Chapter 1 : Pregnancy, Endings, and the First Love.

When Adrian Vanderbilt returned to the dressing room from the set, his assistant Adam approached him with a phone in hand, looking hesitant.

"If you have something to say, just say it. Then go get me a coffee."

Adrian plopped down in front of the mirror and picked up an eyeliner to touch up his makeup.

"Bro, you better see for yourself." Adam, puffing with anger, threw the phone in front of Adrian and stormed out without looking back.

Adrian glanced at the phone screen, saw the name "Christopher DuPont," and didn''t bother to read further. He continued to apply his eyeliner in the mirror.

Today, he was playing a bar dancer, with heavy makeup and revealing clothes, but he didn''t mind. As an actor, every role was an experience, and every role paid. As long as he got paid, he was willing to play any part.

After finishing his makeup, he blinked at the mirror and made a few more adjustments until he was satisfied. He packed up his makeup tools and picked up the phone.

[Oscar-winning actor Christopher spotted entering a high-end residential area with popular starlet Alice Smith. They were seen leaving together in the same car the following morning.]

Below was a blurry photo, almost pixelated, but Adrian recognized the tall man in the gray trench coat as Christopher at a glance.

In the photo, Christopher was wearing black sunglasses, a knee-length gray trench coat, jeans, and short boots. The trench coat was a gift Adrian had bought for him earlier that year. It wasn''t expensive, costing a third of his endorsement fee. It was Christopher''s birthday, and Adrian had just received his payment, so he impulsively bought it. He regretted it afterward, but Christopher later gave him a car, which balanced things out.

Adrian didn''t know the woman in the photo well. Though she was called a popular starlet, she was actually a third-tier actress. She was pretty, but Adrian knew that such looks wouldn''t catch Christopher''s eye.

Adrian tossed the phone aside and leaned back in his chair to rest. He had a night scene to shoot later and needed to rest a bit to get through it.

By the time the night scene ended, it was nearly 2 AM. His assistant Adam drove him home and left. Adrian then went to the 24-hour convenience store at the community entrance to buy two bottles of beer and two packs of braised snacks before heading upstairs.

After showering at home, he sat on the couch, turned on the TV to the movie channel, opened the beer and braised snacks, and was about to start eating when a sudden wave of nausea made him frown deeply. He sat for a while, picked up the opened braised snacks, and sniffed them. They smelled normal, but the scent made him feel very uncomfortable.

He got up and went to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of yogurt. After drinking it, he managed to suppress the discomfort.

Giving up on the beer and braised snacks, he lost interest in watching TV. He tidied up and went to bed. In his sleep, a body radiating warm steam slipped into the bed and hugged him. He instinctively moved closer to the warmth, found a comfortable position in the embrace, and fell back asleep.

When he woke up the next morning, he was alone in bed, but the scent of another person lingered. He got up and walked to the living room. The person had already left, leaving a note on the table: Breakfast is in the kitchen, heat it up yourself.

Adrian walked to the kitchen, looked at the porridge and pancakes kept warm in the rice cooker, and sighed. Always so considerate, how could he ever bear to leave?

While eating breakfast, that strange nausea returned. Adrian looked at the barely touched breakfast in front of him and forced himself to eat two-thirds of it, painfully throwing away the remaining third.

After cleaning up the dishes, Adrian called his assistant Adam: "I''m not feeling well. Come take me to the hospital."

"Bro, what''s wrong?" Adam sounded very worried.

"It''s nothing, just come quickly," Adrian said.

They went to a highly confidential private hospital. After a series of tests, Adrian was stunned.

"Mr. Vanderbilt, I can responsibly inform you that you are two months pregnant, and the fetus is healthy. You can continue the pregnancy."

Adrian patted his face and looked at the elderly doctor with a bit of amusement, "You''re not joking with me, are you?"

The elderly doctor had a kind expression, "I stand by my words."

After leaving the doctor''s office, Adrian sat on the bench at the entrance for a long time until Adam, who had gone for a walk, came to find him.

"Bro, what''s wrong?"

Adrian looked up at him, somewhat confused.

Adam didn''t know what was wrong with him and was quite scared. He sat down to comfort him, but Adrian shook his head, "It''s nothing, really. I''m just a bit tired and want to go home and rest."

"Oh, let me take you home then."

After returning home, Adrian sat alone on the couch. He thought about many things, yet it felt like he thought about nothing at all. It wasn''t until dusk when he heard the sound of keys at the door that Christopher came back.

Christopher closed the door after coming in and turned on the lights while changing his shoes. Seeing Adrian sitting on the couch, he frowned, "Why didn''t you turn on the lights?"

Adrian smiled, "I fell asleep and just woke up."

Christopher didn''t say anything and went straight to the bathroom.

Half an hour later, Adrian was pinned down on the bed by Christopher. Adrian got scared, "No, please..."

Christopher stopped, "What''s wrong?"

Adrian propped himself up with his hands, "I''m not feeling well today, maybe... maybe next time."

Christopher frowned. Their relationship had lasted nearly four years, and this was the first time Adrian had refused him in bed, "Where are you feeling unwell?"

Adrian said, "My stomach."

Christopher''s gaze shifted down to his abdomen, "Your stomach?"

"Yes, my stomach." Adrian instinctively covered his belly with his hand.

Christopher was silent for a moment, then got out of bed and went to the bathroom. Soon, the sound of running water and suppressed breathing came from inside. Adrian closed his eyes, rubbed his belly for a while, then put on his pajamas and lay down.

Christopher came out of the bathroom and lay down beside Adrian. After a while, Christopher said, "Adrian, how long have you been with me?"

Adrian said, "Three years, ten months, and twelve days."

Christopher was silent in the dark for a long time, then said, "Let''s end this. According to the contract, the house you''re living in now will be yours. Additionally, I''ll give you two film contracts, five advertising contracts, and two million dollars in cash. If you need any help in the industry in the future, you can come to me, and I''ll help if I can."

Everything around seemed to enter a vacuum state, so quiet that there was no sound at all. In a moment of daze, Adrian felt a faint sound in his heart, as if something inside was cracking like a spider web, ready to collapse at any moment. To avoid embarrassing himself in front of Christopher, Adrian smiled in the dark, trying to make his voice sound less pathetic, "He''s back?"

His voice was still a bit hoarse. Adrian cleared his throat and asked again, "Caleb Johnson is back?"