Marry My Billionaire Second Husband - Chapter 268

Chapter 268: Ultimatum
“You… You’re not serious!” Annalise could only exclaim weakly as she clutched her swollen cheek, her eyes wide with shock as she stared at her husband.

He had often kept to himself for the bulk of their marriage, so his sudden skin contact with her came as a huge shock. Especially when the skin contact came in the form of a slap to the face!

The one thing she could take comfort in in her marriage was that Benjamin, for all his coldness, had never hit her in any way. This was the first time he laid a hand on her in over three decades!

What’s more, he wanted to toss Emmeline out on the streets as though she was nothing more than a mongrel? Even if he didn’t care for her, he couldn’t possibly be so cruel to his daughter! While he wasn’t a traditional warm loving father, he had never been unkind to her, and he had always supported her endeavors.

“Emmeline is your daughter, and she’s pregnant with your grandchild― how could you want her to get rid of it?! This baby is a Montgomery― Aiden has already done the blood test, and the results will be out in a few days! Just let her stay for a while before you pressure her to make such an irreversible decision!”

In her frantic haste, she failed to notice how her husband had seemingly froze at her words, the expression on his face growing darker with every passing word that emerged from his wife’s lips.

“You have money, don’t you? Just book a hotel somewhere else.” Benjamin snorted coldly, casting a wintry glare on his daughter, who continued to shiver.

The night air was cold, and she wasn’t dressed for it. Emmeline’s mental state was so frazzled that her mother could only shove her into a simple T-shirt and shorts. She wasn’t even wearing socks.

Forget looking like a wealthy heiress― now she did not even look worthy of being a university student. Emmeline seemed more like a homeless vagrant one step away from selling her body for a warm place to stay!

Benjamin’s eyes turned contemptuous the longer he looked at his wayward daughter. She had been given the best hand anyone could dream of, only for her to squander every opportunity given. Benjamin had spared so much effort to raise her with the protection of the Hawthorne family. Now, she had fallen so far that she was barely better than vermin.

This was almost too painful for him to bear, but he gritted his teeth and spat out the harsh words. It was better for Emmeline to feel the hurt now and repent, instead of making mistake after mistake.

“It doesn’t even have to be a good one― it’s not as though Emmeline can get pregnant again, even if ruffians were to break in,” Benjamin added harshly, and Annalise and Emmeline both let out horrified gasps at the implications of his words.

“Benjamin, please be reasonable here! Emmeline, come here, you can tell your father―”

But Benjamin merely turned his back on them. He ordered the servants to send them away, with strict orders that no one was to let them back into the mansion. Anyone found disobeying his orders would be fired without hesitation and severance pay.

Then with one final acknowledging nod to Matteo and Amelia, he made his way back into the mansion.

Matteo and Amelia could only exchange helpless glances. Benjamin Hawthorne had thrown the metaphorical gauntlet on the floor. His ultimatum could not be any clearer, but Annalise refused to accept this turn of events.

Her knees weakened, and she sank to the floor with a loud thud. She could no longer feel any energy inside her.

She screamed in desperation at his retreating back. “Benjamin! Are you insane?! Do you not want the both of us anymore?!”

Benjamin’s words came out loud and clear. “Abort the child, and I’ll take it as something like this never happened. Keep this child, and I’ll show no mercy.”

With that final word, the doors swung shut with a loud bang. In the silence of the night, they could hear the click of a lock.

Benjamin had effectively locked his wife, daughter, and unborn grandchild outside the mansion!

Emmeline wiped away the tears that were threatening to form in her eyes, before casting a baleful glare at her mother who was crumpled on the floor. As far as she was concerned, Annalise was responsible for this mess! If she had simply let Emmeline proceed with the abortion, Emmeline’s life would be back on track.

Instead, Emmeline was only left with a smarting cheek and her tattered pride, her humiliation made visible to Matteo and Amelia. The very thought made her blood boil.

“See Mom, I told you I should have just aborted it! Who cares if it’s Aiden’s child! He’s a piece of shit anyway!” She raged, and she bent down to pick up a piece of sharp rock, slamming it against her belly. “You know what, how about I just abort the child here and bleed out right in front of you―”

“Darling, don’t be rash!” Annalise screamed as she grabbed her daughter’s hand frantically.

Aiden also darted forward.

“Come on, don’t be ridiculous, if you want an abortion, get in the car! I’ll send you back to the hospital!” Aiden exclaimed as he grabbed her and shoved her back into the car. “Stop trying to traumatize people in the middle of the night, for fuck’s sake!”

“She’s not getting an abortion! Stop trying to shirk responsibility!” Annalise screeched.

“Drive, Aiden!” Emmeline yelled back, loud enough that his eardrums were threatening to split from the combined impact of both women. “I want this baby out of me within the hour, or you can say goodbye to your car!”

Annalise screamed more and entered the back seat to stop her daughter. Aiden immediately stamped on the accelerator and took this chance to drive out, leaving Amelia and Matteo staring blankly at the exhaust fumes of the car.

“What just happened?” Amelia asked blankly.

“Nothing that’s our business,” was Matteo’s frank reply. “But did you notice how Benjamin Hawthorne reacted?”

“He definitely wants the baby gone,” Amelia said. “Do you think he knows―”

Matteo nodded solemnly. “If the test is done, Aiden might find that he has more ties to Emmeline than the baby they both created.”