In Qinghe Residence, Mia Moore sat on the toilet in the bathroom, clutching a pregnancy test in her hand.

!!!

It's over. Did the test break?!!

Why are there two lines?

!!! Didn't we take precautions every time?!

When those two faint pink lines appeared on the small white window, Mia Moore's first reaction wasn't joy, but fear.

She felt cold all over. They... weren't even married yet. Charles Chase hadn't even proposed to her.

Right now, they were just dating, and it had only been three months.

And now... she was pregnant?

Would he even want a child?

He's still so young, just returned to Beijing, and busy expanding his career.

Usually, she acted all carefree and loud, but when faced with something like pregnancy, fear crept in.

Almost unbelieving, she jumped up, tossed the test into the trash, and decided to buy two more from the pharmacy.

Charles Chase had tried calling twice already, but she couldn't answer. Right now, the last person she wanted to see was Charles Chase.

Damn, and which store did Charles Chase even buy that old Du brand from?! Could she file a consumer complaint?

At least living in a high-end neighborhood was handy — there was an independent pharmacy and supermarket just downstairs.

After hesitating a second, she pushed her sunglasses up a bit, lowered her head, and slipped into the pharmacy, heading straight for the family planning aisle. She grabbed two pregnancy tests from different brands and went to pay.

She didn't even bother with a bag, stuffing them in her coat pocket, clutching the tests so tightly her palm started sweating.

Her eyes turned a little red; she suddenly felt like crying, feeling both wronged and lost.

Her brother was coming back soon too. Would he get angry? She'd grown up with him since childhood. Even if they always bickered, she knew Julian Jarvis cared for her most.

The wind turned chilly. Wrapping her coat tighter around her, she walked slowly along the edge of the street, head down.

Downstairs, someone blocked her at the entrance, right at her townhouse door. Who would stand outside their own duplex penthouse?

Utterly distraught, she glared up, only to see Charles Chase's face.

"Why aren't you answering my calls? I just came down from upstairs, saw you weren't home, and thought you'd gone somewhere else."

His cool, pleasant voice was calm and unhurried as he reached out to steady her arm. "Why are you still wearing sunglasses?"

Charles Chase reached to take off her shades.

Mia Moore dodged back. Right now, he was the last person she wanted to see.

She was confused and terrified, just wanting to rush upstairs and retest.

"Go home. I've got things to do today."

...

Sensing her off mood, Charles Chase bent down and looked at her. "What's wrong, babe?

Not happy? Was it because I didn't pick you up last night? Sorry, last night, I..."

They'd planned to have dinner together, but Charles Chase had a last-minute video conference with a client from Country Y and called Mia Moore about it.

But she hadn't seemed upset last night... She even told him not to work too late.

Mia Moore shook her head. For now, she was just grateful for the sunglasses hiding her teary eyes.

"I want to be alone for a while, okay?"

Her voice sounded exhausted—she'd never sounded so listless before.

Charles Chase's heart tightened as he forced himself to stay calm. "...Okay, then go rest. I'll wait here. If you need anything, call me."

She looked so lost that he didn't feel safe leaving yet. He hugged her gently, then let go.

Mia Moore stumbled into the elevator. As soon as the doors closed, her tears fell.

She'd never thought she'd have a baby so soon, nor did she know how Charles Chase would react.

Back in her apartment, she pulled out the tests from her pocket and tried again—twice. The result was the same each time.

She collapsed onto the sofa, pulled a thin blanket over her body, and curled into herself. She had no idea what to do. Her parents had died young; all her childhood, she'd depended on her brother.

But he was a guy—loving as he was, he could never truly understand a girl's heart.

Of all her worries, the one that weighed on her most was: What would Charles Chase think? He loved Chi Chi's baby, but if it were really his own, would he still want it?

Had he seriously thought through a lifetime together with her?

They'd never really talked about promises: marriage, or always being together.

After a long struggle, she placed her hand over her lower abdomen. Was there really a baby in there now?

She cried herself out, fell into anxious thoughts, and eventually drifted off to sleep without realizing it.

Downstairs, Charles Chase waited and waited. Night fell, but still, the lights in her apartment stayed dark.

He finally went up, knocked on her door. Mia Moore rubbed her sleepy eyes, glanced at him, then lowered her gaze again.

"Sorry, I fell asleep... You should head home."

A shadow passed over Charles Chase's face. In his mind, there was nothing that couldn't be talked through.

If something’s wrong, say it. If you have thoughts, share them clearly.

But Mia Moore just kept pushing him away. Had he done something wrong?

Suppressing his frustration, he looked at her, his tone a little cold: "Will you at least tell me what happened?"

The hallway light cast a gentle glow over Charles Chase. Mia Moore looked up, shivering under the chill in his eyes.

All afternoon, she'd oscillated between anxiety, dread, and excitement.

Her mind was a chaotic fog—she couldn't decide whether to keep the baby or not.

If she told Charles Chase, would that automatically mean they'd have to get married? She hadn't even figured out if she wanted that.

She didn’t want her hand forced, didn't want marriage just because of a baby.

Married at 23? Becoming a mom already?

She had no idea if she could handle it.

"I don't want to talk about it. Just leave me alone."

His cold gaze sparked her anger. She turned away, ready to shut the door.

A strong hand kept the door from closing. Mia Moore shoved hard, but it wouldn’t budge.

Charles Chase braced the door with one hand and leaned in, the faint scent he always carried drifting to her nose. Just a few nights ago, they'd slept together in this very apartment, and now it was suddenly all so fraught.

For the life of him, Charles Chase couldn't understand what was going on. It was his first time in a serious relationship—other than doing his best to be good to her, he honestly had no idea what else he could do.

"Are you mad at me? Mia Moore, we're not kids anymore. Stop with the silent treatment. If something's wrong, tell me what it is."

"I don't want to talk. Don't you get it?"

She glared at him, frustration and anger clear in her eyes.

"You want to ignore me? Not see me anymore? Do you want to break up?"

Outside of his feelings for Mia Moore, Charles Chase was always rational and straightforward. He wasn't hinting at anything, just stating a possibility, seeking an answer.

But those words—break up—hit Mia Moore like a punch to the gut. Break up?

Did he want to break up? Or was he just tired of her?

"Fine, Charles Chase. If you want to break up, let's break up—do whatever you want!"

In her anger, she shoved him away and slammed the door hard behind him.

...

Staring at the closed door, Charles Chase let out a cold, self-deprecating laugh. Fine. Let’s see who can ignore the other longest.