The Billionaire's Pretend Wife (Isabella)
Chapter 85 Eighty Five

After the doctor left, Isabelle convinced Seth that he didn't need to stay the night. She was safe now, and she didn't want to inconvenience him given that he had work the next day.

From the look on his face, she could tell that he was deeply worried about her, but he said nothing regarding the news her doctor had just delivered.

He told her that he would be there first thing in the morning to see her. She told him he didn't need to trouble himself, but he insisted.

Once he was gone, she was finally able to process what the doctor had said. She was pregnant. With Jacob's child. She thought they had taken enough precautions when they slept together, but obviously they hadn't been careful enough. Was it that morning they ditched protection?

Whatever had happened, it didn't matter. She ended up pregnant anyway, and that was what she needed to think about.

Whenever Isabelle had thought of having her own family, she had imagined a home with a loving husband and happy kids. She wanted her kids to have the parental love and stability she never had.

Placing a palm over her still-flat stomach, she knew she couldn't go on with her plans to quit her job and leave the city.

Not if she wanted to give her baby the things she had never had.

Alone, she could leave her job and move to a new city with limited funds and replace a way to survive. But a baby changed everything.

She couldn't just leave her well-paying job and disappear into a strange city when she had a baby coming.

Jacob also needed to know, since he was the father. Her heart squeezed painfully when she thought about him. He had not tried to reach her for the past two weeks. She knew he must hate her and not want to see her ever again. But whether he hated her or not, she had to go to him and tell him about the baby. If he wanted to be a father to their child, it would be great. But if he did not, she would just have to try and give her baby enough love to cater for both parents.

She already knew what she was going to do the next day. When she went to the company, she would retract her resignation notice. Given that the vice president had asked her to reconsider, she was confident that her withdrawal would be granted.

In the evening, she would go back to the apartment she had shared with Jacob to give him the news. She wasn't sure she was ready to meet him yet, but she didn't have a choice.

Once she secured her job and told Jacob the news, she would be able to settle and build her new life, although not in a new place.

She felt sad that Ruth would never get to see the baby. It wasn't lost on her that her baby was likely conceived on the same day Ruth had passed away. A tear escaped her eye, and she wiped it away. Soon after, she fell asleep, her mind quieting to allow her to rest before she had to deal with her new reality the next day.

***

Seth showed up to the hospital early the next morning, shortly before the doctor declared Isabelle well enough to go home. He gave her instructions on how to avoid fatiguing herself, and then reminded her to see an OB.

She needed to go to her place to freshen up first, and she told Seth as much, letting him know he could just go ahead to work.

"I've taken the morning off," he told her. And then, taking a step towards her, his brow tense, he said, "Isabelle, let me take care of you."

She shook her head. "You've done more than enough for me, Seth."

"No," he said, "what I mean is... I don't think you should be living so far away from work. The commute must be exhausting you daily. Also, I don't think you should be living alone. Come live with me, Isabelle. I've been worrying about you since that night, and after last night, I won't be at peace until I'm certain you are okay. The doctor said you have not been eating well either. Let me take care of you, please."

Isabelle swallowed. That was not what she had thought he meant by taking care of her. "Seth, I'm sorry, I don't think it's appropriate for me to stay with you."

"Why not? I know that you are no longer with your husband. You'll only be staying in my guest room, nothing more."

"And you know that I cannot

reciprocate your feelings," she said, bringing to the open the one thing that was so present but nobody mentioned. "I know you are doing all this for me because you still have feelings for me, but I can never reciprocate them. So don't worry about me. I've decided to keep my job, so I won't need to overwork any more. Soon, I'll be able to replace a place near work. Please don't trouble yourself with my issues anymore."

Seth raked a hand through his hair and paced, a pained expression on his face. "I'm not doing this to get you to fall in love with me, Isabelle."

"Can you say that you do not hope for it?"

He swallowed and said nothing.

net

"You are a good friend to me, Seth, but I'm afraid I can't let you keep doing such favours for me. I don't feel good knowing all I'm doing in return is hurting your feelings."

"You are not hurting my feelings, Isabelle. I only care about your happiness."

She didn't know what else to say. How could he say he was not hurting when he desired her love and she couldn't give it?

"You were so determined to leave. Are you staying because of the baby?" he asked, changing the direction of the conversation.

She nodded. "Yes."

"Why did you want to leave in the first place? Was it to get away from your husband?"

She shook her head. "I don't-"

He took her hands in his and stared into her eyes earnestly. "Please, Isabelle. Tell me. If he is a danger to you, and you need to leave, I can help you."

"He is not," she told him. "It's true I wanted to get away from him, but only because I wanted to start a new life. I can't do that now because I have to think of the baby."

"You can," he told her.

"What do you mean?"

"Move away with me."

Isabelle blinked. "What?"

"Don't give me an answer right now. Think about it, okay? If this place is not good for you, you don't need to stay. I move with you, and I'll take care of you and the baby. I mean it, Isabelle."

"Seth, I can't-"

"Think about it," he repeated. "Please."

She nodded, even though she knew she would have to be crazy to move with Seth Holding. "Okay."