Page 16 of Secret Baby for my Off-Limits Fiancé

This is bad. Really bad.

My mind races for a solution, but I come up blank. I have no options.

Then, a voice cuts through my spiraling thoughts.

“Layla?”

I freeze.

That voice.

I turn slowly, and my breath catches.

Valentino.

Standing a few feet away, hands tucked into his pockets, looking as effortlessly put together as ever. Black shirt, sleeves rolled up, hair styled just enough to look careless, but I know better.

He looks… good.

Better than I remember.

The years have only sharpened his features, adding an edge of maturity to the boyish arrogance that once defined him.

For a moment, it’s like the ground shifts beneath me.

What the hell is he doing here?

“Bad time?” He watches me carefully.

My heart pounds.

This is the first time I’ve seen him since that night three years ago, and suddenly, all the memories rush back. The touch of his skin on mine. The way he kissed me. That fateful phone call. The way I left the next morning without a word. The way I tried, and failed, to forget him.

I clear my throat. “I… yeah. I mean, no. I just…”

I shut my mouth, flustered.

He exhales, as if relieved. “I was hoping for a few minutes of your time. Coffee, maybe? There’s a shop down the street.”

I hesitate, glancing at my ruined boutique. The last thing I want is for him to see it like this.

I should say no.

Instead, I hear myself say, “Sure. Just… give me a second.”

I rush inside, fumbling through my bag for my compact mirror. My hands shake as I dust powder over my face, patting down my hair.

Why am I doing this? I shouldn’t care how I look. I don’t care.

Except… I do.

When I step back outside, he’s still there, waiting. His eyes flicker with something unreadable when he sees me.

“After you.” He motions for me to walk beside him.

We head toward the café in silence, tension crackling between us.

We sit across from each other, the tension thick as I stir my coffee, pretending I don’t feel the heat of his gaze on me.

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