The Faceless Billionaire Celebrity Wife-Chapter 308: His Decision...

"Ethan..." she looked up, her brown eyes expressing disbelief. "Do you know what you just tore?" Shikera asked.

"The contract you made me sign without my permission," he deadpanned.

"What?! You talk like it means nothing to you," Shikera muttered, still in shock at what just happened. "Tell me you have a backup plan, Honey please..."

"I don’t have one, and as you thought, that contract means nothing to me," Ethan replied, his face void of any kind of emotions except anger.

"I can’t—Ethan, did you just say all my struggles in making that contract valid means nothing to you? My enduring all sort of pains and guilt from keeping this away from you doesn’t mean anything to you?!"

"And who the fuck asked you to do all that, Kera? My supposed wife is pregnant and every fucking person knows that, apart from me, you think that makes the least bit of sense?"

"And I said I’m sorry, Ethan! I had to settle all of—"

Ethan interjected, "I don’t care, and I will forget about that as long as you tell me the contents of the contract aren’t entirely true."

Shikera brows furrowed in confusion. All that she read in the contract was true, and she had no idea which of them Ethan needed to be false.

"Are you still talking about the shares, Ethan? Trust me, even though you already tore that contract, I will surely find a way to get my dad to nullify the one he signed with yours. It won’t affect your shares—"

As Ethan watched her, the frown on his face deepened as if he was staring at a stranger.

"Shikera Anderson, do you actually think of anything apart from shares? Who gives a damn about some motherfucking shares right now?!"

"Then what is all this about?" Shikera asked back, confusion evident in her eyes. Wasn’t that all she needed to care about? She planned to tell Ethan about her pregnancy and the contract at once, then apologize for not informing him earlier. But his reaction was what she had not expected, and the fact that she had no idea what was making him angry was more than confusing.

Ethan had no idea where the patience came from but he felt himself calm down, when his eyes met her genuinely confused brown ones. He noticed then how her hair was out of place, betraying the hasty manner with which she had combed it earlier.

He raised his hand to smoothen her hair, noticing how she flinched slightly when his hand touched her. However, she relaxed soon enough even though her eyes were still wary and confused.

"Shikera, you said you solved everything, right?" he asked.

Nodding slowly, Shikera answered with a firm tone, "I did."

"Great, then in how many months time do you think you’ll be able to undergo surgery? I will talk to your doctor and the others, but I need to know when would be appropriate for you first," Ethan asked. A wry smile sat on his lips as he waited for her reply, as if his question was one she was supposed to have expected.

Shikera’s brows furrowed in confusion, "What surgery?"

"It was supposed to be a surprise," Ethan replied, "I left the hotel that day to finish up some business and meet some doctors who expressed interest in your case. I set up a meeting for them to meet your doctor so what’s left is to chose a date for surgery. What do you think?"

"What?! You got—No, that’s not the point here. I can’t get surgery in this state," she exclaimed. "It will be useless."

"You are sick, Kera. You need surgery and I got the doctors ready but what are you saying now? Surgery would be useless?"

"Of course! I’m pregnant, Ethan."

"But you said just a few minutes ago that you had sorted everything out. Didn’t that cross your mind at all?" Ethan questioned.

Shikera sighed inwardly, taking in a deep breath before speaking, "Ethan, I am really grateful and shocked that you were able to get doctors that could take up my case when my father couldn’t. And as much as I do not want your efforts to be in vain, I’m afraid it will be—"

"Get straight to the point, Kera. I don’t care if my efforts go to waste or not, as long as it’s not for an absurd reason," Ethan cut her off with a stern voice. He asked, "Why will your getting surgery be useless?"

"Because I can’t–uhm, you know it’s impossible to get surgery while I’m pregnant. That leaves us to settle with when I deliver, but..." she hesitated, staring up at Ethan with scared, innocent eyes. She wondered what his reaction would be but also knew he wouldn’t be as angry as he was earlier.

After all, he could not be that bothered about her getting surgery or staying alive as long as he had his shares and child, right?

She continued, "I would have said to undergo surgery when in 6 months, but Ethan..."

"Speak, Shikera."

Licking her lips nervously, Shikera said,"I’m not sure if I’ll live until then. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure the child is healthy and stays safe and your shares too—"

Ethan interrupted her, "Fuck you, Kera! What the hell do you think you are saying? I can keep the child and shares while you have to die?! Who the fuck cares about those?"

"Hon—"

"Don’t...," he cut her off, his eyes growing colder. "What exactly did you sort out then? Don’t tell me you only made plans on how to save my shares and my father’s, and not on how to do whatever to stay alive with me?" he questioned.

Shikera didn’t need to reply for him to get his answer. Her eyes said it all.

"It would be a waste, Ethan," she stated. "This is the best way I can ever live my life. Keep you on good terms with your father and mine with that contract, give you a child and then...leave this world while staying useful..."

