Chapter 256 +25 BONUS

Rachel’s face turned even paler as she listened to their comments. At that moment, the only thing she felt genuinely thankful for was that she hadn’t planned on having a child in the past few years.

Otherwise, she could already imagine how miserable her life would have been. Holding a newborn in her arms while watching her husband, the father of her child, accompany another woman to prenatal checkups. She and her child, like abandoned strays, would have to face long, lonely nights on their own.

For women, having a child meant acquiring a weakness.

But being alone and childless meant she could walk away at any time, get a divorce, and start a brand new life. That thought alone helped her breathe a little easier.

William had clearly overheard the waiters’ remarks just now. He frowned and turned to Rachel. “Are you pregnant?”

Rachel had initially planned to say no, but for some reason, she found herself wanting to test him. She wanted to see how William would react to the possibility of her being pregnant.

So she simply said vaguely, “I don’t know. I haven’t really paid attention.”

“I’ll take you to the hospital tomorrow to check,” William said, and helped her sit down.

Rachel glanced at the crease between William’s brows. There was neither joy nor excitement of a man who might soon become a father.

So she asked, “What if I am pregnant? Would you not be happy?”

“No, it’s not that,” William said quickly. “I’m just thinking. We’ve tried for years without success. It’s strange that now, all of a sudden, it might’ve happened.”

He said it with a playful tone, but Rachel immediately caught the implied meaning in his words.

Her face darkened. She didn’t hold back and asked directly, “You mean, this child might not be yours?”

William must’ve realized how badly that sounded and quickly tried to explain, “That’s not what I meant. It’s just that it all feels a bit sudden, Rachel. And honestly, I don’t think I’m ready to be a father yet. Maybe we should wait a bit longer?”

Rachel’s expression changed at once.

But then she thought better of it. If she reacted too strongly now, William might start hiding his true thoughts again, and whatever he said after that would just be more lies. The only way to get him to let down his guard was to pretend she was going along with his decision.

Rachel’s eyes widened slightly. She appeared innocent and hurt as she gazed at him. “William, you don’t want this baby?”

William looked at her vulnerable expression and felt his heart melt. He reached for her hand. “Of course I do. How could I not want our baby? It’s just, we don’t even know if it’s real yet, right?”

Rachel could see it clearly. He didn’t want to find out.

She remembered what he had once told her. He had said his greatest dream in life was for them to have twins, ideally a boy and a girl—one who looked like him, and one who looked like her.

If they had that, he had said, his life would be perfect.

But now, the same man who had once said all that was telling her he wasn’t ready to have children.

Rachel couldn’t help but laugh. She lowered her head and let out a soft, bitter chuckle.

Chapter 256 +25 BONUS

William was startled by her sudden reaction. “What’s so funny?”

She instantly wiped the smile off her face. “Oh, it's nothing. I just think you’re right.”

William gently patted her shoulder and tried to comfort her. “It’s okay. We’re still young. If we want kids later, we can always try.”

He spoke with such nonchalance, as if it were just some trivial topic that they could revisit anytime.

Rachel had never had high hopes for him, but now that he had actually said those words aloud, she realized he could still manage to disappoint her even further.

Every time something happened, William always had some new excuse to leave her stunned and disillusioned.

For a moment, she truly wondered if she had ever truly understood this man she’d shared a bed with for seven years. Had he become someone completely different after being with Samantha?

If it was the former, then human nature was terrifying.

It is hard to believe the man who shared her bed for seven years could lie so well and hide his true self so completely.