Chapter 2

Lenara pulled away from Adrian's arms as if she'd been burned.

"Claire...just now,Adrian only said that because he was afraid that woman would come after me.He was just making it up.Nothing happened between us,"she explained in a panic.

Adrian stood there as straight as ever,but his eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

"Baby,weren't you supposed to be back in two weeks?Why did you come home early?"

One was my best friend of ten years,and the other was my fiancé,who had protected me ever since we were children.

I wanted to believe that Adrian had only protected Lenara because she was my best friend.I wanted to believe they were still the same pair of people who couldn't stand each other.

I forced down the bitter ache rising in my chest and told myself I was just being too sensitive.

"My work finished early,so I thought I'd surprise you."

I forced a smile.

Adrian strode over and pulled me tightly into his arms.

The familiar warmth of his chest instantly eased my unease.My nose stung,and before I knew it,tears had slipped onto his suit.

"You missed me so much that you're crying now?"Adrian gently ran his fingers through my hair."Come on,I'm right here.You're going to be my wife soon.How can you still be such a crybaby?"

But the moment he lowered his head,I caught the scent of perfume on him.

It was Lenara's usual perfume.

I was allergic to perfume,and the faint scent was already making me uncomfortable.

I used to wiping my tears as an excuse to pull away from him and pouted.

"Hmph.I'm going to make you pay today!I want the best hairy crabs from Lake Varont.The six-ounce ones."

"Okay,okay.Whatever you want."The indulgent smile I knew so well returned to Adrian's face.

Lenara came over and handed me a tissue,gently helping me wipe away the tears at the corners of my eyes.

For a moment,I almost convinced myself that what I'd seen earlier had only been my imagination.

Half an hour later,we settled into a private lakeside restaurant.Sunlight danced across the water outside the window.

Still annoyed,I ordered every expensive crab on the menu just to vent my frustration.But when the dishes finally filled the entire table,I couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed.

"Claire,dig in!You love crab.Let's eat until he can't afford to keep us around!"Lenara said.

Laughing,I picked out the biggest crab and placed it in her bowl.

Before Lenara could even pick up her fork,Adrian suddenly reached over and took the crab from her plate.

"She can't eat that."

I frowned and looked at him in surprise."Why not?She's from Northvale.Crab is her favorite."

"She doesn't deserve it.I ordered all of this for you today.What makes her think she can eat it?"

Without even looking up,Adrian pushed the crab roe he'd already picked out onto my plate.His tone was sharp and insulting.

Lenara immediately scoffed."I'm not eating it because I want to leave it for Claire!You think I'm scared of a jerk like you?"

Adrian finally looked up,a mocking smile in his eyes.

"Have you looked at yourself lately?You've gotten as big as a pig.And you still want to eat?"

"Adrian!Are you ever going to stop?"

Lenara had always had a fiery temper.She loved throwing things at people when she was angry,so she grabbed the silver crab cracker from the table and hurled it straight at Adrian.

Seeing them at each other's throats just like they always had been,the last bit of doubt in my mind finally disappeared.I quickly stepped in.

"That's enough.Adrian,stop picking on Lenara."

Adrian pressed his lips together,clearly annoyed,but eventually called over a waiter and ordered Lenara a bowl of chicken and wild mushroom soup.

But the moment the soup arrived,Lenara took one sip before suddenly covering her mouth and gagging violently.

Adrian immediately handed her a glass of water.She took several sips before she could finally settle her stomach.

I scooped up a spoonful of crab roe and tasted it.The rich,sweet flavor melted across my tongue.

Then,almost without thinking,I asked,"Lenara,you're not pregnant,are you?"