The Heiress Spoiled by Four Brothers and One Devilish CEO-Chapter 268 You might get rid of it later?

The two of them were all sweaty and tangled up, like they’d just stepped out of the ocean.

Megan leaned her head against Tristan’s shoulder, her arms clinging tightly to his.

"Idiot, if you say you don’t love me one more time, I swear I’ll stop loving you for real."

"I won’t say it again," Tristan wrapped his arm around her waist, the other gently resting on her rounded belly. Feeling the sudden kick inside, his face lit up. "The baby moved. He kicked!"

Tears traced down from the corner of Megan’s eyes. "Just look at you... Half a month gone and you’ve already missed so many times he’s kicked. Seriously, what were you thinking, you dumb man?"

She looked up at him, voice trembling. "Karl said there’s still a chance to save you, Tristan. You can’t just give up. I get why you pushed me away—you didn’t want me to feel guilty—but have you ever thought what it would do to me once I found out the truth? How do you expect me to live with that?"

"I’m sorry... I just didn’t want you to see me like this," he said, voice low.

Megan sat up straight. "Tristan, if you leave me... I wouldn’t survive either."

He quickly raised his hand to cover her mouth. "Don’t talk like that. We’ve still got the baby. You’ve got to live—for him."

"When you faked all that betrayal crap... did it ever cross your mind I might actually abort him?" Megan’s voice was steady, but her eyes were searching.

Tristan’s lips lifted in a wry smile. "I thought about it. Maybe you’d be better off without any attachments. One day, with time, you’d forget all about me and meet someone new. Someone who could actually grow old with you."

Her fingers gently brushed over his sharp jawline. "Wouldn’t that break your heart?"

Tristan held her hand tightly. "It already does. I just couldn’t stand the idea of you being hurt."

"If you’re gone, I’m not staying either," she said quietly.

He pulled her back into his arms. "Silly girl. Promise me this—if the day comes that I’m gone... you’ll keep living. You’ll live well for our child."

"You’re not going anywhere."

Just then, something clicked for Tristan. "Sam is probably still waiting."

"I’m not going back down there. I want to stay with you," Megan said stubbornly.

He chuckled. "Alright, whatever you say."

The two of them stayed shamelessly snuggled in the bath until they finally cleaned up, changed into fresh clothes, and went downstairs hand in hand.

Samuel was lounging on the couch, playing Go with Nova Tech.

The moment he saw them come down—freshly dressed and looking suspiciously refreshed—he clicked his tongue. "I thought you’d be down in ten. It’s been two hours, man."

"You should’ve had more sense," Tristan replied, pushing back the messy hair on his forehead. "I even cut it short to take better care of Megan."

Sam nearly choked on his lemon water and sprayed it out. "Goddamn, Tristan. You’re the worst, seriously. Karl wasn’t exaggerating one bit!"

"Yeah, I’m a jerk. But hey, I also know how to rub it in," Tristan said matter-of-factly.

Sam shook his head, letting out a long sigh as he watched them sit across from him. "I swear I wanna punch you so bad. Megan’s been through hell this past couple weeks. Do you even realize what you put her through?"

Tristan nodded, eyes sincere. "It’s my fault. It won’t happen again."Samuel set the cup on the table. "Sure, you did all this for Megan, but have you even thought about what it’ll do to her later? When she finds out the truth, she’s gonna tear herself apart with guilt. You won’t just lose the time you had left—you’ll leave behind a sharp blade that’ll stay stabbed in her heart. She’ll think about this, over and over, and each time it’ll be like cutting herself open all over again."

Tristan looked at the petite woman beside him and tightened his grip on her hand. "That won’t happen. Not anymore. Death isn’t separating us. Even in the next life, I’ll be by her side, loving her."

Samuel let out a chuckle. "And what about Nicole?"

Tristan gave a slow nod. "I’m heading to the Genexa Medical Research Lab today. Gonna check where things stand with the vaccine. I’ll also let Nathaniel know about the baby."

"You think he’ll just cave because of that and hand over Charles’s base?"

Tristan wasn’t fazed by the skepticism. "Maybe he will, maybe he won’t. I never count on others. When I sliced off Charles’s arm with that laser beam, it generated a plasma current. I embedded a unique code in that beam—it’s a tagging signal, pretty high-end stuff. Not released yet, but it’s the top of the line in tech right now."

"You embedded a code?" Samuel laughed. "Seriously? Since when did you get into this stuff?"

Nova Tech leapt onto Samuel’s head and turned his hair into a wild mess. "Show some respect! Don’t you know my master’s Professor XAL?"

Wait, what?

"Professor XAL?!"

Samuel stared at Tristan like he’d just seen a ghost. "You... you’re that legendary old man?"

Nova yanked out two of his hairs in response. "Mind your words, lonely dog! My master is a drop-dead gorgeous genius, alright?!"

Samuel winced. "You’re both damn arrogant!"

Tristan didn’t seem to mind. "After lunch, you joining us at the lab?"

Of course Samuel was tempted. Watching Professor XAL in action had been his dream.

"Well, I suppose I can spare a quick look."

Megan covered her mouth to hide a giggle. "You guys keep chatting. I’m gonna go check on Nicole."

She stood and headed upstairs. At the landing, she turned back and caught Tristan’s eyes locked on her. Unmoving. Full of something she couldn’t describe.

She smiled, her eyes crinkling. "Stay put, okay? I’ll be back soon."

As soon as she rounded the corner to the hallway, she pressed herself against the wall, tears spilling down instantly.

Every time she remembered he only had two months left, it felt like something was stabbing straight through her chest.

She gently laid her hand on her belly. "Don’t worry, baby. Mama’s not gonna let anything happen to your dad. We’ll protect him together, okay?"

Wiping her tears, she walked up to Nicole’s door and knocked softly.

Nicole opened up, and her red-rimmed eyes gave her away. She stepped forward and pulled Megan into a hug. "I’m sorry, Megan. I should’ve told you the truth."

"I’m sorry, too. You’ve been through a lot."

Nicole led her inside, and they sat down on the edge of the bed like two old friends catching up after years.

Megan reached out and gently touched Nicole’s still-flat belly. "You still love Nathaniel, don’t you?"

Nicole dropped her gaze as a hot tear landed on the back of Megan’s hand. She sucked in a shaky breath. "I do. It’s just... it’s a love full of pain and contradictions. He ruined my life, Megan. Took my family from me. He’s a monster. I’ve thought about getting rid of this baby. But... it’s just not the right time yet."

Megan froze. "So... you might get rid of it later?"