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Under the knife? As if I had a choice? As if I was getting a boob job for cosmetic purposes? As if my entire medical team didn’t strongly suggest I treat this cancer as soon as possible in order to save my life?
He must see the look on my face because that charm faucet opens a little. “That’s my kid too, Lily.”
I nod. “That’s true.” Technically. Biologically.
He spreads his hands. “So pack your things and come home with me.” He says the words like they’re the most natural thing in the world. Like my leaving Heart’s Cove isn’t just an option, it’s an eventuality.
I stare at him, wondering how the hell I ever had sex with him. Sure, he’s attractive. He’s successful. He has a charm faucet entirely under his control. But he’s just so…arrogant. And fucking condescending.
“Home?” I manage to squeeze out. “Where is home?”
“I’ll set you up in my apartment in Milan, baby. It’s all ready for you. There’s enough room for a nursery too, and we can hire a nanny. You’ll have help there.”
I frown, trying to understand the audacity of this man. “You want me to leave my entire family and my medical team to go to Milan with you just months before my baby is born? You want me to give birth in Italy?”
“I want you to be where you belong.”
I think I’m in an alternate universe. Is this guy for real? “You broke up with me, Phil. You told me to abort my baby, and you walked away. I haven’t heard from you for months.” I lean forward. “You have a wife and kids I never even knew about. Why the hell do you think I would leave with you? So I can be the other woman for the rest of my life?”
Phil’s face hardens. “Of course not. I left my wife for you, Lily.”
I pause. “You mentioned that.”
“I’m here, aren’t I?”
“You have houses in seven countries, Phil,” I remind him. “Traveling here isn’t exactly different from your usual life.”
He glances around the room with an ugly sneer on his lips. “Trust me, babe, it’s different from my usual life.”
Right. Because he’s the hotshot fabric supplier who rubs shoulders with all the haute couturiers in the world. How could I forget?
I take a sip of tea to give myself a moment to think. When I set it down, I search his eyes. “You really left your wife for me?”
A loud bang makes me jump, and I see Candice behind the nearest end of the counter, fiddling with one of the display cabinets. The door of one of the cabinets behind her is swinging open as if it’s been slammed too hard to stay closed. She looks…angry.
Phil doesn’t notice. “I did. I did it for you, for the baby.”
Something isn’t adding up. Narrowing my eyes on the man across from me, I lean back. “What about your other kids?”
“What about them?”
I put a hand on my stomach. “Why is this baby suddenly more important than your existing children? You told me to, quote, ‘Get rid of it or get out of your life.’” My eyes harden. “Why the change of heart?”
The man bristles. He’s not used to this. We met in Milan and I was just happy to have a companion once in a while. I thought I was in love, but what was it, really? He’d flit in and out of my life and take me to romantic dinners, then lie on top of me and stick his dick in me until he came before falling asleep. He didn’t even know I was an accountant until we’d been seeing each other for two months. I’m not sure I’ve ever really questioned him. I always just accepted his presence.
Not anymore.
“That baby is my blood.” He thrusts a finger at my stomach. “Now stop it, Lily. Pack your bags and come with me. I have flights booked. We could be in Milan by morning.”
Another bang, but this time Candice holds the cabinet closed. She turns slowly, shoulders bunched, and starts rubbing a spot on the counter with a dishrag with vigorous intensity, clearly listening to every word.
My lips almost twitch. I can’t believe this is my life—and is it bad I’m kind of enjoying this? I’ve been through so much. Faced the fear of my own death, of my baby’s death…and I’m still in the thick of it.
Phil’s arrogance and condescension are nothing.
“Why Milan?” I ask, because I like the way his face is turning red. “I thought you said your home base was in Paris?” My eyes widen as a realization hits me. “Did you really leave your wife? Or is this just a way to get me to stay in Milan and be your good little Italian side piece?”
Phil grips his coffee mug so tight his nail beds turn white. “I left my family for you, Lily.”
