Chapter 390: The Place We Call Home

Soon after, Sienna was sent to Ardenia to work as an escort. Word was, once she got there, she couldn’t handle the humiliation. Her dignity crushed, forced to serve several men a day, she tried everything to escape—but every time, they caught her and dragged her back. The last time she tried, they beat her to death.

Nate and Laurett collapsed after learning what had happened to her. The shock was too much. Yvette and Summer told this part of the story later. When Summer heard it, she barely reacted. If she ever had even a shred of sympathy left for Sienna, it died the day she poisoned Pudding.

After some time in recovery, Summer was finally discharged from the hospital. Fraser showed up pushing a wheelchair from who-knows-where. He stood tall behind it, his hands casually resting on the handles. His expression was calm and natural. Summer blinked at the sight.

“That’s a bit much,” she said. It wasn’t like she couldn’t walk—she’d just gotten too worked up and triggered some pregnancy symptom. Besides, after resting at the hospital for a while, she felt completely fine. By now, she was almost six months pregnant. Her belly had a noticeable curve. Even though her frame was still slim and graceful, not even a loose-fitting black dress could hide the fact that she was expecting. She’d gotten too emotional that day, which stirred up her pregnancy again. Lately, she often woke up in the middle of the night. Sometimes her legs would cramp hard out of nowhere, sometimes the baby would kick like crazy. And every time she woke up—

The man beside her would act like the sky was falling. That usual calm and collected vibe? Gone. He’d be frantically scrambling around. It was always Summer who took his hand and reassured him, “I’m okay, I’m fine. Don’t worry.” Only then would the man slowly settle down, his face returning to something close to composed.

Summer had been feeling it more clearly lately—she wasn’t alone anymore. Her mindset was starting to shift. She had to take responsibility—for the baby, and for Fraser. She got out of bed and pointed at the wheelchair with a look of disdain. “Not using that.”

Fraser let go of the handles and stepped forward to wrap an arm around her waist. His voice was soft and gentle. “Doctor said you shouldn’t walk too much. You’ll get tired.”

When he saw her still frowning, Fraser bent down, slipped an arm under her legs, and lifted her off the ground. “Then I’ll carry you out.”

Summer’s face turned red. “That’s even weirder.”

A playful smile crept into Fraser’s eyes. “What’s weird about a man carrying his own wife?”

Summer couldn’t argue with him, so she just let him do what he wanted. And just like that, he carried her out of the hospital room. Summer tucked her head into his chest like an ostrich, pretending she couldn’t see anyone else.

Down the hallway, Xavier and Yvette came walking toward them. Yvette had come to pick her up, knowing she was being discharged today. When she saw Fraser carrying Summer, she froze awkwardly in place. She wasn’t sure if she should step forward or not.

Xavier, walking behind her, chuckled. “What, jealous? I can carry you too.”

Yvette rolled her eyes. “Carry you? I’m not even pregnant.”

“Wanna try getting pregnant? Who knows, maybe I’ll out-man Fraser.”

“Get lost.”

Summer was gently placed in the passenger seat. Fraser closed the door, walked around the front of the car, slid into the driver’s seat, and casually started the engine.

The sunlight was beautiful today. Golden rays bathed the earth, and the pine trees lining the road cast scattered shadows across the windows as they sped by. Watching the road ahead, Summer turned to look at the man beside her. He was leaning against the window with one arm, the other hand on the wheel. He wore a white custom-tailored shirt, no tie. Tree shadows danced across his sharply defined side profile, softening the lines of his cold jaw and making him look unfairly handsome.

Summer couldn’t help but lean over the center console, poke his sculpted arm, and ask, “Aren’t we going home?”

Fraser glanced at her and didn’t say anything. He switched hands on the wheel and used the other to wrap around Summer’s mischievous little fingers, gently brushing the base of her ring finger.

“We’re going somewhere.”

“Where?”

“You’ll see.”

The Ferrari made a smooth turn and drove straight in front of the Civil Affairs Bureau. They pulled up in front. Summer stared at the sign, stunned for several seconds. Her brain took a while to catch up. To the rest of the world, it probably already looked like they were married. After all, they were having a baby. But she and Fraser had never actually made it official.