The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep - Chapter 88: Chapter 88

Eliza stood frozen at the study door, her phone shaking in her trembling grip. The headline blazed across her screen: [Victor Powell and Regina Aniston Announce Their Engagement.]
She stared at the harsh headline glowing on her phone screen. She had already gone public with her pregnancy to every media outlet, hoping Victor would have no choice but to acknowledge her and their baby to protect the Powell family's reputation.
'But what about now? Didn't Victor say he loved me? Didn't he promise he would take care of me?' Eliza thought. She walked over and gently knocked on the study door.
Victor was slouched in his chair inside the study, looking completely drained. The top two buttons of his shirt were undone, and he was rubbing his temples when he heard the knock. "Come in," he said quietly.
The door opened softly, and Eliza stepped into the doorway. Victor looked up to see her pale face and red, swollen eyes.
"Eliza, you're here," he said.
Eliza didn't say anything at first. She just stood there quietly in the doorway, staring at him. Then she walked closer, her voice barely a whisper. "Vic, don't you think you owe me an explanation?" Tears filled her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.
Victor's head pounded, and he couldn't bring himself to meet her gaze. He gestured toward the sofa in his study. "Why don't you sit down first, Eliza? Please don't cry. You need to think about your health right now."
Instead of sitting down like Victor suggested, Eliza marched straight up to him and grabbed his hand. "Vic, tell me this isn't true," she demanded, staring directly at him with tears threatening to spill over. "Are you really going through with this?"
Victor gently took her hand and led her over to the sofa. "Ellie, please sit down and let me explain," he said softly as he helped her settle onto the cushions.
"Explain what? How can you possibly explain this?" Eliza's voice cracked with emotion. "The whole city knows about your engagement to Regina. It's everywhere! How am I supposed to stay calm?"
Victor sank down beside her with a heavy sigh, rubbing his temples. He looked completely drained, like he was ready to break. "Eliza, this is just temporary. Regina means nothing to me. She's just playing a role. I could never have real feelings for her."
"But you're actually going to marry her?" Eliza pressed, her voice barely above a whisper.
Victor looked up at her, something flickering in his eyes. He reached for her hand again, but she pulled away before he could touch her.
"Eliza, listen to me," Victor said firmly. "This engagement is just for show. I have no plans to actually marry her."
Eliza bit down hard on her lower lip. 'A temporary arrangement? If that's really all this is, then why did you decide to do this right after everyone found out I was pregnant?' she thought, her heart twisting with doubt.
She gently touched her belly. "Vic, I trust you. The baby and I will wait for you," she said softly, though her voice shook slightly.
When Eliza looked up at him, her eyes were full of tenderness. Victor pulled her into his arms and held her tight. "Ellie, thank you," he whispered.
Eliza stayed quiet in Victor's embrace for a moment, but her mind was racing. Victor's engagement to Regina was already a done deal—nobody could change that now. Even if Victor still had feelings for her, it might not last long.
Right now, this baby was the only card she had to play. Eliza needed to figure out a way to make Victor marry her, and she needed to do it fast, whatever it took.
She slowly pulled back and looked at him. "Vic, you must be exhausted," she said gently.
Victor closed his eyes and rubbed his temples.
"You should get some rest, Vic. I'm going to head out now," Eliza said quietly. She gently pushed Victor away and headed for the door.
Victor's hand twitched slightly, but he didn't try to stop her. He just stood there watching as she walked out of the study. After the door closed behind her, his eyes drifted to the papers scattered across his desk, though he made no move to pick them up.
Leon sat cross-legged on the carpet, flipping a transformer toy car back and forth in his hands. He heard footsteps in the hallway and looked up. His door was wide open, giving him a clear view straight down the corridor.
Eliza appeared in her light pink dress and knocked softly on the door next to his room. "Oliver, are you all packed?" she called out.
Leon tilted his head and stopped playing with his toy, his ears perked up and listening.
"All set!" Oliver's voice came from inside the room.
The door swung open, and Leon watched intently as Oliver stepped out with a small backpack slung over his shoulder.
Eliza crouched down and fussed with the straps on Oliver's backpack, making sure everything was adjusted properly. "You sure you didn't forget anything?" she asked.
"Nope," Oliver replied cheerfully.
Eliza took Oliver's hand and said softly, "Let's go."
They walked out together and headed down the hallway toward the stairs. Leon ran to the doorway and grabbed onto the doorframe, poking his little head out to watch them leave. He stood there as they went down the stairs step by step until they completely disappeared from view.
Eliza had been taking Oliver out almost every single day lately. Leon couldn't help wondering what they were doing together.
He didn't really understand it and had never bothered to ask, but something about it felt off to him. After a moment of hesitation, he turned and ran over to the study.
He opened the door and found the room empty. Leon walked in and climbed up onto Victor's usual chair, then picked up the phone and hit the speed dial.
"Hey, Frank, it's me," Leon said when the call connected.
"Yes, Mr. Powell, what can I do for you?" Frank responded.
"Can you help me find out where Eliza takes Oliver every day?" Leon asked, curiosity clear in his voice.
"Of course. I'll look into it right away." Frank assured him.
Leon hung up the phone and slid down from the chair. He sat on the plush carpet and settled in to wait quietly.
Frank was checking into it now, so Leon knew he'd have answers soon.
'Eliza and Oliver went out together every single day. What could they possibly be doing? Are they hiding something from me and Dad?' Leon wondered.
When night fell, Victor came home completely drained. The second he walked into the living room, a small figure rushed over and wrapped around his leg.
"Dad! I've got something really important to tell you—super important," Leon announced.
Victor crouched down and lifted him up. "What's going on? Why all the secrecy?" he asked, grinning.
"Dad, we need to go to your study to talk," Leon whispered in his ear, his little arms squeezing Victor's neck tight.
Victor couldn't help but smile. 'What's this kid up to now? Is it actually important this time, or is he just being dramatic?' he thought.
He figured Leon probably just wanted some quality time together—Victor had been so swamped with work lately that he'd barely spent any time with his son. Feeling a pang of guilt, Victor carried Leon into the study and settled him on the couch.
"Okay, shoot. What's this super important thing you need to tell Dad?" Victor asked, giving Leon's cheek a gentle pinch.
Leon jumped up from the sofa and rushed to the door, quietly closing it behind him. The lock clicked softly into place. He hurried back to Victor with an urgent expression on his face.
"Dad, do you know where Eliza takes Oliver every day?" Leon asked.
Victor's eyebrows shot up, and his relaxed demeanor instantly shifted to something more serious. "Where do they go?" he demanded.
'Eliza takes Oliver out every day? How come I don't know about this? Are they keeping something from me?' Victor thought, his mind racing with possibilities.