Dumped When Pregnant, Chased by Ex-Husband

Aria Knight, dressed in a hospital gown, was being gently guided by Edward Harper as they slowly walked this way. Aria slipped a little underfoot, and Edward Harper quickly pulled her into his arms, chiding her softly, "How can you be so careless?"

His eyes were filled with indulgence.

He was also carrying Aria's bag over his shoulder, accommodating her pace. Every gesture was tender.

The two of them blended into the crowd, a living example of a loving husband and wife.

Clara Knox stared blankly, a voice repeating in her mind,

"He's accompanying her for a prenatal check-up."

So he could be gentle with others, just harsh with her.

Suddenly, Edward Harper looked over this way, and their gazes unexpectedly met.

By then, it was too late to pretend she hadn't seen him, and Edward Harper let go of Aria and strode towards her. The tenderness that had just been on his face was gone,

"What are you doing here?"

Clara Knox suddenly stood up and hid the examination report behind her, stepping back nervously.

Edward Harper squinted his eyes and pressed, "What are you hiding? Show me."

Clara Knox replied in a low voice, "It's nothing, just, just gynecological issues."

At this moment, Aria caught up, hooking her hand around Edward Harper's arm with a smile in her eyes,

"Edward, why be so fierce to a girl? Look how scared she is."

Edward Harper's expression immediately softened a bit, and he realized he hadn't made introductions,

"Aria, this is Clara Knox."

Aria grinned, "No need for you to introduce us."

She turned to Clara with a friendly greeting, "Sister, we haven't seen each other for so long, I've missed you so much. You know I'm back, and you didn't invite me over. I even prepared a gift for you."

Edward Harper raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the two women.

Aria explained with a smile,

"Don't you think we look very similar? She's my biological sister. I took our father's surname, while sister took our mother's."

Surprise flickered across the depths of Edward Harper's eyes. Three years ago, when Granny had forced him to marry Clara, he was called into the study and given a solemn warning,

"Clara is the granddaughter of an old friend of mine. This girl has no other relatives; you must take good care of her, so she doesn't feel wronged. Otherwise, I won't be able to face my old friend when I pass away."

Aria's previous words had made him feel that Clara had deceived him into marriage, having both a mother and a father and a sister. He wondered how she had managed to deceive Granny.

Clara stood by, pursing her lips in silence.

Aria, holding onto Edward Harper's arm, shook it coquettishly, "Edward, I feel a bit cold. Would you get me a coat from the ward?"

Edward Harper nodded and, before leaving, took out a thermos from the bag and placed it in Aria's palm, telling her to be careful of the heat.

Watching Edward Harper walk away, Aria opened the thermos and took a sip,

"Edward is so considerate, always knowing I like my water lukewarm. He must have let it cool for half a day before filling it up."

After speaking, she then accused Clara,

"Big sister, I've been abroad for treatment and haven't been home these past few years, why didn't you keep Dad company? He missed you a lot, and Granny too. When Dad brought me and my mom home that year, Granny was so upset she cut off contact with us, and she left with you to live on her own, and Dad was so distressed he went nearly a month without being able to eat or drink."

Clara snorted coldly,

"Edward Harper has already left, there's no need to pretend. After we left that year, Brandon Knight didn't even make one phone call to Granny, not until later when Granny was seriously ill. Even when I begged him to help find a doctor for Granny, he never visited her in the hospital once, his lack of appetite was probably due to worrying about the ten percent of shares Granny held, right?"

Brandon Knight managed a company that barely managed to go public.

When Clara was in junior high, her mom suddenly died in a car accident, and the day after the funeral, Brandon Knight brought Aria Knight and her daughter home.

Granny couldn't accept Aria Knight and her daughter, thinking it was shameful, and after a big fight with Brandon Knight, she left with Clara to live on their own, severing all contact from then on.

Whenever Clara thought about it, she got angry. Her mom's death was suspicious, and she had always suspected that Aria Knight and her daughter were involved in the car accident but hadn't found any useful clues over the years.

Clara's cutting words successfully infuriated Aria,

"How can you speak about Dad like that? You are his biological daughter. Do you think it was easy for him to make money to support you and your mom who could only cook, mop, and wipe tables? He cherished you for thirteen years, how did he raise an ingrate like you? I really feel bad for Dad."

Clara didn't want to argue and was about to leave when she heard her mother being maligned, and her heart tightened with tension,

"I warn you not to talk about my mom. She was a good person, and Brandon Knight wasn't worthy of her. Moreover, as long as I am alive, I'll continue to investigate that car accident and ensure the culprit is brought to justice without letting a single villain off."

"What do you mean by that, huh? Your mom died early because she had bad luck; who can you blame for that? And the divided shares from the Granny's stock, have you been spending them all these years? You'd better pay back the money!"

Clara found it utterly laughable,

"Do you think Brandon Knight started from scratch? He initially funded his startup with my mom's money. You're just a year younger than me. While he was making business deals with my mom's money, he also kept a mistress and had an illegitimate daughter. You were raised on my mom's money; what right do you have to demand I pay it back?"

Aria was completely enraged,

"Who are you calling a mistress? Clarify that for me!"

A dull pain radiated from her lower abdomen once again, and Clara, holding her medical report, walked toward a less crowded area, also feeling a bit breathless. The doctor had just cautioned her to avoid emotional upsets, and she wanted to get away from this crazy woman as quickly as possible—if she hurt her baby, she would regret it forever.

Aria was relentless, following and grabbing Clara's arm, "Clarify what you said before you go—Dad and my mom are truly in love. Who are you calling a mistress?"

When her arm's wound was tugged, Clara felt pain and instinctively flinched away,

"A mistress is a mistress, tearing apart someone else's family, they deserve to be condemned. If you did it, why are you scared of being called out?"

Thud—

Clara turned back in shock, not understanding how Aria had suddenly fallen to the ground; her thermos had rolled far away.

She was dumbfounded. She clearly hadn't used any force; it was just the pain from her wound when she tried to shake off Aria's hand—surely that wasn't enough to knock someone down.

Feeling a lethal fury closing in on her, she looked up to see Edward Harper's furious face.

"Clara Knox!"

He bellowed her name, and Clara trembled, standing still, not daring to move.

"I didn't... push her."

She explained with a trembling voice, feeling even to herself that her explanation lacked conviction.