Daddy’s billionaire step-brother
Chapter 46: Other options

One afternoon, after days of suffocating silence and isolation, Richard entered Clara's room without knocking. He wore a cold, composed expression, but something in his demeanor sent a chill down Clara's spine. "I've brought in a doctor to check on you," he announced without preamble. Clara frowned, confused. "A doctor? Why? Can't I just go to a clinic?"

Richard's lips tightened. "No. I'm protecting you. Your reputation." He spoke with a detached finality, as though this was simply another business decision he had to make. "I won't have people whispering about you or this... situation." Before Clara could respond, the door opened, and a pair of nurses entered, wheeling in an ultrasound machine. Behind them, a middle-aged doctor with a kind but professional expression followed. Clara's confusion deepened. "What is this?" she asked, panic rising in her voice.

"Lie back," Richard ordered, ignoring her question as one of the nurses motioned for her to position herself on the bed.

Clara's heartbeat quickened as she lay down, feeling her father's eyes on her. She felt like she was losing control of her own life, her own body, and she didn't know how to stop it. The doctor, avoiding eye contact with Richard, gently placed the cold ultrasound gel on her lower abdomen and began to glide the transducer over her skin.

As the screen came to life with the faint image of her baby, Clara's breath hitched. There it was the proof of everything she had been dreading and yet somehow cherishing in the secret corners of her heart. The tiny flicker of life inside her. But before Clara could process the emotions swirling in her, Richard's voice cut through the air, sharp and unyielding.

"Is it possible?" he asked the doctor.

Clara's eyes snapped to her father. "What's possible?"

The doctor looked uncomfortable, glancing nervously between Clara and Richard. He hesitated, his professional demeanor cracking for a moment.

"Is it still possible to terminate the pregnancy?" Richard asked again, more forcefully this time.

Clara's world stopped. The words hit her like a blow to the chest. "What?" she whispered, disbelief and horror coursing through her. She sat up, the gel smearing across her stomach as she looked between her father and the doctor. Richard didn't even glance at her, his focus solely on the doctor. "Well?"

The doctor cleared his throat, his voice low and clinical. "Given how far along she is around ten weeks-it's still legally possible, but the procedure would be more complicated. The earlier it's done, the safer it is."

Clara felt like she was drowning, her mind spinning with shock and anger. "You can't-" Her voice cracked. "You can't do this to me."

Richard finally turned to her, his expression hard and unyielding. "This is for your own good, Clara. For the good of this family. You're not ready for this."

Clara's hands shook as she covered her stomach protectively. "This is my baby. You can't make this decision for me."

"I'm your father," Richard snapped, his voice cold and authoritative. "And I will make the decisions that protect you, whether you like them or not. You're too young to understand the consequences of what you're doing."

Tears welled in Clara's eyes, her chest tightening with panic. She couldn't believe what was happening, couldn't believe her father would go this far. "Please, don't do this. I can handle it. I'll figure it out."

Richard's face remained unmoved, his eyes devoid of any softness. "You've made enough reckless decisions, Clara. I won't let you ruin your life."

As the doctor and nurses stood awkwardly to the side, Clara's heart pounded in her ears. She felt trapped, helpless, as if her father was erasing her future before her eyes.

Her father's words echoed in her mind: You're too young to understand.

As the doctor and nurses quietly excused themselves, leaving Clara and Richard alone in the room, the door clicked shut with an eerie finality. Clara couldn't stop the tears streaming down her face, her breath coming in ragged sobs. It felt as though the walls were closing in on her, her father's cold gaze making her feel smaller and more powerless than ever before.

Richard stood there, arms crossed, his face a mask of calm authority. "Clara," he began, his voice as detached as ever, "I truly wish things didn't have to be this way, but you've left me no choice. I can't risk losing the marriage contract with the Caldwells. Our future depends on it. Your future depends on it."

Clara's body shook with the force of her tears. "Please, Dad. Don't do this. I-I'll do anything. I'll lie. I'll tell Henry it's his baby-I'll tell the Caldwells whatever you want me to say. Please, just don't take this away from me. I'll protect the baby. I swear."

Richard's eyes narrowed as he stared down at her, weighing her words. "And how exactly do you plan to deceive a family like the Caldwells, Clara?" His voice was sharp, laced with disbelief. "You're not like them. You've never had the stomach for manipulation or lies."

Clara wiped at her tears, desperate now. "I can do it," she whispered, her voice breaking. "I'll lie to Henry. I'll pretend to love him if that's what it takes. I'll play my part at the parties, the dinners. I'll make them believe it's all real. I'll marry him and carry on like nothing's wrong." Richard stared at her, studying her face as if trying to see if she truly meant it. "And you think you'll be able to live with that? Deceiving Henry, carrying a child that's not his, pretending everything is perfect when it's not?"

Clara nodded frantically, her hands clutching her stomach. "Yes. I don't care what it takes. I'll do whatever you want. Just don't make me don't make me get rid of the baby. Please, Dad. Please." Her voice cracked, desperation filling every word.

For a moment, the room was silent, the air heavy with tension. Richard turned his back on her, pacing slowly, his mind clearly racing with thoughts of risk, reputation, and power. He stopped, his hand resting on the back of a chair, and spoke without turning around.

"If you truly think you can lie your way through this, I'll hold you to it. But know this, Clara-I won't hesitate to step in if you fail." He turned to face her again, his gaze cold and unrelenting. "I'll call Caldwell and tell him that you're finally ready to sign the marriage papers. We'll rush the wedding, and you'll play your role. We'll do it before your belly starts to show."

Clara's heart sank even deeper, fear gripping her tighter. She was terrified of the path her father was setting for her, the weight of her lies already pressing down on her chest. But in that moment, she knew it was the only way to protect her baby. She couldn't let her father take this life from her.

She swallowed hard, barely able to meet her father's eyes. "I'll do it," she whispered, the words feeling like a pact with the devil. "I'll marry Henry. I'll do everything you ask."

Richard nodded, a grim satisfaction in his eyes. "Good. Then you'll do exactly what I say from now on, Clara. No more outbursts, no more disobedience. You'll go through with this, and you won't make a single mistake."

Clara nodded, feeling utterly broken inside. Her hands trembled as she wiped away the last of her tears, the weight of what she had just agreed to slowly suffocating her. She didn't know how she would survive this-pretending to be someone she wasn't, living a life built on lies-but for her baby, she would.