Chapter: 43

She had clearly left with nothing but her pride, and this apartment was the bitter reminder.

Typical Joshua. He never left anything behind for those he discarded.

Leaning back in his seat, Caden's fingers drummed rhythmically on the armrest, his expression cold and detached. "Let's go."

At the hospital, Lilliana lay in bed, rigid with worry.

Her hands rested protectively over her small belly, her breath shallow as she barely dared to move. Her fear for the baby consumed her every thought.

Joshua hovered over her, dutiful and attentive. He catered to her every whim, making sure the press couldn't get a whiff of where they were. Every detail was handled with precision-he couldn't afford to let a single photograph leak to the media.

By the time evening rolled in, exhaustion settled over him like a heavy weight. He exhaled slowly, finally finding a moment of peace, though it was far from restful.

Lilliana, her earlier anger now softened by his efforts, still refused to meet his gaze.

The tension between them lingered, stubborn as ever, until Joshua began his gentle coaxing. Slowly, she relented, letting him hold her, though a shadow of warning still hung in her eyes.

“If you ever yell at me like that again," she murmured, her voice low but firm, "I'm leaving you."

Joshua fell silent, fixing his contemplative gaze on her.

A soft chime from his phone broke the silence.

Joshua shifted in his seat, avoiding Lilliana's curious gaze as he checked his phone.

“Mr. Yates, Mr. Ward dropped Mrs. Yates off at the apartment complex and left shortly after. We've kept a close watch all night, and no one else has entered Mrs. Yates' home."

Without a word, Joshua deleted the message, his expression unreadable.

When Lilliana was finally discharged from the hospital, the first thing she heard was news of the competition for the theme song.

"Alicia?" she muttered, her brows furrowing in disbelief. Had she heard correctly? A scornful smirk tugged at her lips. "She wants to compete with me?"

Gerry, with an amused grin, nodded. "Yes, that's right. Alicia, Joshua's wife."

Lilliana's expression stiffened, her nails digging into her palm as she gritted her teeth. "They're already divorced."

“Is that so?" Gerry arched an eyebrow innocently. “I hadn't heard. I thought they were still keeping their marriage under wraps."

The comment prickled at Lilliana's nerves, making her wonder if Gerry harbored some unspoken grudge against her. But she quickly brushed the thought aside, deciding she was just overthinking things.

"I don't care if Alicia's competing against me," she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Rest assured, Mr. Hopkins. I won't disappoint you."

Gerry couldn't help but burst into laughter, his howls filling the entire room.

“Oh, I'm betting on Alicia," he said, his voice casual yet cutting.

Lilliana's smile faltered, a chill spreading through her veins.

"But don't take it too hard," he added with a chuckle. "Caden's rooting for you. I'm just in it for the thrill of the challenge."

Internally, Lilliana scoffed at Gerry's apparent lack of taste.

Alicia? Really?

As soon as she stepped outside, she wasted no time pulling out her phone and dialing Joshua.

"Can you still reach that songwriter, Iris?" she demanded, her tone brisk.