Crushed Affections

Dominic did not reply to Bella's message, but by 10:00 am, someone from Miller Manor had brought Pudding over.

After not seeing Bella for so long, Pudding did not show her any excitement or enthusiasm. Instead, it looked at her cautiously, causing Bella to feel a pang of sadness.

She took out some pet treats and fed them to Pudding. "Did you think that I abandoned you? I didn't. It's just that you're not mine. Without Dominic, I wouldn't have been able to keep you." It wasn't until Pudding had spent half the day in Bella's house and realized it wouldn't be sent away that it became lively again.

It began following Bella everywhere, refusing to leave her side, and its clinginess was a sign of insecurity.

While Dominic was away on his business trip, Bella didn't remain idle. She would occasionally send him short videos of Pudding at home, along with updates about the baby moving in her belly. Dominic rarely replied, but he did not ignore her messages either.

In the evening, Lia came over.

After dinner, Bella took her upstairs to her bedroom. There were things she couldn't let Carla hear, as her words would definitely get back to Dominic. Moreover, Lia wasn't exactly a discrete person either. When Lia sat down, she started ranting, "Aren't you worried? You've always been someone who plans ahead, but now you're acting like a pig in the slaughterhouse."

Bella smiled faintly. "What are you so worried about?"

Lia huffed indignantly. "Everyone believes you're his wife now, but it's all fake.Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

"When the baby is born, what would you do if Dominic decides to expose the truth? It wouldn't be good for the baby either, right? You never should have agreed to that interview with him."

Bella thought for a moment before

calmly sharing her plan with Lia. "I won't let that happen. I'll force him to marry me. I won't allow my child to grow up with the label of being an illegitimate child. He either stays

single for life, or he marries me."

Lia was stunned. "Have you finally figured it out? I thought you hadn't understood your circumstances yet. But how are you going to force him? He's not the type to give in under pressure."

Bella sighed. "I don't have a solid plan yet. I can only try step by step. There are still a few months before the baby is born. I have to use this time to achieve my goal.

"At least I can still use the baby to stay close to him for the moment. Once the baby is born, it'll be much harder."

Lia, whose thoughts usually revolved around her next meal, gave up immediately on these matters.

"At this point, you just have to think positively. Even if Dominic doesn't love you, you love him, right? If you marry him, you're not entirely on the losing end.

"You can treat it as bittersweet happiness. I don't have any good ideas to offer, so... good luck."

Although Bella appeared calm on the surface, she felt deeply anxious.

She had failed to to make Dominic fall

in love with her for many years. How could she possibly achieve it in just a few short months? She said she'd force him to marry her, but how? She audibly sighed as she thought about it.

Lia grew nervous at Bella's sigh. "Don't sigh like that! Every time you do, I get anxious. Based on all the TV dramas I've watched, I think you should use the baby as leverage.

"If Dominic cares enough about the

baby, you could tell him that if he doesn't marry you, you'll... you'll get rid of the baby. You wouldn't actually do it, of course. You can just use it to scare him a little."

Bella hesitated. "Would that really work? He does seem to care about the baby. He accompanies me to every check-up. Still, I don't know if the baby is important enough to make him compromise."