Becoming Strangers Again by Lily

Chapter 44 RYAN My brief visit to Lily's hadn't gone as smoothly as I'd hoped, but there were small victories, particularly with the kids. Noah and Ethan seemed more receptive, and even Liam showed a slight improvement from our initial encounter. However, duty called, and I found myself rushing back to New York due to an urgent business matter. Little did I anticipate the shock awaitingupon my return: Stephanie, standing outside the gates of my residence. Surprised yet composed, I signaled for my driver to halt, rolling down the window to address her. With a subtle nod, I motioned for her to approach, observing as she made her way over with an air of defiance, folding her arms and fixingwith a steely glare. "What brings you here?" I inquired, masking my surprise with a hint of curiosity. "To see you, obviously, she retorted, her tone dripping with sarcasm as she turned her attention to the security guards stationed at the gate. Tve been waiting for you to return, but they won't permitentry." "That's because I told them not to, I rasped, my voice laced with tension, before shifting my attention to Harry. "Open the gate." With a curt nod, Harry complied, swinging the gate open. I signaled to my driver, and he maneuvered the vehicle into the compound, with Stephanie trailing behind in her car. As I entered the living room, I wasted no tin making my way to the bar, pouring myself a generous glass of scotch. Dealing with Stephanie always required a bit of liquid courage. She barged in behind me, slamming the door loudly, a move that earned her a sharp glare from me. Taking a defiant stride toward her, I took a deliberate sip of my drink. "How can I help you?" I inquired, my tone clipped With an air of superiority, she dropped an envelope on the table with a flourish. I think it's safe to say that the heavens have answered your prayers," she stated matter-of-factly, her demeanor oozing with smugness. Glancing at the envelope resting on the table, I sauntered over to the sofa, settling into its plush cushions and crossing my legs. With a leisurely demeanor, I let my gaze wander from her legs to her face, not out of any sense of admiration, but rather out of curiosity about the audacity behind her actions. "If you expectto entertain whatever is in that envelope, you'll need to do better than just dropping it on the table like ssort of insolent child, I remarked coolly, my tone dripping with disdain. Stephanie bristled at my words, her expression contorting with irritation. "Fine, if you're too lazy to pick it up yourself. I'll enlighten you," she snapped, her voice tinged with sarcasm. Unperturbed, I took another sip of my scotch, maintaining my nonchalant demeanor as I peered at her over the rim of the glass, awaiting her explanation. "I am pregnant, Stephanie announced, her words hittinglike a freight train. I nearly choked on my drink, struggling to process the unexpected revelation. "I found out two days ago, and you won't even take my calls, and your security won't letthrough. Setting my glass down on the small stool beside the sofa, I felt a wave of disbelief wash over me. "What the hell did you just say?" I managed to stammer, my mind reeling with shock. "I said I'm pregnant," she repeated, her tone laced with frustration. "What part of that didn't you understand?" Her excitement at the news was plausible as she made her way over to the sofa with a slight smile and took a seat beside me. "Why aren't you celebrating? You finally have an heir, and the board won't be breathing down your neck anymore." Stunned into silence, I could only blink at her in disbelief before letting out a bitter laugh. "You're pregnant, I echoed, the irony of the situation not lost on me. When I had yearned for a child, it refused to cto me, and now that I wasn't prepared for it, fate had a cruel twist in store. "Say something." Stephanie whispered, her voice tinged with desperation. "Aren't you happy that you finally have an heir?" I shot her a scathing glare, growing increasingly irritated by her insistence on referring to the baby as my heir. "I already have an heir, Stephanie," I retorted sharply, my tone laced with annoyance. "Don't delude yourself into thinking that baby is going to be my heir. 11:42 AM Chapter 44 Her expression darkened instantly, her frustration evident. "What do you mean by that?” she spat, her voice tinged with accusation. "Did you get Lily pregnant already?" "I refuse to entertain such baseless accusations, Stephanie," I replied tersely, refusing to dignify her question with a response. In case you've forgotten, we're no longer together." Taking a sip of my drink to steady my nerves, I continued, my tone firm. "How far along are you?" Despite my reservations, I knew that if the baby was indeed mine, I would have to take full responsibility. Stephanie hesitated for a moment before running her hands through her hair, a nervous gesture. "I'm four weeks along, so about a month," she replied. "I don't know how long it takes before a paternity test can get done, I guess I have to visit my doctor to find out," I mused aloud, contemplating the next course of action. "Are you free tomorrow?" I inquired, already planning our visit to the doctor to determine the paternity of the baby. Before I could finish my sentence, Stephanie snapped, cuttingoff mid-sentence. "Don't you dare!" she seethed, her voice filled with venom. "Don't you dare demand that we do a paternity test, Ryan, or I will lose my mind!" Her eyes blazed with fury as she glared at me. "How dare you?!" I regarded her with a steady gaze, maintaining my composure despite her outburst. "I fail to see the reason for your anger, Stephanie," I replied evenly. "It's not unreasonable forto want confirmation regarding the paternity of the baby. I paused, licking my lips before continuing. "The last tI checked, you took a pregnancy test and it cout negative." "Pregnancy strips are not one hundred percent accurate, Stephanie drawled, her tone dripping with defiance. "It's obvious that whatever test I did that day was wrong because I'm sitting here right now as a pregnant woman, and my doctor already confirmed it." I shrugged nonchalantly, maintaining my composure in the face of her frustration. "I'm not disputing whether you're pregnant or not," I replied calmly, "All I'm saying is that I need to get the test done for confirmation," Her jaw tightened as she rose to her feet, her resolve evident in her posture. "I refuse to get tested right now," she spat, her words laced with defiance. "If you want to find out if the baby is yours or not, then you'll have to wait until the baby is born. Grabbing her purse, she continued, her voice tinged with anger. "And don't think for a second that I need you," she added fiercely, her gaze piercing. "If you try to stressout, I won't hesitate to kick you out of our lives." With that final declaration, she stormed out of the living room, slamming the door behind her. I remained seated, my mind reeling from Stephanie's unexpected bombshell, when Angelo's voice cut through the silence, snappingback to reality. "I guess you're over fertile," he remarked with a wry chuckle. "One more set of triplets from Stephanie and you'll have six children referring to you as father." His comment hitlike a punch to the gut, a stark reminder of the complicated situation I found myself entangled in. "Yeah, lucky me, I replied dryly, unable to summon even a semblance of humor. "Just what I needed. Angelo's laughter faded, repl

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