Page 39 of The Alpha's Bullied Pregnant Mate

“Not tonight, sorry…”

“Isla… Please.”

Something broke inside her at that plea. His mother was right. This Fannar was a completely different person from the one she had known. He was kind, subtle, soft spoken, and all these things made things even worse for her. She couldn’t have asked for a better man. So far, he’d been nothing but perfect. He didn’t deserve her meanness.

“Fine.”

He sighed audibly. “Thank you. I’d pick you up by 7?”

She swallowed hard. “7 sounds perfect.”

“Excellent. See you soon.”

The call disconnected and Isla groaned. She could feel the fluttering in her stomach, excitement at the thought of seeing Fannar. Her entire body betrayed her when Fannar was concerned.

She had no control over her reactions around him, and she was slowly losing the battle with her mind as well. He dominated her thoughts, and every time she found a reason to hate him, he gave her a hundred reasons not to. Why was he so perfect?

She needed to get away, and soon. Fortunately, she’d managed to save up a large portion of all the money she’d been getting from Fannar. She’d made more than enough to support her new life wherever she went. The time had finally come for her to make her move.

A sudden wave of nausea rocked her. She clutched her mouth in shock and rushed to the kitchen. She was barely over the sink when she threw up her breakfast. She heaved painfully as she emptied her stomach, confused by the sudden illness.

She washed her mouth and the sink, then settled weakly on the kitchen counter. Her head hurt furiously and her vision blurred. “What the fuck?” she swore. She couldn’t remember the last time she was sick, and she had no idea where this was coming from.

She spent the rest of the day covered up on the couch, nursing a headache and a slight fever. She drifted in and out of sleep, and the pain in her scar was back. It was weeks since she’d last felt it, thanks to all the time she and Fannar had been spending together.

The thought that she was going to see him soon was a relief. Isla was convinced that her sudden illness was somehow connected to Fannar. Strange things had been happening to her since they reconnected, more reason why she needed to break their bond mark.

Fannar was punctual as usual. It had taken all of Isla’s will and strength to get ready for her date, and she didn’t put in a lot of effort into beautification.

Fannar didn’t seem to notice. He smiled when she opened the door. “You look amazing.”

Liar, Isla thought to herself, but his comment made her feel better. She grabbed a jacket from the wall and shut the door behind her. She walked past Fannar to his car and he followed closely behind.

The car ride into town was a silent one, with Isla fighting down her nausea as well as she could. Whatever was wrong with her, Fannar’s presence wasn’t helping, and she wished she had just stayed back home instead.

There weren’t lots of restaurants in Frost Peak, or so she’d thought. She didn’t particularly get out much. Fannar parked outside a chalet tucked deep in the mountain. Isla had never seen it before, and she wished she had come here on a day when she wasn’t so miserably sick.

Fannar turned the engine off and frowned when he looked at her. “Hey, are you alright? Yo don’t look so good.”

There was no use denying it. She knew she looked like road kill. Sweat covered her brows, and her hair plastered to her neck and face. “Just a little under the weather. Nothing a little sleep can’t help with.”

Fannar looked unconvinced and he started to speak. Isla opened the door and stepped out of the car. “Are you coming?” she asked, her tone a little too snappy.

Fannar ground his jaw and nodded. He tried to hide it, but she could see that her response had hurt him. She pushed the thought to the back of her mind. She didn’t always intend to be so harsh to him, but it was her only way of surviving, and its effectiveness was starting to fade.

Fannar led her wordlessly into the cozy looking building and Isla loved it the moment she put one foot inside. It was beautiful. There were only a few tables on the floor, but each was arranged in such a way that gave a sense of privacy. The lighting was perfect, and the plush seats looked comfortable and inviting.

Fannar led her to a table near a window and helped her into her seat, always the perfect gentleman, regardless of how much shit she gave him. He sat across from her just as a waiter approached in a fancy coat.

Isla gestured at the waiter. “Sorry, can you give us about ten minutes? Thank you.” Fannar watched her nervously but nodded at the waiter who turned to watch him.

“Of course,” the waiter said with a smile. “Champagne for the couple?”

Isla shook her head. “No, thank you. Just water is fine.” Isla waited for the waiter to leave before speaking to Fannar. “Okay, so you wanted to discuss something important with me. We’re here in this fancy restaurant and you look nervous. How about we skip the preface and you tell me what’s on your mind?”

Her directness caught him off guard and he blinked. She watched him quietly, saw the wheels spinning in his mind as he tried to gather his wits together. She’d intended to throw him off balance and she was largely successful.

He cleared his throat. “I’ve thought a lot about how I want to say this to you, and I’ve decided that I’m just going to stumble through it. Here’s the thing, Isla. While this thing we have started off as a business transaction, it has long morphed into something else.

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