Page 113 of Secret Baby for my Off-Limits Fiancé
He has never once acknowledged me. I have spent my entire life wondering about him, imagining scenarios where he might appear at my doorstep one day, where he might apologize, where he might look at me and actually see me as his daughter.
But he never came. He never cared.
So, why would he care now?
Because Vincent needs him.
That thought is all that matters. The anger, the rejection, the wounds of my past, they don’t matter right now.
Vincent’s life is hanging by a thread.
And I will do whatever it takes to save him.
I grab my purse and turn for the door, my pulse pounding with determination and dread.
I don’t care if Silvano Salvatore doesn’t want to see me. I don’t care if it means reopening old wounds that never truly healed.
I will face him.
I have to.
I barely make it down the hallway when my mother’s voice calls from behind me, frantic, pleading. “Layla, wait! You can’t just go like this!”
I keep walking, my legs moving on instinct. If I stop, if I turn back, I might break under the weight of everything she kept from me.
I reach the elevator doors, pressing the button with trembling hands.
She catches up to me, grabbing my arm and pulling me aside, forcing me to look at her.
“Layla, please. We need to talk about this.”
I yank my arm away, my voice sharp, cutting.
“Talk about what, Mom?” I spit, eyes burning. “How you lied to me my entire life? How you let me grow up without knowing who my father was?”
Her face twists with pain. “I did it to protect you.”
I laugh bitterly. “Protect me?” The words taste like acid in my mouth. “I deserved to know the truth! You don’t get to decide what I can and can’t handle.”
Tears prick at my eyes, but I blink them away.
I won’t cry in front of her. I won’t let her see how much this is tearing me apart.
“I know you’re going to find him.” Her voice trembles. “But please… you don’t have to do this alone.”
“Alone?” I scoff. “I’ve always been alone in this.”
Her lips part, but I don’t give her a chance to speak.
“I don’t need you protecting me anymore.”
The elevator dings open, and I step inside, watching as my mother’s face disappears behind the closing doors.
When I reach the parking lot, Valentino is already there, leaning against the passenger door of his car.
“Let’s go, I’ll drive.” His voice is calm, but there’s an edge to it.
I stop in my tracks. “I don’t want you to come.”
