"Austin, don't."

Ella Brooks held her hands protectively across her chest, looking at the man hovering over her. She hadn't expected Austin Raymond to return home after two months of tabloid scandals, much less for him to immediately seek such sudden and overwhelming intimacy.

The bedroom was dimly lit, with only a small bedside lamp casting a warm yellow glow that highlighted Austin's chiseled features and sharp profile. His piercing eyes reminded her of a hawk—predatory and intense. Without many words, his presence enveloped her, his movements carrying a cold determination, as if he were fulfilling a predetermined objective rather than seeking a connection.

Despite her reservations, a surge of familiar longing welled up within Ella. As the rain began to patter against the windows, a silent, bittersweet passion unfolded between them—a dance of shadows and suppressed emotions. Outside, the thunder rolled, creating a natural melody with the heavy atmosphere inside the room.

When the night finally settled into a heavy silence, Ella felt utterly drained, her spirit feeling as if it had been weathered by a storm. She watched Austin as he stood by the window, already distant, the warmth of their encounter vanishing like mist.

His low, husky voice finally broke the quiet. "Ella, we need a child."

The words weren't a plea, but a cold declaration tinged with the bitterness of an unspoken bargain. In that instant, clarity flickered in Ella’s eyes, while an overwhelming bitterness settled deep within her heart.

Indeed. Judith was returning. He didn't want a family with her; he required an heir to fortify his standing, to appease his grandmother, and to clear the obstacles for the woman he truly loved. A wry sense of self-deprecation flickered in her mind; this time, Austin would surely be disappointed, as her body had long been fragile and ill-suited for such a task.

"Is that understood?" Austin’s voice carried a hardness born from a need for control.

Summoning every ounce of her strength, Ella suppressed the bone-deep chill. "Yes," she whispered through clenched teeth.

Later, as she emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a robe, she heard Austin speaking on the phone with a tenderness he never showed her. "Don't be afraid. Wait for me at home, I'll come right over."

Ella froze. She didn't need to guess who was on the other end. This gentle side of Austin was a sanctuary reserved only for Judith. As Austin grabbed his coat and walked unhesitatingly into the rainy night, Ella realized she had never truly left that frozen mountain of her youth. The cold had stayed with her, and tonight, it finally reached her marrow.

The Raymond family had strict rules: as the eldest grandson, Austin must produce an heir to fully inherit the family fortune. If not for that legacy, he wouldn't be here.

"Remember to take your medicine," he instructed coldly before leaving. This time, it wasn't a precaution to prevent a life, but fertility medication to force one. Once he secured his inheritance, he could finally be rid of her.

As the tail lights of his Maybach disappeared into the rain, Ella collapsed onto the bed. Her mind drifted back to the past—to the ten-year-old Austin who promised to protect her, and the eighteen-year-old Austin who promised to marry her. She remembered the three years she spent by his side during his paralysis, helping him through the darkness when everyone else, including Judith, had abandoned him.

She had thought she could melt his icy heart. But Judith's return proved that a single glance from the other woman was enough to make her years of devotion vanish.

The next morning, the headlines confirmed her heartache: Austin had been seen entering Judith's home late at night. Amidst the media frenzy, a message arrived from him: [Wait for me at home tonight. Take your folic acid regularly.]

Ella looked at the screen, tears sliding down her face. To him, she was merely a tool—a vessel to free him from his obligations so he could finally fly to the woman he truly desired.