Chapter 71

No matter the reason, Serena didn't want Frederick to know about Charlotte's pregnancy, but she could use it to threaten Charlotte.

Charlotte indeed looked at her warily. "I'm fine. I don't know what you're talking about."

"Really?" Serena's gaze lingered on Charlotte's lower abdomen."It seems like you've gained some weight recently."

Charlotte instinctively covered herstomach.

'What does Serena mean by this? Could it be that Serena knows I am pregnant?

Although she was already a bit flustered inside, Charlotte still pretended to be calm, maintaining a composed exterior.

Charlotte deliberately mimicked a coquettish manner, whining to Frederick,

"Have I gained weight? Were all the compliments you gave me last night just lies?"

Frederick was drinking water and almost choked upon hearing this.

He coughed a few times before saying, "You haven't gained weight, you look the same as always." In the heat of the moment last night, he had indeed praised her figure,but what he meant was that he felt Charlotte's breasts had become larger and softer, and her buttocks had more flesh. But those were words of passion during lovemaking, not something to be said in front of others. As for pregnancy, they had been married for five years without children,so Frederick didn't even consider that possibility.

Hearing this topic, Serena found it hard to maintain her composure.

She looked at Charlotte with a twisted expression. "You shameless woman!"

"I'm not as thick-skinned as you." Charlotte felt she was getting better at retorting.

Serena knew she couldn't out-argue her, and she felt a deep hatred.

Right now, she just wanted to reveal Charlotte's pregnancy and make Frederick angry at Charlotte,to punish her.

But she was also afraid that Charlotte was indeed carrying Frederick's child. What if he found out that and refused to divorce her?

"Charlotte, I think you should go back and rest now. After all, your life isn't just your own anymore. Should anything happen, Frederick would undoubtedly be upset."

Serena said this deliberately.

Charlotte's eyes instantly turned cold. She was now certain that Serena knew about her pregnancy.

But how did Serena find out?She had deliberately avoided Frederick's hospital during her pregnancy check-up and had only asked Jasper for help later."You're right, I do feel a bit tired," Charlottesaid through gritted teeth. At this moment, Charlotte felt her whole body trembling. The feeling of having her secret exposed was terrible.

Frederick narrowed his eyes, his expression also turning cold.

Although he didn't know what had happened, it was clear that Charlotte was hiding something from him.

"What are you talking about? Charlotte, you know I hate being deceived."

Frederick's voice was icy, unable to reconcile being deceived by Charlotte closest to him.

Upon hearing that, Charlotte's body stiffened.

She secretly hated that Serena's words were too obvious. Even if she wanted to threaten her, she shouldn't have said it so plainly. Frederick was so sharp, that he would sense something was wrong.

"I'm not hiding anything from you, I'm just tired."

Charlotte bit her lip, forcing herself to speak.

She knew that saying this would make Frederick angry, buIt for the sake of her child and her happiness, she would rather keep it from him.

"Charlotte, I'm giving you one more chance to tell me the truth."

Frederick's voice was filled with anger; he would not let anyone who dared to deceive him off easily. "I told you, I'm not hiding anything. Serena is making things up. If you have any questions, just ask her."

Charlotte gritted her teeth and refused to give in. Serena didn't expect the situation to turn back on her. Facing Frederick's piercing gaze, she felt her heart racing.

"Frederick, don't be angry. I was just joking with Ms. Russell. I just wanted her to go back and rest, I didn't want her to stay with you. I was jealous and wanted to have you to myself. But I didn't expect she was hiding something from you. Frederick, please don't be mad at me, I'm so scared."

Serena's words were half true, but at this moment, they seemed more sincere than Charlotte's.

She leaned in, nestling against Frederick.

Frederick instinctively held Serena in his arms, gently patting her shoulder with his large hand.

Charlotte looked at his hand, which had been caressing her body last night,now touching Serena.

Such a man was truly despicable.

But she was despicable too, for her heart still ached at this sight.

Frederick's gaze remained on Charlotte.

Seeing Charlotte's expression change because he was holding Serena, his eyes suddenly turned wild. "Charlotte, I'm giving you one last chance to confess, or get out and stop interrupting my good time." With that,Frederick lifted Serena's chin. In front of Charlotte, Frederick lowered his head and kissed Serena on the corner of her mouth.

Seeing this, Charlotte's tears finally broke free.

She couldn't reveal her secret, nor could she face the betrayal and hurt from Frederick.

Not wanting to see their intimacy, Charlotte turned andI stumbled away,enduring the intense pain in her heart.

The door to the ward was slammed shut, and Frederick's eyes grew even colder.

He was certain that Charlotte was hiding something from him, and that Serena knew about it.

Serena closed her eyes, tilting her head back, waiting for Frederick to continue kissing her, but she waited in vain.

She opened her eyes, wanting to remind Frederick, only to meet with his cold gaze.

She felt like she was being stared at by a giant python in the forest. In that gaze, she felt not only coldness but also a hint of murderous intent.

"Frederick, what's wrong?"

Serena was so scared by Frederick that she stuttered, not daring to look him in the eye, avoiding his gaze. Frederick lowered his eyes.A smile played on his lips, but it didn't reach his eyes."Serena, tell me, what is Charlotte hiding from me?" "I..." Serena wanted to brush it off like before, but when she looked up,she saw Frederick's expression again.

She was instantly frightened.

Although Frederick's tone was gentle, she felt a strong sense of danger.

Serena felt that if she tried to brush it off, something terrible would happen.

"I saw Charlotte with another man. They were very close,and Charlotte smiled at him. The key point is that they came out of a hotel together.I didn't see the man's faceclearly,but he looked very familiar."

Serena's words were almost entirely fabricated, but such scandalous rumors often seemed more believable than the truth.