not my fault... Mr. Miller, I swear I have nothing to do with those photos. I know this will only make you distance yourself from me even more. You don't want the public to know about us, do you? You're not the kind of person who'd cave to public opinion. I understand that. It wasn't me... I swear!"

Gloriana didn't seem to be lying. Dominic suspected that she didn't have the guts to pull off such a scheme. With a wave of his hand, he motioned for the bodyguards to take her away.

He had never liked those shady places, crowded with people and rife with potential trouble. After the incident escalated, he kept his distance from them.

He glanced at his phone, which

resencement. Frowning slightly

he wondered if Bella knew about the news. Or perhaps... she knew and

didn't care?

At this point, he was certain that confronting her would only lead to another argument. So, he decided to avoid seeing her for the time being.

The tabloid scandal faded into nothing in the following days, vanishing without a trace.

Dominic's PR team worked efficiently, making it seem like nothing had happened. But for Bella, those glaring images were etched into her mind.

Dominic had nearly finished setting

up the house he had bought for Bella. She moved in with Cara, and, when she saw the nursery, she

noticed the crib Dominic had

bought. The room was neutravel

decorated, avoiding any

no

gender-specific touches since the baby's gender was still unknown.

Bella invited Lia over for dinner on the first night after moving in. Now that they no longer lived in the same complex, visits wouldn't be as easy.

Lia had been surveying the place since she entered, clearly impressed by the spacious duplex in such a prime location. It was an expensive property.

At one point, Lia accidentally let something slip. "Although Dominic is unreliable, his money is solid. At least you won't end up with nothing."

Bella didn't respond immediately. After a moment, Lia seemed to realize her mistake. "I... I didn't mean it like that..."

Bella gave a small, almost

imperceptible smile. "It's fine. I saw the news as soon as it came out. I'm not as fragile as you think. Honestly, I did feel a little hurt, but I came to terms with it when I thought about how we have no real relationship anymore. I can't keep going on like this forever, right? He'll eventually get married anyway."