Page 120 of Secret Baby for my Off-Limits Fiancé
I pause, trying to think of the most sensitive way to phrase what I was about to say next. Until I realize that there was no sugar-coating reality. “You mean the thing with your father.”
She nods, “I’ve always wanted to know who he was, but my mother wouldn’t tell me. When I finally found out... well, you saw how that went.”
Her eyes glisten with unshed tears, and I feel a sharp pang in my chest.
I reach out, placing my hand over hers.
“Layla, no one should have gone through what you did. I know that your experiences shape your understanding of the world, but I would have never done that to Vincent.”
I begin to grow overwhelmed with emotion, “I would have never abandoned him.”
“You say that now—” she starts, but then corrects herself, “I know that now, but back then… You remember our first night together?”
“You know how much the both of us drank, but despite that, I remember most of it.”
I remember how she made me feel. Excited, charged-up, happy, and then confused when she left abruptly never to be heard from again.
“Well, I overheard you talk on the phone.”
I frown, trying to remember, but I cannot recall this specific part. “What are you talking about?”
She smiles, but it’s small, bittersweet. “That morning… I heard you on the phone. You were talking about how you would never be caught by a pregnancy. How it was always on to the next one for you.”
Her voice cracks slightly on the last words, and something inside me shatters.
I stare at her, stunned. “Layla… no.” I rake a hand through my hair, the weight of it all hitting me at once. “That wasn’t about you.”
She glances at me, skeptical. “How do you know?”
“Because I remember exactly what I said.” I step in front of her, forcing her to look at me. “I was talking about Quinn, about her intentions with my father. I was worried she was using him.”
Layla stiffens. “Quinn?”
“Yes,” I say firmly. “I would’ve never said that about you. Never.”
“And the part about always moving on to the next one?”
“I was always so focused on my career, I was talking about opportunities, business opportunities, not women.”
Her eyes search mine as if trying to find the truth in them.
And when she does, she lets out a shaky breath.
“God.” She laughs, but it’s full of disbelief. “I spent so long thinking you would see me as some kind of… toy or opportunist. That’s why I ran. And that’s why I didn’t come back when I found out.”
I take a step closer, my fingers itching to touch her, but I hold back. “Layla, if I had known that’s what you thought—”
“It doesn’t matter anymore.” She shakes her head. “I kept Vincent from you. I kept the truth from you because of a stupid misunderstanding. I’m sorry, Valentino. I’m so, so sorry.”
Her voice is small, broken, and it wrecks me.
“I don’t care about that anymore. I care about what happens next.”
She looks at me then, really looks at me.
The cold air feels sharper now, the tension between us thick and unyielding.
I swallow hard, knowing I can’t leave anything unsaid tonight. “I love you, Layla.”
