The plea in her voice breaks something in me. There is no avoiding the conversation, but I respect her wish.
After a day full of betrayal, snap decisions, heartfelt confessions, a health scare, and a life-alteringdiscovery, my revelation would let her down one more time.
So I respect her wish and stay silent, delaying the inevitable.
I have to tell Roxy that I kept something else from her. She needs to know I’m Romeo.
Never have I feared the consequences of truth as much as now.
Chapter 22
Roxy
Liam sits beside me as the driver navigates the late afternoon traffic. He’s been honoring my request and hasn’t uttered a word since the ultrasound.
He’s been like a silent sentry, creating space for my imminent breakdown. Not hovering. Not retreating. Just… there.
Silently, he helped me get dressed. Dealt with the hospital staff. Shielded me from reality. Not that I can avoid it.
Hours ago, I hated his guts, and now, I’m relying on him. That alone should terrify me. Facing my current situation alone feels so much worse, so I tolerate his presence.
I’m grateful for it.
And that’s where my problem lies. This man betrayed me, and yet here we are, and it feels like he is right where I want him.
Where I need him.
Need is the most dangerous word I know.
I don’t quite know what to do with that. I have no fight left in me.
So much happened in the last twenty-four hours, I don’t even know where to start organizing my thoughts.
My professional future, my relationship with the man beside me, my sister’s destiny, my family’s manipulation—it’s all overshadowed by the most unexpected news. Flattened beneath a single, undeniable truth.
I’m going to be a mother. I’m having a baby. I wish the joy wasn’t tainted by the circumstances.
My gaze lands on my hands. Curled to cradle my flat stomach, they already protect the growing life inside me.
By instinct. Not by choice.
A new emotion blooms under my rib cage amid all the turmoil. Hope. Perhaps even a tentative joy.
I turn my head. Liam is flexing his fingers. I assumed it was an angry gesture, but I’m starting to believe it’s his coping mechanism.
It’s how he deals with anxious situations. How he anchors himself when he’s overwhelmed with feelings.
The realization softens something in me I don’t want softened.
I didn’t want to find out how far along I was. I wanted to stay oblivious for a few more days while I came to terms with this twist in my life.
I didn’t want to find out how far along I was, not because I worried it would be his.
I worried it wouldn’t be.
And that scared the shit out of me.
But when Liam raised the question of the baby’s health, I couldn’t wait.
