Page 111 of Secret Baby for my Off-Limits Fiancé

I let out a sharp breath, shaking my head. “Layla ran away from me and disappeared for three years. I just found her again recently. She never told me.”

He studies me for a long moment, then sighs. “And how do you feel about it?”

I let out a humorless laugh. “How do I feel? I feel like someone just ripped the rug out from under me. Like I’ve been blindfolded for two years and now I’m suddenly seeing everything for the first time.”

My jaw tightens. “I feel like I’ve failed him before I even had the chance to be his father.”

My father is silent for a moment, then stands to reach out, placing a firm hand on my shoulder. “You haven’t failed him. Not yet. You’re here now. That’s what matters.”

I shake my head. “Is it? He doesn’t even know me. I missed his first words, his first steps. I wasn’t there when he got sick, when he needed me the most.”

My father squeezes my shoulder. “And what? You’re going to let that stop you now?”

His gaze softens. “Listen to me, Valentino. You can’t change the past. But you can choose what kind of father you want to be from this moment forward.”

I inhale deeply, his words sinking in. “I have to do what’s right for him.”

Dad nods. “Yes. And right now, that means focusing on finding a match.”

I straighten, clenching my fists.

Right. That’s the priority. Vincent.

Everything else, my anger, my relationship with Layla, my confusion about where we stand, that can wait.

I take a deep breath, nodding once. “I won’t let him down.”

Dad gives me one last pat on the shoulder before turning to leave. “I know you won’t.”

As I get ready to head back to the hospital, I realize something.

For the first time since Layla told me the truth, I finally feel clear-headed.

I know what I need to do.

I need to be there for my family.

***

Back at the hospital, Layla and her mother are with Vincent.

Doctor Holloway walks into Vincent’s room with a file. Layla and I both stand at the same time.

We already know what this is.

The test results.

I feel her beside me, trembling.

Without thinking, I reach for her hand. And she lets me.

I squeeze her fingers.

She squeezes back.

It’s the first real thing we’ve done in days.

Then the doctor speaks, "I’m sorry. None of the tested donors are a match."

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