Before leaving, Bella dropped a bombshell.
Aria stayed frozen in place for a long while, completely forgetting to even move or breathe.
"Pregnant? She's not that unlucky, is she? Getting pregnant on the first try?" Aria's mind scrambled as she quickly calculated the dates.
Sure enough, her period had not arrived for 5 months.
Panic flooded her chest, and her face drained of color.
She turned around, only to be met by a pair of furious blue eyes staring at her with cold, unyielding anger.
The intensity of the gaze felt almost suffocating.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Is it him?
The Stranger that night?
"Mine?" The words were barely a whisper, but the cold authority in his voice sent a chill down her spine.
Without thinking, Aria shook her head furiously, trying to deny it. "No! I'm not pregnant!"
But even as the words left her mouth, she felt stupid.
She was only making things more obvious by trying to cover up the truth. And of course, it didn't take long for things to escalate.
The next thing Aria knew, Carter Montgomery dragged her to the obstetrics and gynecology department.
The moment they walked out of the clinic, her face clearly showed everything.
"Three weeks?" she muttered to herself in disbelief.
The reality of the situation hit her like a ton of bricks.
"Come with me to get a marriage certificate!" Carter Montgomery's voice was harsh and unyielding, his tone brooking no argument.
"No! It's been less than a month… This was a mistake! How could it get worse?" Aria panicked, her mind reeling. How had things gone so far so quickly?
But Carter wasn't having any of it. "If you dare touch my child, I'll bury you along with him. Come with me to get a marriage certificate now, or do you want me to make you?"
His words were as cold and venomous as ice, and they froze Aria in her place.
Every part of her wanted to resist, but the sharpness in his tone sent a chill through her body.
She bit her lip, her resistance obvious.
"What kind of awful luck do I have to be threatened by two men in one day?" she thought bitterly, feeling trapped in an impossible situation.
At that moment, her mother's shocked voice rang out across the hallway: "Are you pregnant?"
And just like that, with both coercion and persuasion working against her, Aria found herself confused and unsure, agreeing to finalize her life-changing decision.
The whole process felt like a blur.
She barely registered anything happening around her, too dazed to think straight.
It wasn't until the marriage certificate was placed firmly in her hands that the full weight of it hit her.
The man who had forced her into this situation was none other than Carter Montgomery.
The name rang in her mind like a distant echo. Why did it sound so familiar?
"Wait… Carter Montgomery?" she gasped, suddenly piecing everything together.
Could he be the one?
The infamous figure among the four masters of Brighton Falls?
The mysterious, cold-hearted man who had never shown an interest in women but had done the unthinkable—like putting eels into a woman's body, nearly causing the death of a beautiful starlet known as the "male killer fragrance"?
She knew the rumors.
This was the same man who made headlines for being rich, ruthless, and incredibly influential.
His sharp, model-like features, mixed-race looks, and aristocratic, untouchable air matched every description of the infamous Carter Montgomery.
Her heart skipped a beat, the realization freezing her in place.
The man was a living legend, and now… he was her husband?
"What's wrong?" Carter's voice interrupted her train of thought.
She snapped out of her trance and realized they were still standing in the certificate application hall.
The tension between them was palpable, and around them, several pairs of eyes were staring at her with curiosity.
Her face turned bright red.
She was already fair-skinned, and the flush only made her appear even more delicate, her soft blush adding a layer of innocence to her otherwise stunning beauty.
In her loose, simple dress and with her long hair cascading down her back, she looked almost ethereal.
"Let's go." Carter's voice softened, and his steps slowed as he gestured for her to follow.
The ride back was eerily silent, and Aria's heart was in turmoil.
What should I do?
What should I do?
She couldn't be so unlucky, could she?
Once they were in the car, Aria's mind was still spinning, her thoughts a tangled mess of confusion.
Carter's voice broke through the silence:
"How long are you going to stare at me? If you have something to say, just say it."
She cleared her throat awkwardly. "Uh, well… happy marriage?"
She immediately hated herself for saying something so ridiculous, but before she could take it back, she felt Carter's gaze turn toward her.
His eyes lingered on her for two long seconds, almost as if he was evaluating her, before he turned his attention back to the road.