Ethan scoffed, raising his hand to run it through his hair. Trying to keep himself from getting angry, he zoned out on Shikera’s words until he couldn’t hear her voice any longer and could only watch her lips.

When they stopped moving, he grabbed her hand and pulled her with him as he headed out of the kitchen and towards the doorway.

"Where are we going?" Shikera asked, but received no reply. Slipping her legs into the fluffy slippers he placed before her, she remembered the meal lying cold on the kitchen table and tried to pry her hand out of his tight grip.

"Ethan, i cooked. Don’t you want to try eating before we leave to wherever—"

"Are you hungry?" Ethan interjected, his grip on her hand not loosening.

Shikera shook her head, "I’m not. You can eat alone...If I force myself to eat, I’ll only pour it all out the next minute anyways."

"Then let’s leave."

Together, they walked out of the villa and approached the car which Ethan had driven home minutes ago. He pulled open the passenger’s seat of the car and helped her in, fastening her seatbelt around her; all with a grim expression on his face.

★★★

Music Rec: Unconditionally by Katy Perry

Shikera had almost drifted off to sleep when the car pulled up to a stop, jolting her awake. After numerous failed attempts at trying to start a conversation with Ethan and trying to get him to tell her where he was taking her, she had given up and occupied herself with playing with the fringes of her hair.

It was understandable that he was angry, after all. It was left to her to try to make him less angered and thaw the icy gloom that had begun to envelope him.

Seeing him open the door on his side, she turned to do the same and stepped out of the car, her eyes widening when she saw where he came to.

Lucian Rays Group of Hospitals?

"Why are we here?" she asked, but received no reply. "Ethan, I am talking to you. Will you keep on ignoring me?"

"You’ll see when we get there," he deadpanned in reply.

Getting to her side, he bent slightly to take her hand and interlocked his, leading her through the large entrance doors of the hospital.

As they walked through the lobby, Shikera noticed they were drawing more attention than was normal.

"Ethan, why..." she looked up to ask, trailing off when it dawned on her the reason why they were attracting attention.

"Ethan," she called.

"What’s wrong? You’re feeling pain anywhere?" he responded with a slightly worried tone even though he didn’t slow his pace one bit.

"No, I’m alright. It’s you," she whispered.

"What about me?"

"You aren’t wearing your mask," Shikera replied.

Ethan turned to glance briefly at her, his brows slightly pulled up.

"What do you care?" he questioned.

"Uh?!"

He turned away from her and pulled out his phone which appeared to be ringing.

"Did you get them ready?" he asked. After a small pause to get a reply from the other end, he continued, "We are getting into the elevator now. We’ll be there in a few."

When he dropped the call, Shikera didn’t attempt to ask anything, knowing she would receive no reply anyway. She stayed quiet all through the elevator ride until she saw they were almost at the first floor.

She only went there when she was sick or needed to stay at the hospital for a long while. Presently, she was neither; at least to Ethan’s knowledge, so she wondered why he brought her here.

"What will we be doing here and when are we leaving?" she asked. "I need you to answer me this time around, Ethan. I promised Esther I will pick her up tonight and I have to do that before she falls asleep."

"You will see," Ethan replied.

Before Shikera could argue, the elevator doors opened to reveal a sea of white lab coats waiting right outside.

Doctors...And not just anyone, Shikera recognized those at the forefront at least.

There was Krystal and Kyle, then Leonard and Dominic Kohath, the doctor who gave her the ’no pregnancy’ warning. She also recognized some of of the chief surgeons whom her long stay at the hospital had forced her to acquaint herself with.

But why were they all here?

She was even more confused when Ethan pulled her with him out of the elevator and shook hands with those of them at the front, one after the other. Letting her hand go, he walked away from her and the doctors accompanied him, leaving her standing alone with Leonard.

"How are you doing, Shikera?"

"Hey Leo," She waved slightly, her distracted state preventing her from greeting him cheerfully. "Do you know why he’s meeting all of those doctors?"

"Yeah," Leonard nodded, a bit surprised at the fact that she was asking him. "Don’t you know? Oh...Is it because they’re a bit too many? Your husband requested it to be like this. Apart from the chief surgeons from all departments, the others are obstetricians and gynecologists."

"Obstetricians and gynecologists? Who’s in need of them here?"

Before Leonard could reply her, Ethan arrived and with a curt nod at Leonard, guided her away from there. Apart from the doctors behind them, the whole floor was empty and as they walked down the silent hallway, their footsteps echoed.

"What was all that about, Ethan?" Shikera questioned, stopping dead in her tracks all of a sudden.

Ethan sighed out loud, "All that? Isn’t it obvious, Shikera?"

"No, it isn’t. It’s confusing me more than anything, Ethan. What’s with the doctors?" she questioned.

"Alright..." Ethan breathed.

Closing the distance between himself and Shikera, he pulled her into a tight embrace, his one hand wrapped tightly around her waist while the other dug into her hair.

Taking in a deep breath, he began.