Elise had been waiting for Rhett to come back to her and make things right.
She never imagined he would be with another woman, let alone married to her. while Elise was carrying his child.
Now, Elise deeply regretted her past decisions. If only she had told Rhett about the pregnancy earlier, things might not have turned out like this.
In the study, Hunter and Rhett were discussing business matters, while Quiana had no interest in the hospital patients and left with Kelsey.
"They're talking about Kingston's condition again. It's all gibberish and boring," Quiana complained.
Kelsey followed her and suddenly heard a familiar name. "Kingston?"
"You don't know him. He's Rhett's good friend and also close to Elise. The three of them grew up together. Both men liked Elise, but she only had eyes for Rhett. Kingston eventually moved on with someone else," Quiana explained.
She paused and muttered, "Elise already had Rhett's child... why hasn't he married her yet?"
Kelsey's eyes flickered. "I don't know, maybe soon."
She wasn't sure why Rhett and Elise still weren't married. If Rhett loved Elise so much, why didn't he just marry her already?
There didn't seem to be any obstacles between them now, did there?
"Maybe," Quiana said casually, not really paying attention. "Oh, by the way, I was serious about introducing you to someone. I know a great single guy who might be a good match for you. Want to give it a try?"
"Huh?" Kelsey was caught off guard by Quiana's sudden suggestion. "I'm not really interested in that right now…"
"I thought you were single," Quiana said, taking Kelsey's hand. "It's okay, you don't have to get into a relationship with anyone. Just meeting new people and chatting is good for you. You work all the time, it's good to enjoy life a little."
Kelsey shook her head. "I don't want to get involved with men right now. I just want to focus on making money."
Quiana didn't seem to take her words seriously. "You're so young to be saying that. Of course work is important, but it doesn't hurt to date a few good men. Women should know how to enjoy themselves…"
Quiana kept chatting, but when she heard Hunter calling her from the study, she excused herself and told Kelsey to explore the house, someone would take her back later.
Kelsey nodded and watched Quiana walk into the study before turning and heading toward the garden.
Breathing in the fresh air, Kelsey felt her mind clear up a bit.
She exhaled softly and took a few steps before suddenly feeling a force grab her wrist.
Before she could react, she was dragged into a corner by a large hand.
Looking up, she met a pair of deep, ink-black eyes.
The air around them was completely taken over by his presence, even the scent of his body filled her nose, cool and steady.
Kelsey instinctively pushed him away and spoke with a distant tone, "Mr. Clark, may I ask what you want?"
Seeing that she didn't even want to look at him, Rhett narrowed his eyes and lifted her chin. "Did you come to see me on purpose?"
At his words, Kelsey let out a cold laugh, like she'd just heard a ridiculous joke. "I wouldn't dare. Mr. Clark worked so hard to push me away, of course I'll avoid you whenever I see you."
The grip on her wrist suddenly tightened, and the look in his eyes darkened.
He stared at Kelsey, whose face showed nothing but coldness and sarcasm. His gaze turned sharp like ice.
His stare was way too intense. He didn't even say anything, but the pressure coming from his silence made it hard for her to breathe.
Being looked at like that made Kelsey uncomfortable.
She frowned and turned her head to the side. "If there's anything you want to say, Mr. Clark, please just say it. It's not really appropriate for two strangers of the opposite sex to be alone together, especially when Mr. Clark has a wife and…"
She paused for a moment, unsure what she was thinking, then smiled. "A child."
She emphasized the word "child" as she looked Rhett straight in the eyes.
At that moment, Rhett instinctively let go of her hand.
Kelsey wanted to see something in his eyes, but unfortunately, she saw nothing.
She couldn't help but feel a little self-deprecating. Could she really expect a man like him to feel sorry for that child, or feel guilty about it?
No.
In his eyes, only Elise and her child were real human beings, while she and her child were like insignificant ants, easily ignored, stepped on, or thrown away.
"Mr. Clark, if there's nothing else, I'm leaving now."
Kelsey pushed him away, but her wrist was grabbed again the very next second.
She had completely run out of patience.
"What do you want?" She turned her head and looked at him, clearly annoyed. "Don't tell me you just want to catch up?"
Rhett had never seen such coldness and disgust on her face before, and his chest suddenly felt heavy for no reason.
The words he meant to say got stuck in his throat. After a moment, he opened his mouth and said, "Remember your current identity and don't cause unnecessary trouble for me."
At his words, Kelsey's expression turned even colder. "Of course, Mr. Clark, no need to remind me. I just hope you can control your wife and stop her from blocking me at the bathroom door, demanding to know if I'm really Kelsey!"
With the light behind her, she could clearly see how fast the man's expression darkened, whether it was because of her words or something else, she didn't know.
Kelsey glanced down at the place where he was gripping her wrist, then looked up at him again. Lifting her hand casually, she said, "Are you going to keep holding on to me?"
As she spoke, her eyes moved past Rhett's shoulder.
Sure enough, she saw a pretty figure rushing over, looking around with obvious panic. Kelsey couldn't help the trace of mockery that rose in her heart.
So even the high-and-mighty Superstar Collins could be this flustered? Just because someone who looks like me showed up, you're this shaken?
Rhett followed her gaze naturally and saw the person behind him. His brows furrowed slightly, barely noticeable.
By the time he turned back around, Kelsey had already shaken off his hand and was walking away.
As he watched her leave without even a second glance, his gaze grew deeper and deeper, finally blending into the shadows of the night.
Footsteps behind him came closer and closer, and Elise's soft voice followed, "Rhett, what are you doing here?"
She had clearly seen Kaitlyn just now, but she didn't ask why he had been with her.
Even if she didn't want to admit it, she had to admit that Kaitlyn's appearance had completely messed up all her plans.
Just someone who looked a lot like Kelsey had already made everything spiral out of control.
It felt like a storm she couldn't stop, one that had flipped her whole world upside down.
Rhett turned his gaze away, not even looking at Elise. "It's nothing."
He said, "Let's go back."
Elise quickly hid the chaos in her thoughts and instinctively reached out to hold his arm, but Rhett had already walked right past her.
As she stared at his back disappearing into the distance, her eyes dimmed, then slowly turned cold.
Why?
Where did everything go wrong?
They were still the same people as before, so why did everything feel so different now…