Chapter 1225:

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Jenessa went still, instinctively moving closer to peek at her friend’s screen. “This is the first time he’s reached out since your breakup, isn’t it? After all this time?”

“Yes.” Brinley’s eyes stayed fixed on the message, her emotions a tangled web she couldn’t begin to unravel. After their split, she had inexplicably removed Allen from her blocked contacts list, though she had never quite been able to explain why. His silence had stretched on until she finally let go of any lingering hope. Now, this sudden request to meet threw her carefully constructed peace into chaos.

A troubling thought crossed her mind. “Do you think he knows about the pregnancy?”

Jenessa’s eyes widened. “It shouldn’t be possible — we’ve been keeping it a secret so carefully.” She fell silent for a moment, doubt creeping in. “Although… Ryan did figure it out earlier. But he promised to keep quiet.” She chewed her lip thoughtfully.

Brinley shot to her feet, panic flashing in her eyes. “Damn it! If Allen knows about this, he’ll try to claim custody rights the moment my child is born!”

Fury bubbled up inside Jenessa as she yanked out her phone and fired off a series of heated messages to Ryan. It had to be him — who else could have let the secret slip?

Brinley drew in a steadying breath, her fingers curling into tight fists. “To hell with it. I’m going to face him head-on. Nobody is taking my child away from me — not even Allen.”

As she turned to hurry toward her bedroom to change, Jenessa rose quickly to follow. “Wait — let me come with you.”

“Okay.”

і𝗻t𝖾𝗻𝗌𝗲 𝗿o𝗺a𝘯𝖼e 𝘰𝘯 gа𝘭ո𝘰vе𝘭𝘴.𝗰𝗈𝗆

Jenessa and Brinley arrived at the restaurant Allen had mentioned in his message. Tucked away on the third floor of the mall, it was a haven of quiet in the mid-afternoon lull — a perfect setting for an uninterrupted conversation.

Time ticked by slowly, each passing second amplifying Brinley’s irritation. Thirty minutes had crawled past since the agreed-upon time.

“Why on earth is Allen late? He asked me to come, and now he’s nowhere to be found!” Brinley huffed, her frustration bubbling to the surface.

Jenessa tilted her head, her brows drawing together. It didn’t add up — Allen was never one to be late without good reason.

As Brinley idly scrolled through her phone, a notification blinked to life at the top of the screen. She froze. Her eyes widened as though she’d seen a ghost, and all color drained from her face.

“Jenessa, I need to use the restroom,” she said abruptly, her voice almost mechanical.

Jenessa nodded distractedly, her attention drifting back to her own phone. Ryan still hadn’t replied — he was probably neck-deep in work.

Brinley rose and left the restaurant, a cold unease settling into her bones with every step. She moved quickly through the mall until she reached the emergency stairwell, shoved open the heavy door — and found Leonie waiting.

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